A sweet mix of Brazilian grooves and New York attitude – an overlooked session from the end of the 90s – recorded in the US by Brazilian saxman Leo Gandelman, with soulful help from a variety of American players – including Reuben Wilson on organ and both Charlie Hunter and Grant Green Jr on guitar! There's a rich sort of 70s vibe to the record – a tight, funky blend of jazzy riffing and Brazilian percussion, all put together at a level that almost reminds us of Kudu Records at its best – lean, soulful, and surprisingly focused throughout – a great step forward for Gandelman, and for percussionist Juliano Zanoni, who co-arranged the set with Leo, and also wrote most of the tunes. Supposedly, the record never saw the light of day when it was recorded – making this sweet Far Out package its first-ever release! Titles include "Safari", "Pau Grande", "April 7th", "Dance", "Prince Samba", "Groove In The Head", "Pirulito", and "Charlie 1". CD

An overlooked gem from the Verve bossa years – a session that features the sweet tenor sax work of Stan Getz, alongside some swinging bossa arrangements from the great Gary McFarland! Given the strength of Gary's own work for Verve at the time, it's no surprise that he's a perfect accompanist for Getz on the session – working with just the right amount of space to let Stan stand out from the pack, and really creating a great blend of Brazilian rhythms and some of the modder 60s styles at Verve. Gary contributed a number of originals to the session too – and titles include "Bim Bom", "Manlancolico", "Balanco No Samba", "Noite Triste", "Chega De Saudade", and "Manha De Carnival". 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

An excellent bit of lost Brazilian fusion Hugo and Jorge Fattoruso, produced by Airto Moriera! Opa recorded Goldenwings in the Fantasy studios with that sweet west coast vibe that the best albums of the label had at the time. Spacey keyboards and drums drive the sound brilliantly here, with bits of funk and sweet fusiony soundscapes. Hermeto Pascoal plays flute on a couple of numbers and Airto guest on a number of tracks, too! Titles include "Golden Wings", "Groove", the suite "Pieces: Tombo/La Escuela/Tombo/The Last Goodbye", "Corre Nina" and "African Bird". Nice stuff, and a band that always gets overlooked! 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

Way more than just a regular set of 60s soul jazz – as the package offers up a wide variety of styles, genres, and work from both European and American sources – all at a ridiculously low price! The set brings together 18 numbers from key 60s labels like Verve, MPS, and Impulse – all grooving together nicely in an upbeat mode that brings in plenty of Latin, Brazilian, and slightly funky touches too! All these tunes are plenty darn hip – longtime favorites at Dusty Groove that include "Jive Samba" by Peter Herbholzheimer, "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" by Marcos Valle, "Evil Ways" by Willie Bobo, "Terra Samba" by Fritz Pauer, "Um Grao De Areia" by Clarke Boland Big Band, "Cubano Chant" by Wolfgang Dauner Trio, "For Mods Only" by Chico Hamilton, "Love & Happiness" by Monty Alexander, "The Fakir" by Cal Tjader, "Big Schlepp" by Dave Pike Set, "Watermelon Man" by Jon Hendricks, "Why & How" by Mark Murphy, and "Sunshine Of Your Love" by Ella Fitzgerald. 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

Sweet sweet Joyce, one of our favorite Brazilian singers ever – sounding better than ever too! The album has Joyce working with Banda Maluca – a group that features husband Tutty Moreno on drums, plus keyboards by new groove sensation Bugge Wesseltoft! The style of the music retains all the light and breezy touches of Joyce's best older work, but also has some jazzy flourishes that really sound great – like Fender Rhodes and other keyboards by Bugge, flute and sax work by Teca Cardoso, and even a bit of clarinet on a few tracks – snaking between the lovely vocals with a sad and blue tone. The record's really wonderful, and shows Joyce still growing tremendously as an artist – loosening up her vocals in a host of great new compositions, and showing that she's every bit as important a force as she was when she grooved the world with her first few solo albums. Titles include "Os Medos", "For Hall", "Cartomante", "Samba Do Joyce", "Chuvisco", "Mal Em Paris", "A Banda Maluca", and "Pause, Bite". CD

