Sharp Brazilian fusion – with Rique Pantoja on keyboards, Mauro Senise on saxes, and Pascoal Meirelles on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

Funky fusion from the Brazilian scene of the 80s – music from a time when the best electric jazz was more the product of indie labels like the Som Da Gente powerhouse – a company who really let Grupo Medusa find their groove! The band features some great keyboard work on Fender Rhodes and clavinet by Amilson Godoy, plus some great guitar playing by Heraldo Do Monte, in a style that's much more soaring, groovy, and upbeat than some of his solo albums. There's also lots of great Brazilian percussion in the rhythms – and as with other Brazilian jazz of the style, there's often a bit of vocals mixed in, almost at an instrumental sort of level. The whole thing's great – and titles include "Pe No Chao", "Uma Viagem", "Ponto De Fusao", and "Baiana". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool combo from the Brazilian jazz scene – with Rique Pantoja on keyboards, Mauro Senise on saxes and flutes, Pascoal Meirelles on drums, and Arthur Maia on bass! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album of hard percussion tracks from congolero Guem – recorded in Sao Paulo in 1982, with accompaniment on djembe, bonga, and assorted other percussion instruments. The tracks are spare, but very driving – with tight rhythms on all cuts, which has made the album quite sought-after over the years. Almost like a Brazilian descarga record – with the cuts "Viagem", "Universo", "Tempestade", and "Riacho". LP, Vinyl record album

This is hardly the encyclopedic set you'd expect it to be from the title – but it is a great set of tracks that Baden recorded for Warner/Atlantic at the end of the 70s, with a beautifully rootsy feel that makes the material some of his best of that decade! Forget the date of the material, because the overall feel is similar to some of Baden's best (and most sophisticated) work of the late 60s. His guitar playing is wonderfully complex, but even better is his singing – which by this point has matured to a fantastically dark style that perfectly matches his playing and songwriting. Titles include "Refem Da Solidao", "Valsa Numero Um", "Odeon", "Feinha Pro Poeta", "A Lenda Do Abaete", "Berimbau", "Canto De Ossanha", and "Naquele Tempo". Also features "Gente Humilde", recorded in 1994 with Louis Marcel. This set is similar to the older Musica collection – but it features 6 songs that weren't on that one, and vice versa. CD

A classic bit of 70s salsa gold from vocalist Hector Lavoe – a record done in close collaboration with Willie Colon, with whom Lavoe had worked on a great run of albums during the late 60s and early 70s! The set's got a slightly warmer and more straightforward feel than some of Willie's records – but still features arrangements and production by Colon, as well as a two-trombone, two-trumpet section that brightens up the tunes with a proud brassy finish! Piano is by Mark Dimond – nice and bold, with those dark edges of his we really like – and titles include "El Todopoderoso", "Emborrachame De Amor", "Rompe Saraguey", "Mucho Amor", "Tus Ojos", and "Mi Gente". LP, Vinyl record album

Two groovy Ennio Morricone scores from the 60s – both of them pretty darn great! La Trappola Scatta A Beirut is a hip spy thriller from the time – done with some bold, jazzy inflections on the instrumentation – and styles that echo American and British thrillers of a similar nature. There's some great use of flute and saxophone over more complicated backings – and although there's a bit less of the Morricone sense of space in the overall composition, there's still some key darker touches that are definitely the mark of the maestro. Titles include "Relax Per Un Agente Segreto", "Inseguimento", "Attesa E Fuga", "Agente 505 Missione Compiuta", and "Langiudamente". Next up is the equally jazzy score to Il Successo – a beautiful blend of tenor, vibes, flute, and other sweet instrumental touches – very much in the best Italian soundtrack jazz style of the early 60s. The whole thing's great, and a very overlooked chapter in Morricone's music – with titles that include "Malinconico", "Il Successo", "Per Vittorio", "Allegra Sambina", and "Sarabanda Twist". CD

A legendary set of grooves from the Italian scene of the early 80s – a batch of tracks that's a lot less electro or disco than some of its contemporaries – thanks to contributions from American jazzmen Don Cherry and Don Moye! Tullio De Piscopo's a percussionist by trade, but he also sings a fair bit here too – in a chanting way that goes along nicely with the mix of drums, keyboards, bass, guitar, and other elements – used in varied ways from track to track, in styles that run from post-disco dancefloor funk to more abstract jazzy grooves. The standout track is the classic "Stop Bajon" – a cut that had a big influence on early Chicago house – but there's plenty other interesting bits here too, and other titles include "Stadera", "Silva Mala", "Cartago", "Chiano Chiano", "Gente Mia", and "I Sono E Notte". LP, Vinyl record album

