A lovely little record from Ceu – a record that balances the Brazilian singers' vocals with a great sense of space in the instrumentation – just the right use of acoustic rhythms, keyboards, and other elements – never as electronic as other albums on the Six Degrees label, in a way that let's the more gentle, subtle aspects of Ceu's vocals really come through beautifully! The record starts with a spare number that only features cavaquinho behind the lyrics – and although other tracks expand the sound out a bit more, that spare mode of the start still holds on nicely. Titles include "Rosa Menina Rosa", "Grains De Beaute", "Nascente", "Cangote", "Sobre O Amor E Seu Trabalho Silencioso", and "Ponteiro". CD

A wonderful package of work from Antonio Carlos Jobim – an 8CD set that brings together 5 full albums recorded for Philips, plus 3 more CDs that serve as a tribute to the maestro! The core albums are the stuff of legend – Edu & Tom, recorded with Edu Lobo; Elis & Tom, recorded with Elis Regina; Matita Pere, issued in the US as Jobim; Caymmi Visita Tom, recorded with Dorival Caymmi; and the soundtrack to Garota De Ipanema – filled with great bossa numbers! Additional CDs are titled Tom Masculino, featuring famous male singers' versions of Jobim tunes; Tom Feminino, with female versions of tunes; and Tom Pra Dois, which is a series of famous duets. 95 tracks on 8CDs – with a bonus booklet as well. CD

The name, and the title, give the whole game away – as Eliane performs a set of older Brazilian tunes, all in that wonderful light-hearted style of hers! About half the tracks feature Eliane on vocals, the rest just piano – working with players that include Eddie Gomez, Jack DeJohnette, Marc Johnson, Oscar Castro-Neves, and Nana Vasconcelos. The overall style is a bit bossa, a bit MPB – but overall, mostly jazz-based – as Eliane uses older standards like "Chega De Saudade", "Passarim", "Waters Of March", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Cravo E Canela" to work out some warm and jazzy stylings. The tracks are collected from older albums, but come together very nicely as a unified set! (Vocalists, Brazil) CD

A wickedly wonderful album by Antonio Carlos Jobim – recorded in LA in the mid 60s, and a perfect meeting of styles that makes for one of his most compelling albums of the 60s! Jobim sings and plays over pillowy-soft arrangements by Claus Ogerman – lightly dancing numbers that weave strings and woodwinds into a wave of sound that dips, turns, and sometimes hits a surprisingly nice groove. Dick Hyman plays a bit of organ on the set – which we always love – and Dom Um Romao's working in the group somewhere on drums. Lyrics are in English, sung in a warm and fragile style by Jobim – and the album's got a great organy version of "Surfboard", plus "Zingaro", "Bonita", "Off-Key", and "Photograph". CD

A great compilation of rare bossa grooves – put together from the classic catalog of RGE Records in the 60s, featuring some rare gems from the classic days of the bossa nova! The package includes many wonderful numbers that haven't been reissued properly for years, and the selection of 9 tunes is a perfect look into the rich work of RGE from the 1960s. Titles include "Berimbau" by Oscar Castro Neves, "Maria Moita" by Nara Leao, "Chove Chuva" by Jorge Ben, "Tem Do" by Ana Lucia, "Consolacao" by Rosinha De Valencia, "Garota De Ipanema" by Zimbo Trio, "Onde Esta Voce" by Alaide Costa, and "Selecao De Sambas" by Paulinho Nogueira. CD

The genius of Tom Jobim needs no introduction – which is one of many reasons why this loving set of tributes to his work is so great! The 16 track compilation is put together from a set of live performances dedicated to Jobim – and Brazilian singers of recent and classic vintage run through some of his greatest compositions in a warmly intimate setting. Titles include "Sem Voce" by Leila Pinheiro, "Garota De Ipanema" by Simone, "Corcovado" by Daniela Mercury, "A Felicidade" by Martinho Da Vila, "Insensatez" by Paulo Ricardo, "Aguas De Marco" by Joao Bosco, "Por Toda Minha Vida" by Ed Motta, "Wave" by Lenine, "Estrada Branca" by Chico Buarque, and "Luiza" by Carlinhos Brown. CD

A very different record than the first collaboration between Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – but that's also one of the things that makes it great! The album's more of a split LP than a shared one – as side one features a live performance from the great mid 60s Stan Getz quartet that featured Gary Burton on vibes – a wonderfully cool combo that was very under-documented on record, and which makes a key appearance here. The combination of Burton's vibes and Stan's tenor is pure genius – a sound that's got all the subtle hues and cool colors of the Getz bossa recordings, but which is quite different overall. Stan's tone is amazing on these tunes – and titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Tonight I Shall Sleep With A Smile On My Face", "Grandfather's Waltz", and "Stan's Blues". Side two features Joao Gilberto without Stan – playing in a very groovy trio that's more straight bossa than most of his other US recordings – cool small combo grooving that's totally great! The lineup features Gilberto on guitar and vocals, Keeter Betts on bass, and Helcio Milito on drums – all working in a sweetly grooving mode on titles that include "Samba De Minha Terra", "Meditation", "Bim Bom", "Rosa Moreno", and "O Pato". CD also features 5 bonus tracks with vocals from Astrud Gilberto – "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Only Trust Your Heart", "Corcovado", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Eu E Voce" – all from the Getz Au Go Go album. (Jazz, Brazil) CD

