An overlooked gem from Airto – recorded after his 70s years on bigger labels, but a set that almost tops all of them in the end! There's a wonderful mix going on here – a blend of rootsy and electric, and Latin and Brazilian – the former clearly from the placement of the record on New York's Montuno label – an imprint that did plenty of great sessions filled with Latin jazz! The shift makes for a fresh one for Airto – still plenty of room to show off his famous percussion impulses, yet in a slightly different way – often grooving in a Latin fusion mode that's a nice maturation from the CTI years. The set's filled with all-star players – including Jorge Dalto on electric piano, Raul De Souza on trombone, Joe Farrell on flute, Alphonso Johnson on bass, and Oscar Castro Neves on keyboards, guitar, and cavaquinho – and the lovely Flora's also on board to sing a bit on the set. Titles include the extended jammer "Tombo", plus "Aqui Se Pede", "Jump", "The Return", "Sin Salida", and "Anatelio". LP, Vinyl record album

Sublimely soulful work from Azymuth – 2 albums back to back on a single CD! Cascades is fantastic fusion from a group who just couldn't miss during these early 80s California years! The sound here is smooth, but never slick – always a little offbeat, and quite different from more mainstream US fusion of the time – thanks to the genius of Jose Roberto Bertrami's keyboards, which glide one moment, dip the next, and often have these slight changes in speed that are totally great. Other members of the core trio include Alex Malheiros on bass and guitar and Ivan Conti on drums and percussion – and the set also features guest work by Mauricio Einhorn on harmonica, Jose Carlos on flute, and Sidney Moreira on percussion. Titles include "Remembering Milton", "Club Morocco", "Through The Window", "Festa Nativa", "Cascade Of The Seven Waterfalls", and "Indian Pepper". Rapid Transit is a set with a really warm groove overall – hardly the too-fast, or too-urban record you might expect from the title! Instead, there's a nicely organic sensibility going on here – a sound that feels fresh and spontaneous, even when it's in the highly electric territory of Jose Roberto Bertami's keyboards. There's a slight bit of added flute and percussion on the set, but most of the sounds here are from the core Azymuth trio – who even vocalize wordlessly on one of the album's best tracks. Titles include "Missing Doto", "Make Mine Guarana", "Gate Of Time", "I'm Just Looking Around", "Somewhere In Brazil", and "Afternoon". CD

Genius material from the team of tenorist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa legend Joao Gilberto – reunited here in a brief mid 70s period, after their famous Verve recordings of the early 60s – and in a way that shows all the changes both artists had gone through over the years! Stan and Joao would go onto produce the sublime Best Of Two Worlds studio record during this same stretch – but this never-issued live date is arguably even deeper and darker than that record – as Stan blows with the stronger current of melancholy he seemed to unlock in period of his Sweet Rain record and onward – and Joao himself does all the singing here, without help from any female vocalist – with that bluer, more personal vibe he hit on his incredible record from 1973. The maturity and emotion of both musicians comes through right away – and support is from the trio of Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all wonderful musicians who also know just the right moment to step back and let the two giants dominate when needed. Titles include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Doralice", "Morena Boca De Ouro", "Joao Marcelo", "Aguas De Marco", "Samba De Minha Terra", and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto". (Jazz, Brazil) CD

Genius material from the team of tenorist Stan Getz and Brazilian bossa legend Joao Gilberto – reunited here in a brief mid 70s period, after their famous Verve recordings of the early 60s – and in a way that shows all the changes both artists had gone through over the years! Stan and Joao would go onto produce the sublime Best Of Two Worlds studio record during this same stretch – but this never-issued live date is arguably even deeper and darker than that record – as Stan blows with the stronger current of melancholy he seemed to unlock in period of his Sweet Rain record and onward – and Joao himself does all the singing here, without help from any female vocalist – with that bluer, more personal vibe he hit on his incredible record from 1973. The maturity and emotion of both musicians comes through right away – and support is from the trio of Joanne Brackeen on piano, Clint Houston on bass, and Billy Hart on drums – all wonderful musicians who also know just the right moment to step back and let the two giants dominate when needed. Titles include "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Doralice", and "Retrato Em Branco E Preto". (Jazz, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

70s soul from Brazil – and a tremendously strong effort from the legendary Tim Maia! This record was Tim's first after an initial run on Polydor – and it shows Maia tightening up his groove even more, but still avoiding the slicker sounds of later years. There's a really focused sound here that's totally great – one that shows that Maia's work was hardly just some happy cross-cultural accident, and instead the careful work of an artist who was out to challenge the best American soul acts of the time! There's a warm little groove to most of the tracks – tripping along lightly in the vein of some of our favorite US mellow soul from the mid 70s – an approach that's mostly soul, but with some funky undercurrents – and often smooth, but never cloying or overly commercial. Titles include "Ride Twist & Roll", "Flores Belas", "Let It All Hang Out", "Sem Voce", "E Necessario", "Leva O Meu Blue", "Pense Menos", and "Musica Para Betinha". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic combination of funky grooves – the studio talents of Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the Brazilian-tinged fusion of the legendary Azymuth! The jazzy trio are in great form here – tunes that are lean, and which really offer up all the best aspects that the group brought to their music back in the late 70s and early 80s – spun with a slightly different format by the lineup of Alex Malheiros on bass, Ivan Mamao Conti on drums, and Linklon Kiko Contentino on Fender Rhodes and keyboards – but handled perfectly by Adrian and Ali in the studio – with just the right sort of sound to avoid some of the slicker production that the group had on some of their other American recordings from years back. All tunes are new originals – and titles include "Pulando Corda", "Friendship Samba", "Apocolyptico", "Cat Jump", "Fall Afternoon", "Ao Redor Do Samba", and "Sumare". (Deep Funk, Brazil) CD