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

Wonderful music from Lucas Arruda – an artist who embraces some of the warmest, most soulful styles of Brazilian music from back in the 70s, but manages to deliver them with a crisp contemporary spin! There's a lot of vintage Azymuth-styled grooves here – wicked rhythms, excellent keyboards, and a jazzy sensibility that makes for a magical flow throughout – and while there's some great soulful vocals on the set, the album also has plenty of strong instrumental moments too – a real delight all the way through, and an instant classic that may well even top Lucas' previous albums! Andre Mota lends some great vocals to the set – and titles include "The Mountain", "4:28 AM", "Novos Planos", "Ominira", "Projecoes", "The Bravest Heart", "Chant & Dance", and "Abraco Pro Ed". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible little record – and the set where it really all comes together for this legendary funky jazz group! Azymuth were already great on their debut, although maybe a little experimental at times – but here, they really find the soulful groove that later got them big fame on the US scene – effortlessly blending their tight jazz skills with a dose of samba soul, and turning out some wonderfully groovy music in the process! There's clearly an influence here from the best years of Earth Wind & Fire – but also more of the edge that you'd expect from the young trio – as the amazing Jose Roberto Bertrami blows us away with his wickedly sharp keyboard solos, as Alexandre Malheiros and Mamao create these beautiful rhythms that go way past anything you might have expected from a trio. The whole thing's wonderful – one of the most soulful Brazilian records of the 70s – and titles include the great cuts "Tarde", "Tamborim Cuica Ganza Berimbau", "Falcon Love Call", and "Aguia Nao Come Mosca". CD

An incredible album of jazz tracks by one of Brazil's greatest reed players of the 70s – the mighty Victor Assis Brasil – a free-thinking spirit who really took Brazilian jazz in bold new directions at the time! The record shows Victor absorbing a lot of post-Coltrane influences, and blending them with a tight approach to rhythm – laid down here by Dom Salvador on piano (and organ), Edison Lobo on bass, and Edson Machando on drums. The group is completed by Helio Delmiro on guitar, and Claudio Roditi plays trumpet on one track – but the real highlight is the amazing reed work by Brasil, which is filled with soul and warmth, plus a deep sense of exploration. The whole session was put together by Roberto Quartin in 1970 – and it's still extremely fresh today. Titles include "Children", "Gingerbread Boy", "Senegal", and "Marilia", which is a bonus track that wasn't on the original LP. LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic double-length set – two full albums of music, essential for any fan of Brazilian jazz – or even jazz in general! First up is Esperanto – an incredible album from one of Brazil's greatest reed players of the 70s – the mighty Victor Assis Brasil – a free-thinking spirit who really took Brazilian jazz in bold new directions at the time! The record shows Victor absorbing a lot of post-Coltrane influences, and blending them with a tight approach to rhythm – laid down here by Dom Salvador on piano (and organ), Edison Lobo on bass, and Edson Machando on drums. The group is completed by Helio Delmiro on guitar, and Claudio Roditi plays trumpet on one track – but the real highlight is the amazing reed work by Brasil, which is filled with soul and warmth, plus a deep sense of exploration. The whole session was put together by Roberto Quartin in 1970 – and it's still extremely fresh today. Titles include "Children", "Gingerbread Boy", "Senegal", and "Marilia". Next is Toca Antonio Carlos Jobim – a fantastic album from this legendary Brazilian saxophonist – and one that's way different than the usual instrumental reading of the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim! The setting is less of a bossa-inspired one than a post-Coltrane mode – as Victor Assis Brasil blows alto sax, and a bit of soprano – on long, stretched out versions of Jobim compositions – often given a bit of modal energy, thanks to the group's strong piano and organ performances by Dom Salvador. The rest of the players are all great, too – Helio Delmiro on guitar, Edson Lobo on bass, and Edison Machado on drums – all players who grew up in the bossa jazz years of the 60s, but who here are set free to explore new territory by producer Roberto Quartin. The whole thing's wonderful – and titles include "Bonita", "Wave", "So Tinha De Ser Come Voce", and "Dindi". CD also features two bonus tracks – alternate takes of "Ao Amigo Quartin" and "Marilla". CD

Amazing work from a young Chico Buarque – a record that seems to draw on all the best elements of 60s Brazilian pop, and forge them into a sound that's all its own! At one level, there's a post-bossa style of larger arrangements here that recalls the work of Edu Lobo – handled by Maestro Gaya in a mode that recalls some of the best bits of the time on the Elenco or Forma labels. But at another level, there's also a personal and slightly folksy style that reminds us of the initial power of Geraldo Vandre – a sound that's clearly present in Buarque's work, and which stands in a direct line to the best strengths of the emerging Tropicalia generation. The set's filled with classics that include "Carolina", "Roda Viva", "O Velho", "Ate Pensei", "Sem Fantasia", and "Desencontro" – and a few tracks feature Chico in duets with either Toquinho, Cristina, or MPB4! LP, Vinyl record album

