A nice little live set that follows off the same sort of energy as the studio album Estratoferica – which has Gal Costa coming across with a more youthful vibe than she's had in years! As with that record, Gal's working here with a group of younger musicians – players who bring more rock currents to the music than you might expect, with especially strong use of electric guitar and keyboards – which Costa matches with a surprising degree of power in her voice! The tunes are pretty straightforward – no Tropicalia experiments here –but the overall approach still feels more 70s MPB than much of Gal's more recent material. Titles include "Meu Nome E Gal", "Estratosferica", "Por Um Fio", "Cabelo", "Quando Voce Olha Pra Ela", "Casca", "Dez Anjos", "Nao Identificado", "Mal Secreto", "Ecstasy", "Os Alquimistas Estao Chegando", and "Por Baixo". CD

Heady heady work from the legendary Gal Costa – caught here right at her early best, smack dab in the middle of the Tropicalia years! The album's one of Gal's legendary collaborations with arranger Rogerio Duprat – and it's very much in the spirit of her other incredible session from 1969, but also features some even heavier and more tripped out guitar – in a way that really pushes the psychedelic aspect of the work! The sound here is really amazing – very fuzzy and freaky at times, in ways that make the album one of the most rocking sets of the entire Tropicalia scene, but in ways that still hang onto the quirky experimental qualities of work by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso. Gal's vocals really rip out amazingly at times – light years away from the sweet sound of the late 70s, and more in the frenetic, urgent style you'd expect from the politically-charged scene that spawned the set. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil join Gal on a great version of "Pais Tropical", Jards Macale guest stars on the classic "Empty Boat" – and other tracks include "Tuareg", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Pulsars E Quasars", and "Cultura E Civilizaco". Essential! CD

One of the richest, most expressive albums ever from the great Gal Costa – a set from her immediate post-Tropicalia years, and one that shows that she's got a lot more to offer than just a wild sense of experimentation! Gilberto Gil is the musical director here – with help from Rogerio Duprat and Arthur Verocai – and the album's got the lofty feel you'd expect from all three talents – a rich blend of all the modern developments in Brazilian music that had taken place in the 60s, but infused with a newly rootsy sense as well – one that takes the whole thing back to a personal, expressive territory that's really wonderful. Instrumentationincludes work on keyboards by Wagner Tiso and Tenorio Jr, plus a bit of guitar from Roberto Menescal – and Gal does a great version of Caetano Veloso's "Relance" – alongside other tracks that include "Passarinho", "Da Maior Imortancia", "India", "Volta", and the funky "Pontos De Luz". The whole thing's incredibly beautiful – and it's got Gal in a wild bikini cover, too! CD

Leo Gandelman produced this one, and it's got sort of a modern jazzy sound that sits well with some of Gal's singing on here, especially on standards like "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and "Begin the Beguine". CD

Three Brazilian musical giants – all coming together in a live setting – and presented in a way that reminds us of some of the great collaborative MPB projects of the 70s! All three artists participate vocally – taking verses alone and together, and frequently trading lines or sharing lyrics – all set to well-crafted backings handled by Gilberto Gil and Nando Reis – with this fantastic collaborative spirit that stands as part of that great legacy of Brazilian music – a field of true giants who are always willing to put their egos aside in a way that so many Anglo musicians still haven't discovered! The sound here is wonderful – far more than the sum of its already-great parts – on titles that include "Perola Negra", "Baby", "All Star", "Palco", "Trinca De Ases", "Dupla De As", "Retiros Espirituais", "Barato Total", "A Gente Precisa Ver O Luar", "Por Onde Andei", and "Nos Barracos Da Cidade". 2DVD set features a documentary on DVD 1 – running over an hour, with English subtitles – and the full show is presented on DVD 2 – 25 songs, almost two hours in length! DVD

