Spare European work from Egberto Gismonti – a set that's different than his fuller earlier work from Brazil, but still pretty compelling overall! Gismonti's playing here with a group of familiar ECM artists – mixing his own piano, guitar, and percussion lines with soprano sax from Jan Garbarek, guitar and percussion from Ralph Towner, tabla from Collin Wolcott, and berimbau and assorted percussion from Nana Vasconcelos. Many tunes are spare, but not nearly as cerebral as other ECM work – as Gismonti brings a very organic feel to the record, one that resonates strongly with Wolcott – and helps keep things in a loosely creative space. Tracks include "Cafe", "Sapain", "Coracao", "Kalimba", and the great "Raga", with excellent work by Wolcott! LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning work from Lucas Arruda – a record we love even more than his first – and we totally loved that one to death! The sound here is prime Brazilian 70s at its best – that magical moment when jazz, fusion, and older bossa-schooled styles all came together in a really unique blend – and also helped Brazil find its own unique sense of soul, too – a quality that really came forth in the best work from Azymuth and Marcos Valle at the end of the decade! No surprise, Lucas has Azymuth bassist Alex Malheiros and Valle collaborator Leon Ware both on board to help out with the record – but the strength of the set is clearly all Arruda's own – as his vocals are wonderful, with a soulful expression that's vaguely in the Ed Motta side of the spectrum – mixed with his own warm lines on Fender Rhodes, which totally warm things up! Production is perfect, and equally vintage – and the album's a treasure we'll be loving for years. Titles include "Uma Onda", "Melt The Night", "Vento Sul", "Kalunga", "Solar", "O Mar O Samba E O Sol", "Beyond The Sea", and "Agua". LP, Vinyl record album

A nicely rootsy little album from Maria Bethania – recorded during a period when some of her music could often sound much fuller and more electric! The album's got subtle help from Toninho Horta, Dori Caymmi, and Guto Graca Mello – all of whom arrange Maria's vocals in a sophisticated singer/songwriter sort of mode – very personal, often spare, and used with a sensitivity to the lyrics that's really wonderful. The Terra Trio also play on the record, and titles include "Ciclo", "Filosofia Pura", "Motriz", "Vinho", "Lua", "Cantar Pra Fazer O Sol Adormecer", and "Rio De Janeiro". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer Brazilian soundtrack! The record is a mix of funky easy tracks – in a Blue Brazil kind of mode – with other titles played by trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos that have a jazzier edge to them. The whole thing's kind of a mad mix of old and new Brazilian styles of music, touched by just a bit of 70s sleaze to give it a cool edge. Titles include "As Moca" by Osmar Milito e Trama, "Mentira" by Marcos Valle, "Amar Sofrer E Sonhar" by Nuvens, "Posso Ver O Mundo Pela Janela" by Trama, "Manha De Sol" by Piry, and "Maria", "Mulher", "Carinhoso", and "No Ranco Fundo" by Marcio Montarroyos. LP, Vinyl record album

Pretty great sounds from the legendary Antonio Carlos Jobim – an album cut a bit later than his bossa years, but with a darkly sophisticated sound that's pretty darn compelling! The album features larger orchestrations by Claus Ogerman, and in a way, it's similar to the Jobim album on Decca from 1973 (aka Maita Pere) – in that it's got all the simple elements of Jobim's earlier bossa scoring, flushed out into moodier orchestral forms that we'd rank right up there with the modernist work of Gil Evans or Duke Ellington. A few cuts have a breezier sparer sound, and you'll hear English versions of some older bossa tunes. Titles include "Dreamer", "Canta Mais", "Olha Maria", "Wave", "Two Kites", "This Happy Madness", "Song Of The Sabia", "Estrada Do Sol", "Voce Vai Ver", "Off Key", and "Triste". LP, Vinyl record album

A lost classic from one of the greatest Brazilian sax players ever! Paulo handled all the arrangements himself, and the group's an all star one that features Pascoal Meirelles on drums, Wagner Tiso on piano, Luiz Carlos on bass, plus additional tenor sax, trumpet, and trombone next to Moura's alto sax. The set's a beautiful batch of warmly painted tunes – awash with color and life, showing both Moura's talent for lyrical interplay, and his tendency to blow in edgier styles. Titles include "Travessia", "No Brilho Da Faca", "General Da Banda", "Outubro", "Nem Precisou Mais Um Sol", and "Das Tardes Mais Sos". LP, Vinyl record album

This very hip series just got a whole lot hipper – thanks to the selection talents of Brazilian soul legend Ed Motta – who serves up a huge host of rare tracks from Brazil! Ed's always had a deep love of the AOR sound of the 70s – and he's not only a great soul singer on his own records, but also a hell of a record collector too – one whose knowledge of rare grooves goes way beyond most other folks we've ever met! This set opens up a huge amount of Brazilian soul we'd never heard before – music that takes off from the late 70s territory of Azimuth and Banda Black Rio, and soars with sweet jazzy grooves that are completely sublime – most from the 80s, and most by artists who've never gotten their due on the reissue market. Killer all the way through – with titles that include "Pra Voce" by Carlinhos & Soninha Querioz, "Acordes E Sementes" by Gelso Oliveira & Luiz Ewerling, "Joia Rara" by Brylho, "Rota Mar" by Zeca Do Trombone, "Clarear" by Roupa Nova, "Quero Pouco Quero Muito" by Filo Machado, "Guarde Minha Voz" by Sandra Sa, "Debora" by Altay Veloso, "Copacabana Suite" by Junior Mendes, "Renascendo En Mim"b y Don Beto, "Toda Manha Brilha O Sol" by Lucinha Turnbull, "Coisas Do Brasil" by Guilerhmes Arantes, "Mare" by Carlos Bivar, "Leao Ferido" by Biafra, "Mais Uma Chance" by Santa Cruz, "Rio Best Seller" by Cassiano, and "Se Eu Te Pego De Jeito" by Jane Duboc. (Funky Compilations, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

Guitarist Laurindo Almeida returns to a bit of his roots here – but he also shows off a lot of the jazz experience he's picked up along the way! The album features Almeida working solo on acoustic guitar – although possibly overdubbed alongside himself at times – and while the set begins with the serious title composition, things never get too much in the realm of classical guitar – and instead have Almeida skirting many different styles, including a bit of bossa guitar – and working with this uniquely echoey recording style that makes each note resonate with a richly expressive sound! Titles include "Cool Cat Keeps Coat On", "Holiday For Strings", "Songs From Black Orpheus", "The Summer Knows", and "Star Dust". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from Chico's mid 80s period – a record filled with strong and subtle songs, often backed by some nicely jazz-tinged arrangements from Cristovao Bastos! The album's not as revolutionary as some of Chico's earlier records, but it more than makes up for that with an incredibly solid quality overall – and a mature, sophisticated approach to songwriting that easily matches some of Caetano Veloso's best work of the same time. Titles include "Pleas Tabelas", "Samba Do Grande Amor", "Mil Perdoes", "Vai Passar", "As Cartas", and "Suburbano Coracao". LP, Vinyl record album