An early record that really links Chico Buarque to the European scene – an audience that would keep Chico's music strong for many years, and with a reach that went far beyond some of his contemporaries! The set was recorded in Italy, but with all the charm and sparkle of his classic Brazilian recordings – and Chico sings in Italian, doing versions of some of his best early songs – all in a lively mode, inflected with samba and post-bossa grooves, and some of the best young songwriting of his youthful years. There's a slightly different vibe here than some of his other early records – but the overall sound is every bit as appealing – and titles include "La TV", "La Banda", "Juca", "Ole Ola", "Far Niente", "Maddalena E Andata Via", and "C'E Piu Samba". LP, Vinyl record album

A heavily percussive set of Brazilian grooves – recorded in Japan in the mid 70s, but done with lots of authentic Brazilian instrumentation overall, and a sound that's nice and rootsy! The vocals have just the right jazzy touch to keep this one from being a straight batucada session – and the record nicely mixes rough rhythms and sweet vocals to create a pretty compelling sound. Titles include "Oi Compadre", "Convencao De Ritmo", "Nega", "Bandeira Branca", "Esperancas Perdidas", and "Recordar E Viver". LP, Vinyl record album

Miche's at it again – and he's somehow managed to top the great sound of the first volume in the series – digging deeper into the past, coming up with more soulful numbers overall, then throwing in just the right touch of Brazilian grooves to even things out! As before, there's no unifying label or scene to these tracks – they're just brought together in celebration of a really joyous, positive, uplifting vibe – one possessed by each track alone, but which really steps out strongly as they all resonate together! Titles include "Save The Best For Last" by Alice Cohen & Fun City, "You & Me" by Mark Meadows, "Take To The Sky" by Mixed Generation Enterprize, "I Like What She's Doing" by Billy Boomer, "Straight Forward" by PJ City, "Realize" by Maxwell, "High On You" by Freedom, "Blow My Mind" by The Lost Family, "As" by The Family Tree, "A Luz Que Brilha Meu Viver" by Banda 22, "Misterio Brilhante" by Ze Da Lata, "Then I Reach Satisfaction" by Eleventh Commandment, and "Dame Solamente Amor" by Rogers Mitchell. CD

Miche's at it again – and he's somehow managed to top the great sound of the first volume in the series – digging deeper into the past, coming up with more soulful numbers overall, then throwing in just the right touch of Brazilian grooves to even things out! As before, there's no unifying label or scene to these tracks – they're just brought together in celebration of a really joyous, positive, uplifting vibe – one possessed by each track alone, but which really steps out strongly as they all resonate together! Titles include "Save The Best For Last" by Alice Cohen & Fun City, "You & Me" by Mark Meadows, "Take To The Sky" by Mixed Generation Enterprize, "I Like What She's Doing" by Billy Boomer, "Straight Forward" by PJ City, "Realize" by Maxwell, "High On You" by Freedom, "Blow My Mind" by The Lost Family, "As" by The Family Tree, "A Luz Que Brilha Meu Viver" by Banda 22, "Misterio Brilhante" by Ze Da Lata, "Then I Reach Satisfaction" by Eleventh Commandment, and "Dame Solamente Amor" by Rogers Mitchell. LP, Vinyl record album

Great 80s grooves from this cool Brazilian duo – the guitar and vocals of Robson Jorge and a sweet range of keyboards from Lincoln Olivetti – tied together in a style that's got plenty of great electro soul touches! At some level, the album recalls some of the 80s grooves coming from the US soul scene at the time – but the music also has elements that reflect some of the Brazilian funk of groups like Unaio Black or Banda Black Rio, and maybe even some of the styles of Marcos Valle in the early 80s too! There's a depth to the instrumentation that reflects a stronger understanding of jazz than most groups of this nature – and the vocals often take more of a place on the sidelines in favor of the instrumentation. The jazz sound is underscored by work from Marcio Montarroyos on trumpet and Leo Gandelman on baritone sax – and titles include "Eva", "Jorgea Corisco", "No Bom Sentido", "Raton", "Squash", "Ginga", and "Alegrias". LP, Vinyl record album

