The start of a legend – and the very first album by Sergio Mendes' Brasil 66 group, proudly brought to the world through the godlike talents of a young Herb Alpert! Sergio was no stranger to the recording studio by the time of this set, but the record marked a real shift in his music – a change from the mostly-instrumental bossa modes he first forged back in Brazil, and a shift to warmer, sweeter pop with a nice sunny California finish – done through unique production techniques and the group's trademark two-lady lead vocals! The sound is tremendous, and is possibly heard in its purest form here – simple, focused, and given that near-perfect A&M sound through Herb's production skills. Titles include the classics "Daytripper", "Aqua De Beber", "O Pato", "Berimbau", "Mas Que Nada", and "The Joker". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy bossa pop from the A&M studios of the 60s – the Brasil 66 sound at its best! The style here is a perfect blend of real Brazilian influences and some of the hipper styles bubbling in the LA studio scene of the time – all locked together perfectly by Sergio Mendes, in the twin-voiced style that let Brasil 66 transform any tune they could get their hands on! There's some really great numbers here of Brazilian origin – including Joao Donato's "The Frog", Marcos Valle's "Batucada", and Gilberto Gil's "Roda" – not to mention Sergio's own "Look Around", which is an especially charming number! Other titles include "The Look Of Love", "Pradizer Adeus", and "Like A Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

The greatest and grooviest hits from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – that completely charming little group that really warmed up pop at the end of the 60s! The tunes here are awash in bossa rhythms, and topped with the group's trademark two-gal harmony style – a sound that reaches out from both sides of the speakers and wraps you up with a wonderfully sweet feeling – while the grooves at the bottom really keep things moving. The set's filled with classics – titles that include "Fool On the Hill", "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Look Around", "Scarborough Fair", "Pretty World", "Look Of Love", "Day Tripper", and "Mas Que Nada". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – a perfect bridge between the simple pop of earlier records, and the group's expanding sound as the 70s approached! The warmly glowing Brasil 66 style is still very strongly in place, but the music here is all a bit hipper – tunes that show the growing sophistication of Brazilian music in the post-bossa years – picked up on by Sergio, and reworked for a larger audience in the US! The record's got some incredibly wonderful material – including a sublime cover of "Upa Neguinho", plus versions of "Casa Forte", "Canto Triste", "Lapinha", and "Laia Ladaia", a song that's a perfect fit for the group's unique style! Also includes the dreamy number "When Summer Turns To Snow", and the group's classic cover of "Scarborough Fair"! LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool – a super-heavy 2LP set, done only for the Japanese market – filled with hip Brasil 66 tracks from their A&M years – including "Mas Que Nada", "The Frog", "Laia Ladaia", "Constant Rain", "Moanin", "Pretty World", "Masquerade", "Agua De Beber", and lots more!1 LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy loveliness from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66! The album's one of their true 60s classics for A&M – a sublime blend of female vocals, Brazilian rhythms, and jazzy instrumentation – groovily dancing with a light and breezy sound that influenced a generation, and which still sounds pretty darn fresh to our ears today! The album's filled with great versions of Brazilian tunes – and titles include Marcos Valle's "Viola", Edu Lobo's "Crystal Illusions", Milton Nasimento's "Empty Faces", plus "Song Of No Regrets", "Salt Sea", and "Dois Dias". Nice stuff, and very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

The second album by Sergio and crew – and a real push forward for the group! The basic format of two-female harmony leads is still in place – but for some reason, this album gives a bit more of a nod to Brazilian roots than before, and really spices things up with an even more interesting array of songs! There's a bit less of the pop/cover style than before, and a bit more of a nod towards the hipper side of Brazilian music – especially the modernists of the bossa nova generation. Brazilian tunes include versions of "Constant Rain", "Cinnamon & Clove", "Bim Bom", and "Wave" – and there's also a few nice English numbers, like their hit version of "Night & Day", and a great reading of "Watch What Happens"! LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s collection of some of Sergio's best work for A&M from the 60s – all dreamy bossa numbers done in that fantastic two-voiced female lead style of the Brasil 66 group! Titles include "So Many Stars", "Wave", "Watch What Happens", "Tristeza", "Night & Day", "Like A Lover", "Roda", "Cinnamon & Clove", and "Mas Que Nada". LP, Vinyl record album

