Gal Costa pays tribute to one of the greatest Brazilian songwriters of an earlier age – the great Ary Barroso, one of the first to also get his songs translated into other global languages too! The language here is all Portuguese, though – but nicely updated by Gal in that range of styles she was using at the end of the 70s – a bit of jazz at times, and with that evolved level of MPB arrangement that was helping song artists find their way forward – done on this set by arrangers Roberto Menescal and Perna Froes. Caetano Veloso joins Gal on a duet of "No Tabuleiro Da Bahiana", and other tracks include "E Luxo So", "Folha Morta", "Camisa Amarela", "Aquarela Do Brasil", and "Novo Amor" – plus Gal's classic reading of "Aquarela Do Brasil". LP, Vinyl record album

A one of a kind record that still sparkles as brightly today as it did back in the late 60s – an amazing collaboration between Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and Scandinavian jazzman Toots Thielemans – done in a style that easily makes it one of the best records ever from both artists! Elis is at the height of her jazzy late 60s powers here – working in a soaring, breezy sort of style – but one with a lot more depth and soul than some of her contemporaries. She brings a great deal of feeling to the tunes, but always without doing too much – and this leaves plenty of space for Toots to add his touches – on harmonica, guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which really sits in nicely with the grooves. The production and overall sound is sublime – one of those never matched again sort of studio dates – and titles include great versions of "Canto De Ossanha", "Wave", "Voce", "Wilsamba", "Five For Elis", "Volta", and "O Sonho". LP, Vinyl record album

A one of a kind record that still sparkles as brightly today as it did back in the late 60s – an amazing collaboration between Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and Scandinavian jazzman Toots Thielemans – done in a style that easily makes it one of the best records ever from both artists! Elis is at the height of her jazzy late 60s powers here – working in a soaring, breezy sort of style – but one with a lot more depth and soul than some of her contemporaries. She brings a great deal of feeling to the tunes, but always without doing too much – and this leaves plenty of space for Toots to add his touches – on harmonica, guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which really sits in nicely with the grooves. The production and overall sound is sublime – one of those never matched again sort of studio dates – and titles include great versions of "Canto De Ossanha", "Wave", "Voce", "Wilsamba", "Five For Elis", "Volta", and "O Sonho". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Zimbo Trio, Paulinho Nogueira, Orquestra De Tony Fabian, Pery Ribeiro, Brazilian Trioical Orchestra, Olmir Stocker, Almeao & Zero Ribeiro, Grupo Vou Vivendo, Sambrasil, Luciana Rodrigues, Nova Banda, and Ana De Holanda. CD

The title might make this sound like a completists "best of" of work by Elis Regina, but it's actually a pretty good selection of tracks from the last years of her life, when she was recording for Elektra in Brazil, and working in a style that mixed her jazzy roots with more modern styles of instrumentation. The track features 14 cuts, mostly from her Elektra years – including both live and studio recordings of tunes like "Upa Neguinho", "Garota De Ipanema" (performed with Hermeto Pascoal)", "Conversando No Bar", "Eu Hein, Rosa!", "Maria, Maria", "Aquarela Do Brasil". Also included is a lovely rare cut from the early 60s – "Murmurio", which is done here as a lively samba, with great vocals by Elis! CD

A huge run of music from the legendary Dionne Warwick – all of it very different than her early work with Burt Bacharach, and brought together as a strong testament to her ability to change and grow over the years! Although Dionne started as a sweeter singer in the 60s, and had a few great Warner Brothers moments during the 70s – she really reemerged strongly on Arista at the end of that decade – thanks to strong help from a label that really knew what to do with a top-shelf female singer, and help them move past some of the pop and disco pitfalls that brought down some of their contemporaries in the decade! Warwick really returned to the American consciousness with these records, then kept on growing and maturing – really able to shift through a range of styles as the 80s moved into the 90s, even ending up with a bit of jazz in the mix – as you'll hear on this long run of records. The box set features twelve full albums, a great value for the price – records that include Dionne, No Night So Long, Hot Live & Otherwise, Friends In Love, Heartbreaker, How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye, Finder Of Lost Loves, Friends, Reservations For Two, Sings Cole Porter, Friends Can Be Lovers, and Aquarela Do Brasil. CD