Top Soul indeed, as Fusion is a hip Chilean funk band from the early 70s – one who take plenty of influence from American grooves, but also bring in their own soulful elements as well! The sound here is somewhere between Kool & The Gang and Banda Black Rio – with quite a bit of the blend of the latter, especially in the way more local percussion riffs fill out grooves that have a solid grounding in American funk! Instrumentation listed is tenor, guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums – but there's clearly a lot more horns too, as well as some very hip percussion – played in ways that are almost more Brazilian than straight Latin – with a really fluid sensibility that jams nicely with the grooves. There's a slight bit of vocals on the record, but most of the album is instrumental – and titles include versions of Sly Stone's "Thank You" and The Crusaders "Way Back Home" – plus "Dedos", "Balada De Matias", "Dee Blooz", "Para Toda La Gente", "Pulsearas", and "Lamentation". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare sessions by Vinicius – back to back on one 2 CD set! CD one features a 1970 recording in Buenos Aires – with Maria Creuza and Toquinho. Creuza was at her best during the early 70s – and working here with the classic bossa team of poet Vinicius De Moraes and guitarist Toquinho, she really sparkles with a sound that's some of her best singing on record. The trio sing separately or together from track to track – and the set includes a lot of great work that's in the Black Orpheus or Afro Sambas mode. Titles include "Canto De Osshana", "A Felicidade", "Tomara", "Canto De Osshana", "Minha Namorada", "Valsa Da Tunisia", "Lamento No Morro", and a great version of Caetano Veloso's "Irene"! The other CD follows a similar format – with Maria Bethania instead of Creuza – and tracks include "A Tonga Da Mironga Do", "Kabulete", "E De Manha", "Samba Da Rosa", "Testamento", "Apelo", "Viramindo", and "Tarde Em Itapoa". 2CD set features lots of bonus tracks – 12 more titles that include "Nesta Ru Tao Deserta", "Formosa", "Ate Londres", "Gente Do Morro", "Das Rosas", "E Nada Mais", "Berimbau", and "Samba Em Preludio". CD

Later release from Elza Soares, although the music here is plenty classic all the way through, and very much in the rootsy samba modes she was serving up in the 70s! Instrumentation is mostly acoustic at the core – lots of lively percussion and guitar, mixed with some occasional contemporary touches on a few numbers, jazzing things up with a bit warmth, and some light touches of strings that serve well to underscore the maturity that Elza brings to the lyrics. Titles include "Plenitude", "Doce Acalanto", "Amor Sublime", "Nesse Trem", "Coisas Da Gente", and "Ansia Louca". LP, Vinyl record album

Two fantastic albums from this legendary Italian group – back to back in a single set, with bonus material too! First up is the self-titled debut of Circus 2000 – a group who've got a sound that still sounds amazing after all these years, and really a kind of cut above so many of their contemporaries! One of the most distinct features of the group is their lead singer, Silvana Aliotta – a vocals with a range to maybe match Grace Slick, Julie Driscoll, or some of the more important singers to emerge in the late 60s – but very particularly tuned here towards some of the darker, moodier elements of the group's music. These guys could clearly play freewheeling prog or hard rock, but also hold back nicely and avoid overblown moments to really fit their sound perfectly around Silvana's amazing vocals – sung in English throughout, with a wonderfully edgey vibe. Titles include "I Am The Witch", "Magic Bean", "Sun Will Shine", "I Can't Believe", "Must Walk Forever", "The Lord He Has No Hands", and "Try All Day". Their second album, Escape From A Box, is a real step forward for Circus 2000 – a set that has the group stretching out a bit more on their instrumentation, with even more complexity than before – yet still never losing the focus that comes from the tremendous lead vocals of Silvana Aliotta! Aliotta seems to have matured as a singer since the first record – also really finding her own spirit in the way she expresses herself, but at a level that's no less compelling than her previous efforts – the kind of voice that would have made her a giant in the field, had the group been recording in the UK or US. Titles include "When The Sun Refused To Shine", "Our Father", "Need", "Hey Man", and "You Aren't Listening". 2CD set features great sound, detailed notes, and bonus tracks that include "L'Uomo Paese", "Dove Va La Mia Gente", "Hey Man (parts 1 & 2)", "Ho Regalato I Capelli", "Io La Strega", "I Can't Believe", "Pioggia Sottile", "Regalami Un Sabato Sera", and "Need (edited version)". CD