Sergio Mendes is definitely a swinger – especially on this jazz-based session that was recorded before his famous work with Brasil 66! This album was recorded in New York, at a time when Mendes was one of the hottest things brewing in the bossa scene in Brazil – and apart from the great Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar, many of the other players are American jazz musicians – including Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Phil Woods on alto sax, and Hubert Laws on flute – all adding in some nice jazzy elements to the tunes! The music is all instrumental, and a great mix of jazz and bossa that really lets you hear the young Sergio's skills on piano. Titles include "Maria Moita", "Sambinha Bossa Nova", "The Dreamer", "Primavera", "Favela", and "Pau Brazil". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Sergio Mendes' most dreamy albums – quite different than both his vocal work with Brasil 66, and his smaller combo sides from Brazil! There's still a strong bossa component to the record – but the setting has Sergio's piano lines laid out over larger arrangements with a good jazz component – soloing beautifully with a grace and charm he sometimes didn't have on other projects! Arrangements are by some hip American talents – Clare Fischer, Bob Florence, and Richard Hazard – and the set's filled with bright horns, lush banks of strings, and cascading rhythms – all produced with exceptional sound, so that Sergio's piano goes gliding over the top in a manner that's similar to some of the Luis Eca albums in a similar format. Tracks include "Carnaval", "Boranda", "Nana", and "Bonita". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice early stuff from Sergio – also issued as the album Brazil 65 on Capitol! That's Brasil 65, not Brasil 66 – a distinction that marks a key early stage for the great Sergio Mendes – heard here on one of his first albums to mix together bossa jazz and vocals! The approach here is a bit more like vintage bossa dates from Brazil – or a bit like some of the Verve bossa records too – as Sergio's core trio is at the heart of every tune, playing with a great jazzy approach – then augmented in different ways by alto and flute from Bud Shank, guitar from Rosinha De Valenca, and vocals from the lovely Wanda De Sah! Production is perfect – really in a classic Elenco Records mode – and titles include "Let Me", "Consolacao", "Tristeza Em Mim", "Muito A Vontade", "Reza", "Berimbau", and "Aquarius". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure Brazilian harmony bossa albums of the 60s – yet a set that we'd put right up there next to our favorite work from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – and maybe some of the even groovier acts recording down in Brazil! Mario Castro Neves is best known as a piano player and arranger – and he brings a jazzy vibe to this set, working with a core trio that features Normando on drums and Novelli on bass – while also opening the door to work from female singers Thais and Biba, who soar together in a breezy duet mode – very Brasil 66, but leaner and groovier too – with some scatting qualities that also show an influence from European jazz! There's a sparkling sound here that's strongly influenced by bossa, but which also has some sunnier 60s touches too – and Mario's arranging skills are at an all-time high on the lightly dancing rhythms of the tunes. Titles include "Candomble", "Nana", "E Nada Mais", "Keep Talking", "Once More", "Ta Por Fora", and "Morte De Um Deus De Sal". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool quartet with some very groovy vocals – a combo who seem to take some great inspiration from Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – as well as other hip vocal groups of the 60s! The lineup features one gal and three guys – often with the gal singer in the lead, supported by warm harmonies from the male singers – all grooving to their own instrumentation, played on organ, guitar, and drums! This lean approach is mighty nice – and has the group soaring through a cool mix of soul and pop material that's all pretty upbeat and lively – given a few 70s touches on the keyboards at times, and coming across with a spontaneous feel that almost makes you feel like you're catching the combo in a club. Titles include "Dream A Dream A Day", "Scarborough Fair", "Summertime", "I Thank You", "More Today Than Yesterday", "What The World Needs Now", "Let's Make It One World", and "Day Dreaming". LP, Vinyl record album

The beautiful first solo album by Lani Hall – recorded after years of work with Sergio Mendes in the Brasil 66 group – and done in a style that certainly reflects her great vocals with that ensemble, yet which also expands her sound tremendously! The set was arranged and produced by Herb Alpert in a spare, almost folksy style that still has some sweet LA touches – and the album's worth it alone for the leadoff cut – a version of Lesley Duncan's "Love Song", done in a gently grooving mode that's got a real folk-funk feel! The set's also got a great version of "We Could Be Flying" – and other tracks include "Ocean Song", "Vincent", "Come Down In Time", and "You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great Fantasy Records soundtrack – put together to accompany the Ralph Bakshi feature-length cartoon Heavy Traffic! The feel is similar to the Fritz The Cat soundtrack – in that the movie features some original music penned for the film, plus a fair bit of other tracks by better-known artists – all slipped into the movie as a sort of pop culture pastiche! As you might guess, we're partial to the original tracks – penned mostly by Ed Bogas, and featuring some organ and keyboards by Merl Saunders. These tunes include "Angie's Theme", "Carol's Theme", "What You Sow", "Heavy Traffic", "Cartoon Time", and "Scarborough Street Fair". Other titles include "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, "Maybelline" by Chuck Berry, "Twist & Shout" by The Isley Brothers, and "Scarborough Fair" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest Brazilian albums you could ever hope to buy – and one that's not even from Brazil, either! This little gem was recorded in France in the early 70s – but it's got a swinging groove that's very similar to the work of Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 during the 60s – upbeat, bossa-inflected, and with a strong undercurrent of jazz! Mesquita's group is a lot like Sergio's – right down to its mix of two vocalists on the lyrics – but there's a few important differences: this group's got one male and one female singer, a lot more percussion than Sergio ever used, and an overall sound that's less pop-oriented, and much harder overall! The whole album's great – tight, driving, and lively, with some incredible production – and titles include "Balanca Pema", "Dabadeia", "Aguas De Marco", "Fechado Pra Balanco", "Zanzibar", and "O Gato". LP, Vinyl record album