Late 50s work from these two important Brazilian songwriters – served up here in a cool 70s package! The tracks have a nicely produced quality that makes them some of the most preferred recordings by the two artists – with strong arrangements that set off their voices nicely. There's no arranger listed that we can find, but the whole thing has a nice warm jazzy feel. Titles include "La Vem A Bahiana", "Inquietacao", "Maracangalha", "Risque", and "Dora". LP, Vinyl record album

Plenty cool sounds from Joyce – a lady who's always been the definition of the world used in the title – thanks to her totally unique, totally wonderful style! The album's one of a number of recent gems that have Joyce really going back to basics – hitting that soaring blend of vocals and acoustic guitar that first made her 70s recordings so great, cut here with small combo instrumentation that includes Tutty Moreno on drums and Helio Alves on piano. But the real charm, as always, comes from Joyce – the way she works her voice, plays her guitar, and ties the two of them together in a manner that's unlike anyone else – a sound inspired by bossa, inflected by jazz, but totally her own throughout. Familiar tunes get completely remade with the approach – as you'll hear on the set – which includes these sublime Joyced-up versions of "Cool", "Let's Do It", "Love For Sale", "Fever", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Invitation", and "Moon River" – all sounding very unique, and plenty darn cool! CD

A set that was originally issued in Portugal, but which carries forth a strong quality of Cape Verdean rhythms – which are then inflected with some nice currents of European funk! Instrumentation is electric, with lots of great keyboards and guitar lines – and although the lyrics aren't in English, there's a very universal sort of appeal to them – given the presentation of the vocals from Gerard Mendes, working alongside brother Jean-Claude Mendes, who handles the overall production and great sonic quality of the record! The whole thing is very different than some of the more homegrown Cabo Verde sets of the time – and titles include "Ninguem", "Woyeul Sunugal", "Mitamiyo", "Mindelo", "Riqueza & Valor", and "Evolucao". (Global Grooves, Brazil) LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's mostly solo from guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento – yet one that's not like the solo Brazilian guitar records from years back, as Fabiano handles a range of different instruments, often overlaying them during the course of a performance – so that he works here with a wonderful array of sounds, tones, and colors, spun out in a really beautiful way! The guitarist's previous records have always had a careful sense of sound – but here, his ear for performance and recording has really taken off – with a sonic depth that's almost at an ECM level at times, but a lot warmer too – as Fabiano serves up sounds on 6, 7, and 10 string guitars – plus E baritone guitar, Oktav guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, and pedals. There's some very slight guest work on the set – drums on one track, percussion on another, and bass on a third – but almost all the sounds come from Fabiano, on titles that include "Bari", "Abertura", "Paperstrings", "Agua De Estrellas", "Meianoite", "Reflections", and "Coisa 2". CD

A set that's mostly solo from guitarist Fabiano Do Nascimento – yet one that's not like the solo Brazilian guitar records from years back, as Fabiano handles a range of different instruments, often overlaying them during the course of a performance – so that he works here with a wonderful array of sounds, tones, and colors, spun out in a really beautiful way! The guitarist's previous records have always had a careful sense of sound – but here, his ear for performance and recording has really taken off – with a sonic depth that's almost at an ECM level at times, but a lot warmer too – as Fabiano serves up sounds on 6, 7, and 10 string guitars – plus E baritone guitar, Oktav guitar, bass, percussion, keyboards, and pedals. There's some very slight guest work on the set – drums on one track, percussion on another, and bass on a third – but almost all the sounds come from Fabiano, on titles that include "Bari", "Abertura", "Paperstrings", "Agua De Estrellas", "Meianoite", "Reflections", and "Coisa 2". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally great album from Novos Baianos – the earliest one we've ever seen by the group, and a session that has them sounding a fair bit like Os Mutantes! There's a wild range of influences running through the set – some psychedelic, some baroque pop, and some a bit more rootsy – as the group would explore more deeply in the mid 70s – and throughout the set there's a great sense of play in the music, the kind of tongue in cheek quality that we love in Os Mutantes, and which we never expected so strongly from these guys! Titles include "O Samba Me Traiu", "Ferro Na Boneca", "Eu De Adjetivos", "Outro Mambo Outro Mundo", "Colegio De Aplicao", "A Casca De Banana Que Eu Pisei", "Juventude Sexta E Sabado", and "De Vera". LP, Vinyl record album