Interesting, soulful work from Milton Nascimento – two different scores from the 70s, both written for ballet! The approach here is similar to some of his studio work of the time – an sophisticated yet soulful blend of instrumentation and vocals, baroque yet touched with the straightforwardness of rock, and never overly complicated, despite the nature of the setting. The work is essential if you like any of Milton's mid 70s studio albums – and performers on the projects include Joao Donato, Helcio Miltio, Beto Guedes, Nelson Angelo, Novelli, Luis Avellar, Toninho Horta, and Milton himself, leading the groups on both sessions. Titles on the first disc (Maria Maria) include the title track, "Lilia", "A Chamada", "Pai Grande", "Seducao", "Francisco", "Boca A Boca", "De Repente Maria Sumiu", and lots more! Titles on disc two (Ultimo Trem) include "Abertuna: Minas", "Ponta De Areia", "Povo Da Raca Brasil", "A Viagem", "Ultimo Trem", "Roupa Nova", and "Decreto", "Bicho Homem", "A Lua Girou" and more. 36 tracks on two CDs! CD

A rare bossa set from Argentina – but one that sparkles like some of the best MPB of the time! The lovely Maria De Fatima sings and plays guitar in a style that's not unlike Joyce – quite warm, and often a bit airy – gliding out beautifully over lightly dancing rhythms that draw on samba, bossa, and a bit of jazz! But there's also some more sophisticated phrasings here too – elements that clearly come from a love of 70s work by Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and their generation – served up subtly and simply by Maria in her music, with a really unique feel overall. Instrumentation is relatively light – again, a quality that reminds us of Joyce at her best – and backings include work from the Fattoruso brothers, who'd crafted some earlier bossa sets on their own! Titles include "Voce Sorrindo E Entregando", "Toda Menina Bahiana", "Coisas Estranhas", "Bahia Com H", "Tres Pontas", "Sao Joao Xango Menino", and "Cancombe Brasileiro Montevideano". LP, Vinyl record album

With performances by Nora Ney, Dircinha Batista, Maria Bethania, Os Cariocas, Dolores Duran, Sylvia Telles, and Joao Gilberto. Comes with a nice booklet of notes and photos! LP, Vinyl record album

Interesting, soulful work from Milton Nascimento – two different scores from the 70s, both written for ballet! The approach here is similar to some of his studio work of the time – an sophisticated yet soulful blend of instrumentation and vocals, baroque yet touched with the straightforwardness of rock, and never overly complicated, despite the nature of the setting. The work is essential if you like any of Milton's mid 70s studio albums – and performers on the projects include Joao Donato, Helcio Miltio, Beto Guedes, Nelson Angelo, Novelli, Luis Avellar, Toninho Horta, and Milton himself, leading the groups on both sessions. Titles on the first disc (Maria Maria) include the title track, "Lilia", "A Chamada", "Pai Grande", "Seducao", "Francisco", "Boca A Boca", "De Repente Maria Sumiu", and lots more! Titles on disc two (Ultimo Trem) include "Abertuna: Minas", "Ponta De Areia", "Povo Da Raca Brasil", "A Viagem", "Ultimo Trem", "Roupa Nova", and "Decreto", "Bicho Homem", "A Lua Girou" and more. 36 tracks on two CDs! CD

A very nice set of work from this older Brazilian composer – featuring performances of his songs by Maria Bethania, Joao Gilberto, Pery Ribeiro, Doces Barbaros, Trio De Ouro, Francisco Alves, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful live material by Chico – and the best record he's made in years! The set has a similar feel to the recent Gal Costa live set on BMG – with 2 discs worth of material, recorded with backing by a great little combo in an intimate live setting. Chico's voice is incredibly warm, and he accompanies himself on acoustic guitar throughout most of the album. It's fantastic stuff all the way through – and a real tribute to the stamina of Chico's power as an artist. Titles include "Paratodos", "Amor Barato", "Sem Voce", "Cecilia", "Aquela Mulher", "Injuriado", "As Vitrines", "Vai Passar", "Joao E Maria", and "Capitol Do Samba". CD

Brazilian grooves all over the place – and a wonderful assortment of tunes from the Warner, Atlantic, and Elektra vaults of the 60s and 70s! The set list goes way past the pop-bossa numbers that you might think from the cover, which is a cop from an old Atlantic compilation of the 60s – and includes some lesser-known tracks cooked up in Brazil during the 70s, as well as some of their American counterparts. Titles include "Celebration Suite" by Airto, "Jive Samba" by Jon Hendricks, "Eu Bebo Sim" by Osmar Milito, "Mr Funky Samba" by Banda Black Rio, "From The Lonely Afternoon" by Flora Purim, "Mas Que Nada" by Ella Fitzgerald, "Upa Neguinho (live)" by Elis Regina, "Tim Tim Por Tim Tim" by Joao Gilberto, "Crickets Sing For Anamaria (inst)" by Marcos Valle, "Manha De Carnival" by Louie Ramirez, "Barsanova Brown" by Eddie Cano, "Batuque" by Marcos Valle, and "Maria Fumaca" by Banda Black Rio. CD

A hip collection of some of Gilberto Gil's best compositions – performed by Gil and some of the best talents of his generation. The material is mostly lifted from other LPs on Philips in Brazil, but the whole set works very well together, due to the strength of Gil's writing. Titles include "Lugar Comum" by Joao Donato, "Louvacao" by Elis Regina & Jair Rodriguez, "Ladainha" by Nara Leao, "Expresso 2222" by MPB 4, "Preciso Aprender A So Ser" by Maria Bethania, "Mancada" by Claudette Soares, "Procissao" by Quinteto Violado, "O Sonho Acabou" by Alcione, and "Copo Vazio" by Chico Buarque. LP, Vinyl record album

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

Groovy batch of tracks by the lovely Quarteto Em Cy, Brazil's foremost female vocal group. The album's a tribute to the great Chico Buarque, and the tracks are largely Buarque's originals, done in the ladies' haunting breezy style. Titles include "Tamandare", "Tem Mais Samba", "O Cio Da Terra", "Joao E Maria", "Choro Bandido", and "Anos Dourados". CD

While not as classic as the bossa sessions that Stan Getz cut for Verve, these early 60's sides by Zoot (for the Colpix label) are still pretty tasty groovers in the pop bossa vein that was sweeping the US at the time. Zoot lays down some nice easy solos over larger bossa arrangements, and Jim Hall joins the set on guitar. Hall's not as Braziliany as players like Joao Gilberto or Charlie Byrd, but he does the job nicely enough, and there's more than enough good moments on this nicely priced 18 track set. Titles include "Instant Samba", "Maria Ninguen", "Recado Bossa Nova", "Poquito Cantando", and "Cantada A Orquesta". CD

A great mix of jazzy Brazilian and bossa jazz numbers from the 60s onwards – all pulled from the rich catalog of Fantasy records – and related labels that include Milestone, Prestige, and Pablo! As with the first volume, there's a nice sense of evolution going on here, and a careful selection of less-obvious tracks – with an especially rare version of Jobim's "Dreamer", recorded as a 45 back in the 60s by Gary McFarland! Other titles include "Manha De Carnaval" by Freddie Hubbard & McCoy Tyner, "Bluchanga" by Mongo Santamaria & Joao Donato, "Samba De Orfeu" by Vince Guaraldi, "Tambu" by Cal Tjader & Charlie Byrd, "Nana" by Kenny Burell & Moacir Santos, and "Influencia Do Jazz" by Bola Sete. CD