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Djavan is looking nice and young on the cover image – and the record's got a relatively youthful feel, too – that approach that made Djavan one of the most important talents to emerge from Brazil at the end of the 70s, and one of the few to follow a global path of his own! This album's an illustration of that journey – as the singer works here with American jazzmen who include Ronnie Foster on keyboards, Ernie Watts on reeds, and Harvey Mason on drums – all great players who hold back on their fusion styles a bit, but also create a soulful undercurrent that really opens up the vocals. Titles include "Sina", "Luz", "Capim", "Banho De Rio", "Esfinge", and "Acai". CD

2 classics from Djavan – back to back on a single CD! The first album is sublime early work from Djavan – a bit of jazz, a bit of samba, and a bit of soul – all wrapped together in wonderfully warm arrangements! The sound here is sophisticated without being sleepy, and there's still a lightness to Djavan's music at this point – a style that manages to plumb the depths of his vocals, yet without some of the too-emotive moments of later work – a very careful balance that makes for an album that's lovely and delightful all the way through! The set includes loads of nice tracks – like the jazzy "Serrado", plus "Minha Mae", "Numa Esquina De Hanoi", "Alagoas", "Samba Dobrado", and "Dupla Traico". Alumbramento is a great album from Djavan – quite ambitious and sophisticated, but in a way that leans heavily on his amazing vocals and great songwriting skills! As on most of his best albums from the time, he's working with a small core group of jazz players – sensitive musicians who provide some incredible accompaniment to his songs – in ways that are almost a second generation take on the styles first laid out by Milton Nascimento a few years before, but at even deeper levels. The record features a guest appearance by Chico Buarque, and tracks include "A Rosa", "Tem Boi Na Linha", "Sim Ou Nao", "Aquele Um", "Meu Bem Querer", and "Sururu De Capote". CD

Wonderfully complicated, like most of Luiz Gonzaga Jr's best work of the 70s – a unique blend of expansive arrangements and pure, honest vocalizations. The mix here is extremely fitting of Brazil at the time – and Luiz is joined by a number of artists who share a similar sympathy, including Nana Caymmi, Nosso Samba, Djavan, and Luiz Gonzaga Sr. Titles include "O Preto Que Satisfaz", "Diga La Coracao", "Joao Do Amor Divino", "Com A Perna No Mundo", "Galopando", "A Vida Do Viajante", and "Mundo Novo Vida Nova". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Gal Costa's mellow mainstream sides from the 80s – hardly the sort of work you might have imagined during the heady Tropicalia years, yet still very much the top of the heap for MPB at the time! Gal's got a new sort of sophistication here – a depth that really comes through on the ballads, in ways that remind us of late 70s work from Elis Regina – and although the instrumentation is heavy on keyboards, it's still got a pretty nice feel overall – never too clunky or commercial. Arrangements are by Lincoln Olivetti, Ricardo Cristaldi, Djavan, and Guto Graca Mello – who produced the set – and titles include a nice version of Joyce's "Todos Os Instrumentos", plus "Tenda", "Arara", "Me Faz Bem", "O Vento", and a Brazilian version of "Here, There, & Everywhere", entitled "Viver E Reviver". LP, Vinyl record album

Gilberto Gil's working here not as the main artist, but as the songwriter – the very special talent around which this excellent set of recordings is based! The package is one of our favorite in the Lumiar Songbooks series – and, like the rest, it showcases the tremendous compositional abilities of Gil – songs that have touched the Brazilian scene from the late 60s onward – presented here in a number of new recordings by some of his key contemporaries, and younger generations too! This third volume features a dozen new recordings – and titles include "Zabele" by Nana Caymmi, "Expresso 2222" by Joao Bosco, "Super Homem - A Cancao" by Caetano Veloso, "Felicidade Vem Depois" by Paulinho Da Viola, "Domingo No Parque" by Hermeto Pascoal & Margareth Menezes, "Lamento Sertanejo" by Djavan, and "Eu Vim Da Bahia" by Leila Pinheiro & Oscar Castro Neves. CD

Subtle brilliance from Caetano Veloso – just the sort of record to still remind you what a genius he can be, even when he's not hitting you over the head with his music! The style here is relatively straightforward MPB, but still done in a way that's head and shoulders above just about anyone else – songs that have a presence and personality that goes way beyond a simple understanding of language – and which crackle with wonderfully warm vocals from the maturing Caetano. Any sense of softness is more than supported with a deep amount of spirit – and the album's beautifully intimate feel throughout. Titles include the track "Sina", sung with Djavan, "Surpresa", written with Joao Donato, and the tunes "Genesis", "Sonhos", "Meu Bem Meu Mal", and "Trem Das Cores". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Chico Buarque, Jorge Ben, Nana Caymmi, Djavan, and more. CD

Music from Gilberto Gil, Djavan, Jorge Ben, Cid Guerreiro, Toquinho and more. CD

With Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, Joao Bosco, Elaine Elias, Djavan, Ivan Lins, Dori Caymmi, and Gilbert Gil. Produced by Oscar Castro-Neves. CD