After years of obscurity, it seems like there's no end to the comeback strength of Joao Donato! This album is one of the best of the recent flurry of work from this under-recorded bossa master – a lightly jazzy set that features his warm lead vocals on nearly every track, plus some occasional duets with other singers like Joyce, Marisa Monte, Joao Bosco, and Marcelo D2! The record's really bubbling over with warmth – magical piano lines hitting a nicely rhythmic groove, Joao's vocals dancing underneath with his usual sense of modest charm. Old and new tracks are handled with equal magic – and titles include "Flor Do Mato", "Nao Tem Nome", "Muita A Vontade", "Caminho Do Sol", "Falta De Ar", "E Muito Mais", "E Vamos La", "Balanca", and "Nao Sei Como Foi". CD

A landmark recording that is one of Jorge Ben's best albums ever! The album is a perfect realization of the way that Jorge mixes Brazilian rhythms with choppy Afro grooves – and the result is a masterpiece that yeilded some of his biggest tracks ever. Included here is the great choppy funk track "Ponta De Lanca", plus loads of other goodies like "O Filosofo", "Xica Da Silva", "A Historia De Jorge", and a great remake of "Taj Mahal" – probably his greatest cut ever. Great all the way through – and is a perfect introduction to Jorge Ben if you don't know his work, and an essential addition to your collection if you do! LP, Vinyl record album

Groundbreaking work by one of the greatest artists in Brazil – a masterful collection that dips heavily into Jorge Ben's key recordings of the 60s and early 70s for Philips! The scope of sounds here is really amazing – as Jorge starts with an already-great driving samba groove, then expands into bigger arrangements, more complicated sounds, and emerges in the 70s with a heavy funk approach to his work! Nobody could touch Jorge during this time, and every single track on the set is a winner – the kind of stuff that will make you a convert for life, and want to track down every Ben album from these years. The set's filled with treasures – 19 tracks that include "Que Pena", "Taj Mahal", "Chove Chuva", "Xica Da Silva", "Cade Tereza", "Zumbi", "Pais Tropical", "Oba La Vem Ela", "Que Maravilha", "Charles Anjo 45", "O Telefone", "Bebete Vaobora", "Caramba Galileu Da Gailieia", and "Ponta De Lanca Africano". CD

14 of the best tracks ever by this fantastic Brazilian artist! Unlike some of the other CDs in the Personalidade series, this one's got killer stuff all the way through – really fantastic work from maybe Jorge's best period – and a masterful mix of funky soul and samba grooves! Titles that include "Que Pena", "Take It Easy My Brother Charles", "Que Maravilha", "Pais Tropical", "Chove Chuva", and "Rita Jeep". Nice stuff! CD

Funky keyboards galore – and one of the greatest records ever from this legendary Brazilian jazz talent! The album follows nicely off Deodato's Prelude classic for CTI – and like that one, this set's built on long-flowing tunes that rise and fall with a wonderful sense of rhythm – a sublime electric piano groove that's quite different than anything Deodato recorded before – and possibly never realized this perfectly again after his CTI years. Other players include Stanley Clarke on bass, Billy Cobham on drums, and Hubert Laws on flute – and titles include the massive Latin funk track "Super Strut", plus the tunes "Pavane For A Dead Princess", "Skyscrapers", and a great version of "Nights In White Satin". Plus, this CD reissue features 3 bonus tracks – "Venus", "Do It Again", and "Latin Flute"! (Jazz, Brazil) CD

A pretty hip live album from this great Brazilian singer – recorded with jazzy small combo backing, and an uptempo groove that takes a bossa style in the best moments! At some level, the record reminds us a lot of Elis Regina's live work from the 60s – particularly in the way that Eliana takes the songs, makes them her own, and holds the crowd in rapt attention with her masterful readings. Features a great version of "Ponteio", plus "Aquele Rosa", "Ole Ola", "Travessia", "Alegria De Carnaval", and "Das Rosas". LP, Vinyl record album

Mr Bongo reminds us once again why they've been one of our favorite labels of the past few decades – delivering a masterful collection of rare funky dancefloor grooves around the globe for their Record Club Volume 3! True to form, it's vintage rare funk, bossa, Afro Soul and underground dancefloor rooted with a hearty focus on Brazil, including tracks by JB De Carvalho, Trio Ternura, Impacto 5 and others – and spans the globe further for tracks by legendary composer Galt MacDermot, Ghana's Gyedu Blay Ambolley, the Luther Davis Group and more. Includes "Fui A Umbanda" by JB De Carvalho, "A Gira" by Trio Ternura, "Coisa Sentimental" by Tobias, "Don't Stop" (unreleased long version) by Spaceark, "Let Me Try" by Kaleidoscope, "Peacock" by Splash, "You Can Be A Star" by Luther Davis Group, "Highlife" by Gyedu Blay Ambolley, "Ze Do Trem", "by Cesar Roldao Viera, "Dance Of Maria" by Elias Rahbani, "Coffee Cold" by Galt MacDermot and more. 20 tracks in all. (Funky Compilations, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album