One of the best American recordings of Brazilian keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami – even better than his work of the time with Azymuth! The set's got a freer feel than some of the Azymuth sides – allowing Bertrami the sort of freedom he rarely expressed so strongly (at least not until some of his recent albums for the Far Out label.) Tunes dance along on a mix of Brazilian rhythms and west coast fusion – all the while featuring some killer organ and electric piano from Jose, plus drums by Robertinho Silva, sax and flute from Jose Carlos, guitar from Helio Demiro, and guest vocals on one track by Aleuda. Titles include "Partido Alto #2", "Sheds & Weeds", "Parati", "Shot On Goal", and "Bye Bye Brazil". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning mix of talents that brings the heavenly piano and guitar of Antonio Carlos Jobim into play with the lush, but light arrangements of Claus Ogerman – a swirling mix of post-bossa loveliness that redefines Jobim's sound, and opens up new avenues for exploration in sound! The production is amazing – pillowy-soft, but with a complex depth that's hardly been matched again – and although Jobim's the main player, other great musicians include Dom Um Romao, Claudio Slon, Jerome Richardson, Ron Carter, and others. Tracks include "Wave", "Mojave", "Lamento", "Batidinha", "The Red Blouse", "Antiguq", and the groovy "Captain Bacardi". Beautiful all the way through! CD

A stunning mix of talents that brings the heavenly piano and guitar of Antonio Carlos Jobim into play with the lush, but light arrangements of Claus Ogerman – a swirling mix of post-bossa loveliness that redefines Jobim's sound, and opens up new avenues for exploration in sound! The production is amazing – pillowy-soft, but with a complex depth that's hardly been matched again – and although Jobim's the main player, other great musicians include Dom Um Romao, Claudio Slon, Jerome Richardson, Ron Carter, and others. Tracks include "Wave", "Mojave", "Lamento", "Batidinha", "The Red Blouse", "Antiguq", and the groovy "Captain Bacardi". Beautiful all the way through! CD

A stunning mix of talents that brings the heavenly piano and guitar of Antonio Carlos Jobim into play with the lush, but light arrangements of Claus Ogerman – a swirling mix of post-bossa loveliness that redefines Jobim's sound, and opens up new avenues for exploration in sound! The production is amazing – pillowy-soft, but with a complex depth that's hardly been matched again – and although Jobim's the main player, other great musicians include Dom Um Romao, Claudio Slon, Jerome Richardson, Ron Carter, and others. Tracks include "Wave", "Mojave", "Lamento", "Batidinha", "The Red Blouse", "Antiguq", and the groovy "Captain Bacardi". Beautiful all the way through! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful grooves from Alex Malheiros – best known for his bass work in Azymuth, but stepping out here in a warm and wonderful set of his own! The groove here really takes us back to the sunny, soulful fusion we first loved when Azymuth hit the scene in the 70s – and Malheiros' guidance of the groove is really felt strongly in the album's warm-rolling basslines – a beautiful complement to a lineup that also includes Fender Rhodes, tenor, soprano sax, flute, trumpet, and trombone – plus a bit of occasional vocals from Sabrina Malheiros! Production is wonderful – handled by Daniel Maunick with some of the warmth of his Incognito work – and IG Culture comes in at the end to remix four of the album's tracks – almost creating a mini-modern suite to complement to the core 70s vibe of the record. Titles include "The Wave", "Corpo", "Copa A Noite", "Solar", "Sem Pressa", "Baixo Partido", "Serenity", "Uno Esta", and "4 Eyed Viper" – plus remixes of "The Wave" and "Uno Esta", the latter of which is a version of the Bobbi Humphrey classic! CD

Dreamy and drifting – a great selection of tunes, most of them bossa ones, inspired and about the sea – clearly a fixation if you're living on the beautiful beaches of Rio! The package pulls together tracks from a variety of sources – and includes some gems from the classic bossa years of the Elenco and Philips catalogs. Titles include "Arrasto" by Edu Lobo, "Garota De Ipanema" by Nara Leao, "Mar E Lua" by Chico Buarque, "Beira Mar" by Gilberto Gil, "Mar Azul" by Wanda Sa, "Surfboard" by Tom Jobim, "Lugar Comum" by Joao Donato, and "Quem Vem Pra Beira Do Mar" by Jussara Silveira. CD

A sound that's as gentle as the breezes of the sea – served up in a lovely package that brings together Brazilian grooves both old and new! This volume follows nicely in the spirit of others in the series – going for a unique corner of Brazilian music that echoes with the inspiration of the Atlantic – an inspiration that echoes not just in the lyrics of the tunes, but also in the way they open up in gentle waves of sound. There's a sense of quietude here that recalls the calmness of the ocean in the morning, and the set features 14 titles from a 40 year range of recordings – including "Joao Valentao" by Caetano Veloso, "Canto De Yemanja" by Joyce, "Corrida De Jangada" by Edu Lobo, "Veleiro Azul" by Luiz Melodia, "Desejo Do Mar" by Johnny Alf, "O Mar E Meu Chao" by Dori Caymmi, "Brisa No Mar" by Nana Caymmi, "Domingo Azul Do Mar" by Wanda Sa, and "Wave" by Nara Leao. CD