Chico Buarque's fourth album – a mainstream Brazilian success at the time, but a record that's still as great as any of the more experimental sides from the time! Buarque has a sense of timing and charm here that are undeniable – an approach to the music that's aware of all the youthful inventions of the 60s, but which moves it to a much more sophisticated level, one that's especially touched by some of the European greats of the era. Backings range from simple samba to larger strings – and Chico's voice is incredible – with a slight rasp that would go on to influence a generation of popular Brazilian singers in years to come! Titles include "Rosa Dos Ventos", "Samba E Amor", "Pois E", "Cara A Cara", "Nao Fala De Maria", and "Gente Humilde". CD

A sound library set, but one that's got a grittier feel than most – and which ends up feeling a lot more like a stack of funky 45s overall! Gabriel Rowland hails from Los Yesterdays, and he definitely brings a current of west coast funk to the set – some Latin elements mixed with echoey guitar that sounds like a surf instrumentalist getting stoned – while heavy drums step out strongly on nearly every track, often sounding better and more funky they slower they are! Titles include "Mad Quakes", "Cry Folder Cry", "Spy Carnalito", "Vitamin Psych", "Rub Buster", "Skerd", "Panorama", "TOF", "Wrong Hustle", and "So F'D Up Inside". LP, Vinyl record album

70s issue of this classic – a great blend of Puerto Rican roots and some of the more sophisticated modes going down in the New York scene of the 60s – and a classic pre-salsa album from Mon Rivera! Rivera's got a small combo here who represent the hippest Alegre players of the time – both Charlie and Eddie Palmeri on piano, Mark Weinstein on trombone, and the legendary Kako on timbales – all backing up Mon with a sound that's rootsy, but which still has a fair bit of jazz as well. Styles include jazzy mambo and the plebochanga, a style that combines the plena and charanga – and overall, the album's got a really bouncy approach to the grooves – piano and percussion carrying most of the work, as vocals and horns come in over the top to sort things out a bit! Titles include "La Plechanga De Trabalengua", "Monina", "Una Plena", "Como Esta Pita", "En Casa De Pepe", and "La Cuca". LP, Vinyl record album

A great blend of Puerto Rican roots and some of the more sophisticated modes going down in the New York scene of the 60s – and a classic pre-salsa album from Mon Rivera! Rivera's got a small combo here who represent the hippest Alegre players of the time – both Charlie and Eddie Palmeri on piano, Mark Weinstein on trombone, and the legendary Kako on timbales – all backing up Mon with a sound that's rootsy, but which still has a fair bit of jazz as well. Styles include jazzy mambo and the plebochanga, a style that combines the plena and charanga – and overall, the album's got a really bouncy approach to the grooves – piano and percussion carrying most of the work, as vocals and horns come in over the top to sort things out a bit! Titles include "La Plechanga De Trabalengua", "Monina", "Una Plena", "Como Esta Pita", "En Casa De Pepe", and "La Cuca". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A special set of all-instrumental tracks – culled together from the sessions that went into some of the previous editions of this mighty great series – including collaborations with Gary Bartz, Joao Donato, Marcus Valle, and Roy Ayers! As the title implies, the cuts here are all instrumental – some are stated as being exclusive to the set, and likely in variations on the vocal versions – all given that impeccable studio production work of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, who find a way to wrap together so many wonderful strands of music! The whole thing's funky, but there's plenty of jazz, soul, and Brazilian currents as well – on instrumental versions of titles that include "African Sounds", "Gravity", "Gotta Love Again", "Forever More", "Hey Lover", "Visions Of Love", "Aquarius", "Soulful & Unique", "A Gente Volta Amanha", "Nao Saia Da Praca", "Synchronized Vibration, "Day By Day", "Sunflowers", and "Quiera Bem". CD

A recent live set that brings together classic singers and musicians from the 60s, recreating some of their strongest bossa nova work! Marcos Valle performs "Os Grilos", "Gente", and "Terra De Ninguem"; Leny Andrade sings "Wave", "Rio", and "Samba Da Pergunta"; Zimbo trio play "Garota De Ipanema", "A Felicidade", and "Nos E O Mar"; Os Cariocas harmonize on "Samba Do Aviao" and "Tim Tim Por Tim Tim", and Roberto Menescal duet on "Samba De Verao", "So Danco Samba", and "O Pato". CD