This very hip series just got a whole lot hipper – thanks to the selection talents of Brazilian soul legend Ed Motta – who serves up a huge host of rare tracks from Brazil! Ed's always had a deep love of the AOR sound of the 70s – and he's not only a great soul singer on his own records, but also a hell of a record collector too – one whose knowledge of rare grooves goes way beyond most other folks we've ever met! This set opens up a huge amount of Brazilian soul we'd never heard before – music that takes off from the late 70s territory of Azimuth and Banda Black Rio, and soars with sweet jazzy grooves that are completely sublime – most from the 80s, and most by artists who've never gotten their due on the reissue market. Killer all the way through – with titles that include "Pra Voce" by Carlinhos & Soninha Querioz, "Acordes E Sementes" by Gelso Oliveira & Luiz Ewerling, "Joia Rara" by Brylho, "Rota Mar" by Zeca Do Trombone, "Clarear" by Roupa Nova, "Quero Pouco Quero Muito" by Filo Machado, "Guarde Minha Voz" by Sandra Sa, "Debora" by Altay Veloso, "Copacabana Suite" by Junior Mendes, "Renascendo En Mim"b y Don Beto, "Toda Manha Brilha O Sol" by Lucinha Turnbull, "Coisas Do Brasil" by Guilerhmes Arantes, "Mare" by Carlos Bivar, "Leao Ferido" by Biafra, "Mais Uma Chance" by Santa Cruz, "Rio Best Seller" by Cassiano, and "Se Eu Te Pego De Jeito" by Jane Duboc. LP, Vinyl record album

Brazilian diva Elizeth Cardoso lays down a number of tracks recorded either with the Zimbo Trio, or with Jacob Do Bandolim. The Zimbo tracks have a nice bossa feel, and the titles include "Cidade Vazia", "Abertura", "E Louxo So", "Tem Do", and "Derradeira Primavera". The cuts with Jacob Do Bandolim are a little more samba oriented, but have a nice groove. Those cuts include "Barracao", "Jamais", and "Mulata Assanhada". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever – a wonderful blend of funk, jazz, and soul – and a set that rivals any of the best work coming from the US at the time! These guys are right on the money right from the start – moving through sharp changes with effortless ease, yet never in a way that's too slick or commercial – kind of like that perfect balance that Kool & The Gang hit for just a few records in the mid 70s – but with more of a Brazilian feel overall. Jazzy licks abound – and the keyboards, guitar, and horns are just great – but the set's also got some more regional percussion, too – which really rounds out the record wonderfully. The grooves all have a really universal appeal – essential for any fan of funky sounds – and titles include "Mr Funky Samba", "Junia", "Casa Forte", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Lelbon Via Vaz Lobo", "Baia", "Maria Fumaca", and "Metalurgia". CD

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever – a wonderful blend of funk, jazz, and soul – and a set that rivals any of the best work coming from the US at the time! These guys are right on the money right from the start – moving through sharp changes with effortless ease, yet never in a way that's too slick or commercial – kind of like that perfect balance that Kool & The Gang hit for just a few records in the mid 70s – but with more of a Brazilian feel overall. Jazzy licks abound – and the keyboards, guitar, and horns are just great – but the set's also got some more regional percussion, too – which really rounds out the record wonderfully. The grooves all have a really universal appeal – essential for any fan of funky sounds – and titles include "Mr Funky Samba", "Junia", "Casa Forte", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Lelbon Via Vaz Lobo", "Baia", "Maria Fumaca", and "Metalurgia". LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal funk by one of Brazil's greatest groups! Earth Wind & Fire had nothing on Banda Black Rio – as the Brazilian combo mixed together smooth jazz funk, soulful vocals, and great production, into a sound that rivaled any of America's best mainstream funk acts of the 70s! This album's easily their best – and is filled with tight jazzy groovers that we come back to again and again over the years, digging them for their great rhythms and tight instrumentation, never noticing the fact that the lyrics aren't in English! Includes the cuts "Chega Mais", "Tico Tico No Fuba", "Danca Do Dia", "Vidigal", "Gafiera Universal", and the totally great "Cravo e Canela", one of the sneakiest guitar groovers you'll ever hear! LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in this wonderful series – a tight set of batucada and percussion tracks, played by one of Brazil's more popular bandleaders, in a tight format that adds in some groovy touches! And also like the rest of these, this one's also got a few tasty orchestral tracks that push past the bossa groove, into a groovy post-bossa orchestral sound that's really nice and jazzy! The cuts on here with that feeling include great versions of "Upa Neguinho" and "Chove Chuva" – and the batucada tracks include "Ritmo", "Linda Mascarada", "Segura Este Samba", and "Sassaricando". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent album by one of the greatest Brazilian funk bands ever – a wonderful blend of funk, jazz, and soul – and a set that rivals any of the best work coming from the US at the time! These guys are right on the money right from the start – moving through sharp changes with effortless ease, yet never in a way that's too slick or commercial – kind of like that perfect balance that Kool & The Gang hit for just a few records in the mid 70s – but with more of a Brazilian feel overall. Jazzy licks abound – and the keyboards, guitar, and horns are just great – but the set's also got some more regional percussion, too – which really rounds out the record wonderfully. The grooves all have a really universal appeal – essential for any fan of funky sounds – and titles include "Mr Funky Samba", "Junia", "Casa Forte", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Lelbon Via Vaz Lobo", "Baia", "Maria Fumaca", and "Metalurgia". LP, Vinyl record album