Music from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson, Sarah Vaughan, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Henderson & more. (Funky Compilations, Brazil) CD

A mellow set of sensitive interpretations of classic Jobim material, sung by the great Brazilian vocalist Leny Andrade, with backing by Cristova Bastos on piano. The set's mostly just voice and piano, and it's one of the mellowest Jobim tributes we've ever heard – sort of as if you were catching a nice after-hours set at a smoky nightclub in Rio (and believe us, if you've heard Leny's voice, that club must be pretty darn smoky!) Titles include "Vivo Sonhando", "Fotografia", "Wave", "Aguas De Marco", "Samba Do Aviao", "Ana Luiza", and "Outra Vez". CD

One of the darkest records we've ever heard from the Far Out label – a set that reminds us of some of the best Brazilian new wave that was showing up on compilations a few years back! Guitars are in the lead on most numbers – sometimes played with energy that's punkish, at other times psycheish – and the rhythms are quite powerful too – often a bit more complicated than standard Brazilian post-punk work, but equally driving. There's a bit of electronics in the mix at times – used sparely, again with sort of an early 80s vibe amidst the guitars – and the vocals are in Portuguese, with a pretty progressive sound. Titles include "Funeral", "LKJ", "Jazzhole", "Diretriz", "Tarde Demais", "Exprimental (Catnip)", and "Vamanda". CD

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

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", "Quartiniana", and "Dindi". LP, Vinyl record album

A light and dreamy set of Brazilian vocal tracks – recorded in 1967, and featuring the voice of singer Lenita Bruno, a strong 60s talent with a style that's somewhat like Sylvia Telles. Arrangements on the set are by Clare Fischer – who plays piano, organ, and electric harpsichord in a small combo that also includes guitar by Laurindo Almeida, flute by Bud Shank, and percussion by Paulinho. Some tracks augment the ensemble with a string quartet – who give the material an appropriately sad tone, perfect for Lenita's blue-styled vocals. Includes a nicely grooving version of "Chove Chuva", plus the tracks "Wave", "Winter Moon", "Sing Sing More", "Dindi", "Stay My Love", and "Someone To Light Up My Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A slightly traditional set from Brazilian vocalist Gal Costa – but a great one too, and record that demonstrates a new sense of poise and grace in her vocals in recent years! The material here is mostly bossa – work that pre-dates Gal's initial time on record, but which is delivered here with a sensitivity that's wonderful – never too "easy", despite the familiarity of the tunes, and handled with just that right sense of contemplation and expression with which Jobim and others first penned the tunes. Backing is small combo jazz by a quartet with flute, guitar, bass, and drums – and although live, the sound is nicely close up and intimate – really fitting the mood of the songs. Titles include "Fotografia", "Nada Alem", "Corcovado", "Garota De Ipanema", "Wave", "Samba Do Aviao", "A Felicidade", "Triste", and "Ave Maria No Morro". CD

The best Deodato album we've heard in years – a spare trio set that hearkens back to his best jazz funk years of the 70s! Deodato's working here in a live setting, but the sound is just as tight as some of his classics in the studio – totally sweet all the way through, with that lean, soulful approach to the keys that went onto inspire a whole generation. Other instrumentation is just bass and drums – and often, the keyboards seem to step out past them, working almost in their own space in sound. Titles include "Sabia", "Berimbau", "Whistle Bump", "Skyscrapers", "Dindi", "Whirlwinds", "Wave", "Super Strut", "Carly & Carole", "Also Sprach Zarathustra", and "San Juan Sunset". CD

Kind of a painful movie, but a pretty sweet soundtrack! The set features a number of new works produced by Deodato, very much in the spirit of his Inutil Paisagem 60s bossa recordings – with wonderfully complex airy melodies, and a touch so light you can't believe there's actually a conscious act behind the music. The new titles feature vocals by Barbara Mendes and Carol Rogers – and include "Samba De Uma Nota So", "Mary Ann's Theme", "Suddenly", "Soul Mates", "Amor Em Paz", and "Juan's Theme". Most of the rest of the CD features older work from Jobim's years at Verve and CTI – including the tracks "Wave", "Aguas De Marco", "Chega De Saudade", and "Inutil Paisagem". Also features a semi-painful duet between Jobim and Sting – ouch! CD

A great little set from Brazilian percussionist Jackson Do Pandeiro – an album that grooves along on a strong wave of forro – that rootsy genre that burst big on the Brazilian scene of the 50s – tying together folksy roots and modern samba nicely, with lots of heavy percussion and basslines at the bottom of the music, and some great accordion work as well! The vocals have a raspy, soulful charm – a precursor to more soulful samba modes to come – and titles include "Falso Toureiro", "Ele Disse", "Cajueira", "Eta Baiao", "Moxoto", and "Meu Enxoval". LP, Vinyl record album

