A brilliant pairing of talents – Brazilian trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos and the soulful Stone Alliance group of the 70s – coming together here in Rio with extra help from Hermeto Pascoal on reeds, and added work from Brazilian musicians David Slon, Dom Bira, and Erasto De Holanda Vasconcelos! The style is tighter and harder than the usual Brazilian jazz of the time – a bit fusiony at points, but always with a richer vibe that's almost more in a 70s Latin jazz mode – maybe because of the strong bottom end from the trio of Gene Perla on bass, Don Alias on drums, and the mighty Steve Grossman on reeds! It's an especially nice treat to hear Grossman in this setting – a nice change from usual, but one that he really illuminates with his soulful lines – and titles include "Hey Bicho Vamos Nessa", "Risa", "The Greeting", "On The Foot Peg", "A Child Is Born" and "Libra Rising". LP, Vinyl record album

Stone Alliance move down to a duo here – the mighty team of Don Alias on drums and Gene Perla on bass – and the pair bring in a whole host of great guest stars to take the place of recently-departed reedman Steve Grossman! To us, the record would be more than great enough on its own with just the grooves of Perla and Alias – but the set really warms up from contributions by artists who include Michael Brecker on tenor, Dave Liebeman on reeds, Randy Brecker on trumpet, Alex Acuna on percussion, and Jan Hammer on keyboards – keeping things as tight and focused as on his best 70s funky fusion outings. Perla and Alias keep things tight and choppy in the rhythms – a nice undercurrent of funk on most tracks – and titles include "Pedra Da Lua", "Trampoline", "Aunt Remus", "Tribute To Afreeka", and "Uncle Jemima". LP, Vinyl record album