A fantastic bit of funky fusion from Brazil – one of the most hard-hitting albums we've ever heard from keyboardist Cesar Mariano! Mariano had a long legacy in music that included great arrangements for Elis Regina – but this set is completely different than most of his other work – almost in a CTI Records sort of vein, as if Mariano were trying to follow the mode of his contemporary Deodato – but with a stronger current of Brazilian jazz, especially all of the complexity that was coming into that music at the time. Most of the instrumentation is electric – with a great mix of guitars, bass, and keyboards – but there's also nice use of acoustic bass and piano – for a groove that's both funky, but also touched with strong elements of Brazilian jazz. Titles include the cool funky track "Metropole", the break cut "Fabrica", and the mellow groover "Imigrantes" – as well as the tunes "Metro", "Litoral", and "Futebol De Bar". CD

A fantastic bit of funky fusion from Brazil – one of the most hard-hitting albums we've ever heard from keyboardist Cesar Mariano! Mariano had a long legacy in music that included great arrangements for Elis Regina – but this set is completely different than most of his other work – almost in a CTI Records sort of vein, as if Mariano were trying to follow the mode of his contemporary Deodato – but with a stronger current of Brazilian jazz, especially all of the complexity that was coming into that music at the time. Most of the instrumentation is electric – with a great mix of guitars, bass, and keyboards – but there's also nice use of acoustic bass and piano – for a groove that's both funky, but also touched with strong elements of Brazilian jazz. Titles include the cool funky track "Metropole", the break cut "Fabrica", and the mellow groover "Imigrantes" – as well as the tunes "Metro", "Litoral", and "Futebol De Bar". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic live set from 1978, featuring Elis at the height of her interpretive powers, performing with backing by Cesar Mariano and his fusiony CIA group. The sound is nicely electric, with elements of rock and jazz blending beautifully behind Elis' rich vocals. Mariano plays Fender Rhodes in a warm way that overcomes the sound space of the live setting, enveloping Elis in warm mellow sound. Titles include "Construcao", "Fascinacao", "Deus Lhe Pague", "Cartomante", "Meio-Termo", "Boto", and "Cao Sem Dono". Great stuff, with the kind of raw emotion that makes live albums by Brazilian artists well worth tracking down! CD

An incredible album – and a landmark session that showed that the bossa nova was still alive and well in the 1970s! The album pairs the breathy jazz vocals of Elis Regina with the booze-soaked warmth of Antonio Carlos Jobim – in a set of spare arrangements that feature a lot of touches from Cesar Carmargo Mariano, whose work on Elis Regina's 70s sessions is still the stuff of legend! Elis' vocals dominate, but when Tom comes in, the result is even more spectacular – especially given the generally light instrumentation used on most tracks – which means that the vocals carry the bulk of the sound on the set! Includes the pair's sublime duet on "Aguas de Marco", plus the tracks "Fotografia", "Brigas, Nunca Mais", "Retrato Em Branco E Preto", "Chovendo No Roseira", "Modinha", and "Triste". CD

Overlooked later gems from Elis Regina – some of her late-life albums recorded for Warner Brothers! Essa Mulher is a killer – recorded in the company of arranger Cesar Mariano, whose masterful touch made for some of Elis' best albums of the 70s! Cesar arranged and conducted here, and although the production is perhaps a bit more contemporary than Elis' work for Philips, the vocals are sublime – much more driving and jazzy than a few years before, really working hard to dig deep and get the best sound out of each of the tunes! Saudade Do Brasil is a double-length set – very much in the spirit of Regina's classic work for Philips in the 70s! Like so many of those records, this one features arrangements and keyboards by Cesar Camargo Mariano – and the list of tracks is a stellar blend of work by some of Brazil's finest writers. Elis Por Ela features Regina taking on the music of Milton Nascimento, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Joao Bosco – really showing her range of vocal strengths, set to backings that are a bit different than she would have received on such tunes a few years before when recording for Philips. Elis Vive is excellent live work – an extremely lively performance that brings out the best of her talents at the time – especially in the vocal department, as her singing comes through in a beautifully raw, vibrant way that differs greatly from her studio recordings of the time. CD

A great little album by Elis Regina – recorded for Warner/Elektra at the end of her career, but very much in the spirit of her classic work for Philips in the 70s. Like so many of those records, this one features arrangements and keyboards by Cesar Camargo Mariano – and the list of tracks is a stellar blend of work by some of Brazil's finest writers. Includes a wonderful version of Milton Nascimento's "Maria Maria" – plus "Alo Alo Marciano", "O Primeiro Jornal", "Marambaia", "Menino", "Redescobrir", "Sabia", "Onze Fitas", "Conversando No Bar", and "Redescobrir". Double CD, with all tracks from both volumes! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic bossa groovers from the legendary Sambalanco Trio – one of the tight Brazilian piano combos who first helped define the sound of bossa jazz, and a classic group that featured work from a young Airto Moreira and Cesar Camargo Mariano! The album's one of the group's few recordings, and it's a gem – filled with short and groovy little tracks that go way beyond the kind of bossa styles that were being put down by US players at the same time. The piano and drum work is especially amazing – both soulful and firey at the same time – and titles include "Samba Pro Pedrinho", "Deixa Pra La", "Tensao", "Lenda", "Pra Machucar Meu Coracao", "Razao De Viver", and "Step Right Up". CD