A bossa nova dream come true – the early compositions of Marcos Valle, played by a young Deodato! This great set collects tunes from Deodato's early albums in Brazil – wonderful bossa nova instrumentals, all written by Marcos Valle, and performed here in a mix of groovy 60s styles. The sound is incredible – and very different than Deodato's funkier 70s work – more uptempo bossa at most points, and at few other times, dreamy and floating, with that impeccable style of arrangements that Deodato virtually pioneered in the 60s! Titles include "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", "Summer Samba", "Love For Nothing", "Chup Chup I Got Away", "Even More Beautiful", "Flap", "Out Of Time", "The White Puma", and "Maria's Dream". Album also includes a few alternate versions of tracks, done in different mixes. (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A killer album of soul jazz piano instrumentals – produced by James Brown! The Dee Felice Trio were a groovy combo from Cincinnati, and James Brown took a shine to them at some point in the late 60s. They backed James on one record, but their big moment was this album – which had James producing, and the group grooving nicely on some hard piano jammers! The sound's a lot more stripped-down than usual for James, but the groove is very nice! Includes an excellent funky version of "There Was A Time", a great cover of Marcos Valle's "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", and the tracks "Summer In The City", "In Heat", "Both Sides Now", and "Never". Features 3 bonus tracks too – "Nightingale", "Little Liza Jane", and "There Was A Time (single version)". CD

A totally sweeeeeeeet batch of Brazilian grooves – recorded in San Francisco, with a great 70s Bay Area sound! Victor M leads the group on percussion and vocals – but the real charm of the set is in its electric piano riffing, and soulful electric vibe. Most of the cuts have vocals – kind of in a Sergio Mendes 70s style, or in the mode of some of Marcos Valle's more electric work – and although the tunes are mostly familiar numbers like "Reza", "Agua De Beber", "Zazueira", "Upa Neguinho", and "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", they're done in a mode that's very fresh – kind of a bridge between 60s Brazilian interpretations, and later ones by recent groups! (Brazil, Jazz) CD

Quite possibly the clearest moment of genius ever from the legendary Hermeto Pascoal – a tremendous album that helped reshape instrumental Brazilian music for many years to come! At one level, the record shares a sound with some of the fuller, richer orchestrations going on in the post-bossa years – especially the work of Edu Lobo and Marcos Valle – but at another, it's filled with the kind of inventive instrumental interplay that's always made Hermeto so great, but which has never come off so perfectly as it does here! As you might expect from Pascoal, there's some especially great reed passages – crafted in a flurry of colors and tones – but there's also a warmer, more flowing quality to the whole album – less of the dark notes and pointy edges that show up often in Hermeto's work from later years. Bits of strings help the whole thing glide tremendously – and the record's a genre-busting blend of jazz, Brazilian roots, and complicated arrangements – unlike anything else we've ever heard, and still one of our favorite albums of all time! Titles include "Bebe", "Asa Branca", "Carinhoso", "Plin", "Gaio Da Roseira", and "Sereiarei". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

Way more than just a regular set of 60s soul jazz – as the package offers up a wide variety of styles, genres, and work from both European and American sources – all at a ridiculously low price! The set brings together 18 numbers from key 60s labels like Verve, MPS, and Impulse – all grooving together nicely in an upbeat mode that brings in plenty of Latin, Brazilian, and slightly funky touches too! All these tunes are plenty darn hip – longtime favorites at Dusty Groove that include "Jive Samba" by Peter Herbholzheimer, "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" by Marcos Valle, "Evil Ways" by Willie Bobo, "Terra Samba" by Fritz Pauer, "Um Grao De Areia" by Clarke Boland Big Band, "Cubano Chant" by Wolfgang Dauner Trio, "For Mods Only" by Chico Hamilton, "Love & Happiness" by Monty Alexander, "The Fakir" by Cal Tjader, "Big Schlepp" by Dave Pike Set, "Watermelon Man" by Jon Hendricks, "Why & How" by Mark Murphy, and "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Ella Fitzgerald. (Funky Compilations, Jazz) CD