Great soundtrack work from Chico Buarque – thanks in large part to some help from Francis Hime, who arranged the whole set with the sort of backings heard on his own work! The soundtrack's best known for the Buarque groover "O Que Sera" – presented here in 2 great vocal versions by Simone, and also done in a few instrumental takes. Other tunes are a mix of larger orchestrations, lighter groovers, and even a few American standards re-done with Brazilian touches – and the whole thing's done with a feel that's much more 60s than you'd guess from the date – with no cheesy throw-away disco styled numbers. Titles include "La Conga", "Un Samba", "O Que Sera", "Honeymoon", and "Dona Flor's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A great entry in this wonderful series – a tight set of batucada and percussion tracks, played by one of Brazil's more popular bandleaders, in a tight format that adds in some groovy touches! And also like the rest of these, this one's also got a few tasty orchestral tracks that push past the bossa groove, into a groovy post-bossa orchestral sound that's really nice and jazzy! The cuts on here with that feeling include great versions of "Upa Neguinho" and "Chove Chuva" – and the batucada tracks include "Ritmo", "Linda Mascarada", "Segura Este Samba", and "Sassaricando". LP, Vinyl record album

Genius, pure genius! It was hard for Earth, Wind & Fire to go wrong at this point – and the album's a stellar blend of jazz, funk, and soul, all done in that perfect style they'd hit by the mid 70s. And even though this one was a monster album, of the type that you see in everyone's record collection from the time, it's still got a freshness that we always forget about – and lots of nice twists and turns that show that the band hadn't lost their more sophisticated roots. Case in point is the wonderful "Brazilian Rhyme", a short little groover that you'll instantly recognize as a sample from the first Tribe Called Quest album. Other tracks include "Jupiter", "In The Marketplace", "Magic Mind", "Runnin", "Be Ever Wonderful", and "Serpentine Fire". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful project that was years in the making – a mix of American club and Brazilian elements – put together by a group that includes members of Azymuth and Banda Black Rio, as well as the legendary Arthur Verocai! Jose Roberto Bertrami's the strongest contributor here – and the music really echoes that great late 70s/early 80s point when the Azymuth fusion groove crossed over into tighter, funkier territory – coming off here with a sound that's got really universal appeal and a wickedly classic vibe overall – like some unusual cross-breeding of Brazilian grooves and Salsoul Records! Vocals are by Mia Mendes and Marcina Arnold, but the instrumentation is even better than the lyrics – filled with jazzy touches, blended with bits of strings, and perfectly produced all the way through. Really tremendous stuff – one of the freshest records we've heard from Far Out in years – with titles that include "Mystery", "Keep Believing", "Dead Dance", "The Last Carnival", "A Disco Supreme", "Vendetta", and "Don't Cha Know He's Alright". 2CD set features 8 more bonus remix tracks too! CD

A super-huge album for Kool & The Gang – and for good reason too! The set features their massive hit "Celebration" – a cut that firmly planted the group in the mainstream, and which keeps getting countless play over the decades – probably still earning them a fortune in royalties year after year from wedding bands alone! The group's got some great help on the record from Deodato – the Brazilian keyboardist who scored big with his own records in the 70s – and who's working here to arrange, conduct, and produced the album with a sweet jazzy finish! In a way, it's Deodato's ear for a great warm groove that really seems to make the set sparkle – giving it a strong soul sound, even with tighter production – still somewhat down to earth, despite its hit status – that core quality that's always made Kool & The Gang so great! Apart from "Celebration", other tracks include "Jones Vs Jones", "Love Festival", "Love Affair", "Night People", and "Morning Star". 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