An excellent session of bossa groovers with a slightly classical tinge, played by Ray Brown on bass and Laurindo Almeida on guitar. The set's got a similar feel to some of Ray's other groovy work from the time – like his remake of Jobim's score to the Adventurers. Includes the great groover "Brazilian Greens", plus "Fughetta IV", "Mo Greens", and "Just A Bossa Nova, Not A Symphony". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly an "encore" of the first Stan Getz Jazz Samba album – as this set's got a slightly different feel, and lots of great elements that make it really unique! This time around, Brazilian musician Luiz Bonfa is on guitar – already a skilled proponent of the bossa by the time of the record, and arguably one of the few who really got it going back home in Rio. Stan's tenor sounds wonderful – as carefully and soufully blown as on the first set, but also with some new colors and tones too. Bonfa's wife Maria Toledo sings a bit on the record – hinting at Stan's work to come with Astrud Gilberto (this album was cut right before the Getz/Gilberto collaboration) – and the record also features added work on piano and guitar from the great Antonio Carlos Jobim – more than enough proof that the album's got a pure bossa pedigree! Titles include "Menina Flor", "Ebony Samba", "Saudade Vem Correndo", "Sambalero", "Samba De Duas Notas", and "Mania De Maria". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Great grooves from Jackson Conti – not a dude, but a duo – one that features Madlib teamed with Mamao, drummer from the legendary Azymuth! The album's got a really unique feel – one that mixes Madlib's chunky, fuzzy style of production with some of the cleaner, jazzier Azymuth grooves of late – a combination that shouldn't work so well, but which comes across with really amazing results! There's a bit of beats on the set, but a fair bit of the percussion is acoustic too – making for more warmth than before from Madlib – almost a transplantation of the Yesterday's New Quintet sound to the sunnier Rio scene. Keyboards have a strong role too – often with the sort of edgey, compelling tones you'd hear on the first few Azymuth recordings of the 70s – and other instrumentation includes bits of guitar, flute, sax, and other well-placed touches – but all used in weird ways that are somewhere between typical jazz and Brazilian modes. Titles include "Upa Neguinho", "Xibaba", "Sao Paulo Nights", "Brasilian Sugar", "Mamaoism", "Berumba", "Papaya", "Segura Esta Onda", "Sunset At Sujinho", "Tijuca Man", and "Waiting On The Corner". (Deep Funk, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure 60s albums from this lovely Brazilian singer – with backings by Orquesta RGE, on titles that include "Pela Rua", "Recado", "Manha De Carnaval", "So Deus", "O Que E Que Falta", "Hino Ao Amor", and "Castigo". LP, Vinyl record album

A one of a kind record that still sparkles as brightly today as it did back in the late 60s – an amazing collaboration between Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and Scandinavian jazzman Toots Thielemans – done in a style that easily makes it one of the best records ever from both artists! Elis is at the height of her jazzy late 60s powers here – working in a soaring, breezy sort of style – but one with a lot more depth and soul than some of her contemporaries. She brings a great deal of feeling to the tunes, but always without doing too much – and this leaves plenty of space for Toots to add his touches – on harmonica, guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which really sits in nicely with the grooves. The production and overall sound is sublime – one of those never matched again sort of studio dates – and titles include great versions of "Canto De Ossanha", "Wave", "Voce", "Wilsamba", "Five For Elis", "Volta", and "O Sonho". LP, Vinyl record album

A great follow-up to Claudio Roditi's Braziliance record – and like that set, a record that's filled with a similarly warm and breezy groove! There's a range of bossa and post-bossa elements at work in the mix, plus some slight Latin jazz touches too – and Roditi's horn sounds wonderful in the setting, really stretching out with these well-blown lines over work from a group that includes Romero Lubambo on guitar, Michael Dease on trombone, Helio Alves on piano, John Lee on bass, and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. All songs are originals by Roditi – and titles include "Slow Fire", "Piccolo Blues", "A Dream For Kristen", "Blues For Ronni", "Vida Nova", "Winter Dreams", and "Spring Samba". (Jazz, Brazil) CD

The legendary 1962 Bossa Nova concert at Carnegie Hall – and one of the first live recordings of the young bossa nova in all its glory! The concert is famous not only because it was a bit of a disaster (according to legend, just about nobody got paid!), but also because it brought together a huge amount of Brazilian talent on one stage, and premiered their music to a rabid US audience – very fresh at the time, as the big Verve boom of bossa recordings hadn't even started to take hold! The recording has a stunning live feel, and it preserves all the acoustics of Carnegie Hall, complete with lively crowd response. Oscar Castro Neves backs up most of the singers – including Sergio Ricardo, Carmen Costa, Carlos Lyra, Ana Lucia, and Chico Feitoso – and the LP has other instrumental performances by Joao Gilberto, Milton Banana, Roberto Menescal, Luiz Bonfa, and Sergio Mendes – all young bossa giants, really opening up here with their talents! The set features 15 tracks in all – and titles include "O Barquinho", "Influencia Do Jazz", "Outra Vez", "Zelao", "Nao Faz Assim", "Bossa Nova Em Nova York", and "Passarinho". LP, Vinyl record album

Extremely compelling work by the team of Toquinho & Vinicius! The album's a soundtrack to the Globo TV show O Bem Amado – and it's one of a number of albums that were recorded for Brazilian soap operas during the early 70s, most of which (including this one!) feature rare work that didn't appear on other LPs. The arrangements are great – handled on one track by Rogerio Duprat – and the record's got a baroque feel that reminds us of the best work on EMI/Odeon from the same time. A few tracks feature vocals by Maria Creusa, some by Toquinho, either solo or with Vinicius, and one by the Coral Som Livre. Includes the great groovy "Paiol De Polvora", plus "Meu Pai Oxala", "Cotidiano No 2", "Veja Voce", "Patota De Ipanema", and "No Colo Da Serra". LP, Vinyl record album