An excellent batch of modern instrumental readings of some of Jobim's greatest compositions – put together with the usual respect and care of the Lumiar label, and featuring a huge number of great Brazilian jazz players, like Joao Donato, Nelson Ayres, Sivuca, Roberto Menescal, Hermeto Pascoal, Egberto Gismonti, Antonio Adolfo, Nico Assumpcao, Osmar Milito, and Jobim himself! The arrangements are haunting, and some tracks have wonderful instrumentation (trumpet/piano, cello quartet, etc) that really opens up these great tracks. Titles include "Surfboard", "Tema Para Ana", "Tema Jazz", "O Homem", "Stoneflower", "Radames Y Pele", and "Dialogo". 2 CDs, with lots of niceness! Note that a number of these tracks (if not all of them) are on the 5 volume Jobim series that we carry, also on Lumiar. CD

One of the greatest albums ever from pianist Duke Pearson – recorded at a time when the musician was taking a bigger role at the Blue Note label, and started exploring some great musical territory in the process! The tracks here were all recorded in the late 60s – but not issued by the label until decades later, when they were pulled together in this fantastic double-length set – a record that comes as a real revelation. The work's quite different than Pearson's big band recordings, or his earlier soul jazz ones – and is a brilliant mix of Brazilian styles, electric instrumentation, complicated arrangements, and some of the more head-oriented jazz that was cropping up on Blue Note at the time – particularly some of the United States Of The Mind albums by Horace Silver! Silver's musical partner Andy Bey sings on the album's title cut – and other musicians include Frank Foster on tenor, Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Wally Richardson on guitar, Jerry Dodgion on flute, Ralph Towner on acoustic guitar, and a young Airto on percussion. Titles include the fantastic "I Don't Care Who Knows It", a great version of "Canto De Ossanha", and the tracks "Bloos", "I Don't Know", "Captain Bacardi", "Rosemary's Baby", "Dialogo", "Upa Neguinho", and "Xibaba". CD