Seminal funk by one of Brazil's greatest groups! Earth Wind & Fire had nothing on Banda Black Rio – as the Brazilian combo mixed together smooth jazz funk, soulful vocals, and great production, into a sound that rivaled any of America's best mainstream funk acts of the 70s! This album's easily their best – and is filled with tight jazzy groovers that we come back to again and again over the years, digging them for their great rhythms and tight instrumentation, never noticing the fact that the lyrics aren't in English! Includes the cuts "Chega Mais", "Tico Tico No Fuba", "Danca Do Dia", "Vidigal", "Gafiera Universal", and the totally great "Cravo e Canela", one of the sneakiest guitar groovers you'll ever hear! LP, Vinyl record album

Lisa Ono is at it again – recording a lovely set of bossa tunes with help from Paulo and Daniel Jobim, son and grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim! The Jobims produced the album with Lisa, and they play guitar and piano on the album – in a moody style that recalls all the best 60s stylings of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Lisa's voice is great as ever – and the mix of her singing and acoustic guitar with the classic bossa combo sounds feels a lot like Roberto Menescal's best work from the old days. Includes the original tunes "Diz A Ela" and "Os Dois", plus classics like "O Barquinho", "Samba De Verao", "Corcovado", "Maria E Dia", and "So Danco Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

A great take on the sweet style of the lovely Lisa Ono – a record that combines two great musical passions of the Japanese scene – bossa nova and Hawaiian grooves! And although Lisa's recording in a vaguely Hawaiian mode, the style's nicely different too – mixing her usual bossa approach with a slightly sunshine-drenched style, less Hawaiian than work by Don Ho, more in a "dream" vision of Hawaii, as you might hear in some of the 60s production work by Brian Wilson. The floating lyrics of the Hawaiian tunes work well with the bossa backing – and the sweetness of the album's a perfect fit for Lisa's voice! Titles include "Manoa", "Swing Time In Honolulu", "Sway It, Hula Girl", "Nani Wai'ale'ale", and "Kaimana Hila". LP, Vinyl record album

Proof that Azymuth were one of the few groups who could keep things real at a time when most of their fusion contemporaries were sounding cloying and commercial! The album's got a well-rounded sound that really shows the group's roots in the 70s, and their wonderful evolution over the years – that keyboard-heavy sound that's always warm and soulful, and never too tinny or beat-heavy. Jose Roberto Bertrami's keys come across with a 70s warmth that most groups were lacking by this time – and the backing from Alex Maheiros on bass and Ivan Conti is always very subtle, and simple too – swirled up alongside the keyboards, and mixed in with a few occasional bits of guest instrumentation – including trumpet from Marcio Montarroyos on one track, and flugelhorn from Paulinho Olivera on a few more. Titles include versions of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On", Jobim's "Song Of The Jet", and Ivan Lins' "The Island", plus the cuts "Universal Prisoner", "Candomble", and "Areis". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever – a wonderful blend of funk, jazz, and soul – and a set that rivals any of the best work coming from the US at the time! These guys are right on the money right from the start – moving through sharp changes with effortless ease, yet never in a way that's too slick or commercial – kind of like that perfect balance that Kool & The Gang hit for just a few records in the mid 70s – but with more of a Brazilian feel overall. Jazzy licks abound – and the keyboards, guitar, and horns are just great – but the set's also got some more regional percussion, too – which really rounds out the record wonderfully. The grooves all have a really universal appeal – essential for any fan of funky sounds – and titles include "Mr Funky Samba", "Junia", "Casa Forte", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Lelbon Via Vaz Lobo", "Baia", "Maria Fumaca", and "Metalurgia". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever – a wonderful blend of funk, jazz, and soul – and a set that rivals any of the best work coming from the US at the time! These guys are right on the money right from the start – moving through sharp changes with effortless ease, yet never in a way that's too slick or commercial – kind of like that perfect balance that Kool & The Gang hit for just a few records in the mid 70s – but with more of a Brazilian feel overall. Jazzy licks abound – and the keyboards, guitar, and horns are just great – but the set's also got some more regional percussion, too – which really rounds out the record wonderfully. The grooves all have a really universal appeal – essential for any fan of funky sounds – and titles include "Mr Funky Samba", "Junia", "Casa Forte", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Lelbon Via Vaz Lobo", "Baia", "Maria Fumaca", and "Metalurgia". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album of laidback psych from early 70s Brazil – the sort of more personal, more introspective work that some of the artists on the scene were cutting after the more experimental modes of the Tropicalia years! Guilherme Lamounier has a gentle sort of majesty in his music – very much in keeping with his image on the cover – stepping out in a trippier take on singer/songwriter modes, with his own vocals, guitar, and piano as the main focus on the tunes – touched nicely with keyboard work from Wagner Tiso, flute from Oberdan Magalhaes, and guitar from Lanny Gordin – artists used in these very sparing ways to spice up the sound, and give the record a loftier vibe than if Guilherme were just recording on his own. Lyrics are all in Portuguese, but the songs have a very universal appeal – a great sense of structure and building up energy – on titles that include "Freedom", "Mini Neila", "Patricia", "Passam Anos Passam Anas", "Amanha Nao Sei", "Capitao De Papel", and "Ols Telhados Do Mundo". LP, Vinyl record album

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