A beautiful set of symphonic tracks based around the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim – work that stretches back to the 50s, up through 60s bossa nova, and even includes some of Jobim's more complicated orchestrations from the 70s! The music is done in the arch-baroque style of other titles on the Biscoito Fino label – with a full symphony orchestra, smaller instrumental groupings, and even some strong vocal performances that drift in and out of the music. The set features re-interpretations of original arrangements by Jobim, Nelson Riddle, Deodato, Claus Ogerman, and others – and was put together by Paulo Jobim. Titles include "Lenda", "Macumba", "O Homem", "Saudade Do Brasil", "Matita Pere", "Chora Coracao", "Bangzalia", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Gabriela". Very nicely done 2CD set! CD

A host of hits from this 80s MPB singer – titles that include "Nana Por Mim", "Me Chama", "Gata Todo Dia", "Doida De Rachar", "Garota De Ipanema", "Pe Na Tabua", "Essas Coisas Que Eu Mal Sei", "Acho Que Da", and "Dificil". CD

The title might make this sound like a completists "best of" of work by Elis Regina, but it's actually a pretty good selection of tracks from the last years of her life, when she was recording for Elektra in Brazil, and working in a style that mixed her jazzy roots with more modern styles of instrumentation. The track features 14 cuts, mostly from her Elektra years – including both live and studio recordings of tunes like "Upa Neguinho", "Garota De Ipanema" (performed with Hermeto Pascoal)", "Conversando No Bar", "Eu Hein, Rosa!", "Maria, Maria", "Aquarela Do Brasil". Also included is a lovely rare cut from the early 60s – "Murmurio", which is done here as a lively samba, with great vocals by Elis! CD

Guitarist Bola Sete made some of his most important American recordings of the 60s on the San Francisco scene – but this huge set of unreleased tracks captures the Brazilian player farther up north, as he works in a sweet set of trio recordings captured at a small club in Seattle! The music is a great counterpart to some of Bola's recordings for Fantasy Records during the same time, but also captures the guitarist with a bit more complexity too – some of the qualities that he wouldn't always show on record at this level until the 70s, but which were clearly part of his sound right from the start! The group's a trio – with Sebastiao Neto on bass and Paulinho Magalhaes on drums – and titles include "Soul Samba", "Deve Ser Amor", "Malaguena", "Garota De Ipanema", "Astrurias", "Consolacao", "Tristeza", "A Feliciade", "Prelude No 3", "Spanish Dance No 5", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "Satin Doll", "One Note Samba", and "Corcovado". CD

Includes the songs "Favela", "Corcovado", "Desfinado", "How Insensitive", "Agua De Beber", "If You Never Come To Me", "The Girl From Ipanema", "Once I Loved", "So Danco Samba", "Zingaro", "Someone To Light Up My Life", and "Meditation". (Jazz, Brazil) CD

A slightly traditional set from Brazilian vocalist Gal Costa – but a great one too, and record that demonstrates a new sense of poise and grace in her vocals in recent years! The material here is mostly bossa – work that pre-dates Gal's initial time on record, but which is delivered here with a sensitivity that's wonderful – never too "easy", despite the familiarity of the tunes, and handled with just that right sense of contemplation and expression with which Jobim and others first penned the tunes. Backing is small combo jazz by a quartet with flute, guitar, bass, and drums – and although live, the sound is nicely close up and intimate – really fitting the mood of the songs. Titles include "Fotografia", "Nada Alem", "Corcovado", "Garota De Ipanema", "Wave", "Samba Do Aviao", "A Felicidade", "Triste", and "Ave Maria No Morro". CD

An obscure Joyce album from the late 80s, and a very nice set of mellow readings of Jobim classics, performed with help on keyboards from the great Gilson Peranzzetta. Joyce's guitar and vocals are in the lead, and Peranzzetta plays electric piano and a bit of synth, in washes of sound that feel a bit like some of the more recent recordings on the Lumiar label. Titles include "Wave", "Canto De Ossanha", "Garota De Ipanema", "A Felicidade", and a fantastic scat version of "Surfboard/Samba De Uma Nota So"! CD

A recent live set that brings together classic singers and musicians from the 60s, recreating some of their strongest bossa nova work! Marcos Valle performs "Os Grilos", "Gente", and "Terra De Ninguem"; Leny Andrade sings "Wave", "Rio", and "Samba Da Pergunta"; Zimbo trio play "Garota De Ipanema", "A Felicidade", and "Nos E O Mar"; Os Cariocas harmonize on "Samba Do Aviao" and "Tim Tim Por Tim Tim", and Roberto Menescal duet on "Samba De Verao", "So Danco Samba", and "O Pato". CD

Dreamy and drifting – a great selection of tunes, most of them bossa ones, inspired and about the sea – clearly a fixation if you're living on the beautiful beaches of Rio! The package pulls together tracks from a variety of sources – and includes some gems from the classic bossa years of the Elenco and Philips catalogs. Titles include "Arrasto" by Edu Lobo, "Garota De Ipanema" by Nara Leao, "Mar E Lua" by Chico Buarque, "Beira Mar" by Gilberto Gil, "Mar Azul" by Wanda Sa, "Surfboard" by Tom Jobim, "Lugar Comum" by Joao Donato, and "Quem Vem Pra Beira Do Mar" by Jussara Silveira. CD