Very tasty set of jazz tracks by legendary Brazilian pianist Joao Donato, performed as a loving tribute to Jobim, and with the same polished bossa sound as many other titles on the Lumiar label. Donato himself handled most of the arrangements, and the sound is nice and spare, with backing by sax, flute, and trumpet. The titles are all quite familiar, but Donato's playing is quite fresh, and the set is one of his best albums of the past 20 years. Titles include "Fotografia", "Vivo Sonhando", "Caminhos Cruzados", "Outra Vez", and "Wave". CD

New Wave hits Brazil – in case you couldn't tell by the album's op-art cover, and Dusek's sunglassed trendoid image on the front! The album seems to be relatively tongue in cheek – although it's a bit hard to tell if you don't speak the language – and titles include "Rock Da Cachorra", "Barrados No Baile", "Nao Minta Vovo", "Cabelos Negros", and "Enfant Terrible". LP, Vinyl record album

A warmly intimate album from Joao Gilberto – one that has the singer and guitarist in the same special space as his wonderful albums from the early 70s - a bit more sophisticated than the bossa years, but equally personal throughout! The set was co-produced by Helen Keane – who was bringing real magic to the records of pianist Bill Evans at the time – and music is by a core combo that includes American jazz musicians Ralph Grierson on keyboards and Grady Tate on drums – with some additional larger arrangements from Claus Ogerman, but used in a way that never clutters up the sound at all. Instead, Joao sounds beautiful right up front in the mix – with those sublime raspy vocals, and perfectly-placed lines on acoustic guitar – on titles that include a fabulous reading of "Estate", plus Jobim's "Wave" and "Zingaro", and the tracks "Caminha Cruzados", "Tin Tin Por Tin Tin", and "Besame Mucho". LP, Vinyl record album

A wickedly wonderful album by Antonio Carlos Jobim – recorded in LA in the mid 60s, and a perfect meeting of styles that makes for one of his most compelling albums of the 60s! Jobim sings and plays over pillowy-soft arrangements by Claus Ogerman – lightly dancing numbers that weave strings and woodwinds into a wave of sound that dips, turns, and sometimes hits a surprisingly nice groove. Dick Hyman plays a bit of organ on the set – which we always love – and Dom Um Romao's working in the group somewhere on drums. Lyrics are in English, sung in a warm and fragile style by Jobim – and the album's got a great organy version of "Surfboard", plus "Zingaro", "Bonita", "Off-Key", and "Photograph". CD

A beautiful package – as beautiful as the music of Jobim, and one of the true fitting tributes to his genius! The set is a retrospective of the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim – and it features tracks that stretch back to his early recordings for Verve, CTI, and Philips (from both the US and Brazil), work he did with other artists (including Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Elis Regina), and even recent work recorded slightly before his death. The booklet is every bit as beautiful as the music – an origami-like affair, with paper and plastic folding out to reveal some great notes and biographical information on Jobim, offering one of the coolest packages you've ever seen to hold the set's 3 CDs! Titles include "Wave", "Waters Of March", "Agua De Beber", "Bonita", "Photograph", "Dreamer", and so much more – and there's a total of 55 songs packaged with the 60 page booklet! CD

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

One of Antonio Carlos Jobim's greatest records – and a perfect blend of his subtle bossa genius with the moody electric sound of CTI! Jobim plays electric and acoustic piano, guitar, and sings a bit – and Deodato handled the arrangements with a breezy brilliance that matches all the magic of Jobim's wonderful compositions, but gives them a slightly more fluid feel too – in a way that's somewhat more sophisticated than the sound of Jobim's previous CTI outings – Tide and Wave. Other players on the album include Joe Farrell on soprano sax, Hubert Laws on flute, and Airto on percussion – and there's a great mix of Brazilian and American styles on the set – electric, sinister, breezy, and always wonderful! Includes the titles "Sabia", "God & The Devil In The Land Of The Sun", "Children's Games", "Stone Flower", "Brazil", "Tereza My Love", and "Choro". Plus, this CD reissue features an alternate take of the song "Brazil". CD

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

An obscure Joyce album from the late 80s, and a very nice set of mellow readings of Jobim classics, performed with help on keyboards from the great Gilson Peranzzetta. Joyce's guitar and vocals are in the lead, and Peranzzetta plays electric piano and a bit of synth, in washes of sound that feel a bit like some of the more recent recordings on the Lumiar label. Titles include "Wave", "Canto De Ossanha", "Garota De Ipanema", "A Felicidade", and a fantastic scat version of "Surfboard/Samba De Uma Nota So"! CD

Although Nara Leao has always been one of the more important singers to come out of the bossa era, and continue to grow within the music scene of Brazil, her work is always darn tough to find. This 20 track compilation features tracks from the full range of her career – from 1964 to 1984 – with titles that include "A Banda", "Outra Vez", "Wave", "Joao E Maria", "Ole, Ola", "A Rita", "Diz Que Fui Por Ai", "Sabe Voce", and "14 Anos". CD