One of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded – anywhere, anytime! This 1969 set stands as one of the greatest records ever cut by Gal Costa – done at the height of the Tropicalia movement, and featuring a sublime mix of styles that really gets the spirit of the movement right. Arrangements are by the legendary Rogerio Duprat – who effortlessly shifts the backings between stark electronics, sweet bossa, gliding strings, jazzy piano, and baroque orchestrations that dance around with a surprising amount of grooves! Tunes include some classics by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben, and Gilberto Gil – served up in amazing new versions by Gal and Duprat! Titles include "Nao Identificado", "Lost In The Paradise", "Que Pena", "Sebastiana", "Namorinho De Portao", "Divino Maravilhoso", and "Deus E O Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential early material by Gal Costa! The record is her first after the immediate Tropicalia years, and it's a stunning blend of styles that seems to draw heavily from changes going on in the American rock scene at the time. The core of the music is still steeped in Brazilian elements – but there's a lot of influences coming into play on the album, like bluesy rock phrasing, showy nostalgia-heavy arrangements, psychedelic production elements, and some of the baroque orchestrations that would show up on Gal's later albums in the 70s. Includes a wonderful version of Caetano's "London London" and "Dixa Sangrar", the moody bossa "Falsa Baiana", Gilberto Gil's "Lingua Do P" and "Mini Misterio", and the tracks "The Archaic Lonely Star Blues", "Love, Try, & Die", and "Hotel Das Estrelas". Great cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most mindblowing albums ever recorded – anywhere, anytime! This 1969 set stands as one of the greatest records ever cut by Gal Costa – done at the height of the Tropicalia movement, and featuring a sublime mix of styles that really gets the spirit of the movement right. Arrangements are by the legendary Rogerio Duprat – who effortlessly shifts the backings between stark electronics, sweet bossa, gliding strings, jazzy piano, and baroque orchestrations that dance around with a surprising amount of grooves! Tunes include some classics by Caetano Veloso, Jorge Ben, and Gilberto Gil – served up in amazing new versions by Gal and Duprat! Titles include "Nao Identificado", "Lost in the Paradise", "Que Pena", "Sebastiana", "Namorinho De Portao", "Divino Maravilhoso", and "Deus E O Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

Sure it's not the Tropicalia era, and sure the record's not psychedelic – but it's still a nice batch of tracks by Gal, with some very nice 70s jazzy electric backing. The album features a nice remake of "India", plus the tracks "Forca Estranha", "Olha", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Balance", and "Samba Rasgado". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential early material by Gal Costa! The record is her first after the immediate Tropicalia years, and it's a stunning blend of styles that seems to draw heavily from changes going on in the American rock scene at the time. The core of the music is still steeped in Brazilian elements – but there's a lot of influences coming into play on the album, like bluesy rock phrasing, showy nostalgia-heavy arrangements, psychedelic production elements, and some of the baroque orchestrations that would show up on Gal's later albums in the 70s. Includes a wonderful version of Caetano's "London London" and "Dixa Sangrar", the moody bossa "Falsa Baiana", Gilberto Gil's "Lingua Do P" and "Mini Misterio", and the tracks "The Archaic Lonely Star Blues", "Love, Try, & Die", and "Hotel Das Estrelas". Great cover, too! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful early duets from Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa – much more of a bossa-styled album than any of the late 60s Tropicalia albums from the pair! The set's got a really wonderful sort of feel – bossa at some level, but also with some of the gentle darkness that Caetano and Gal would bring to Brazilian popular music more strongly in the next few years – an approach that's somewhat subtle, but often somewhat different than albums of the generation on labels like Elenco or Forma. The orchestrations are somewhat full, but never too much so – and tracks include a fair bit of early original compositions by Caetano. Titles include "Candeias", "Zabele", "Um Dia", "Avarandado", "Maria Joana", "Onde Eu Nasci Passa Um Rio", "Coracao Vagabundo", and "Quem me Dera". LP, Vinyl record album

Heady heady work from the legendary Gal Costa – caught here right at her early best, smack dab in the middle of the Tropicalia years! The album's one of Gal's legendary collaborations with arranger Rogerio Duprat – and it's very much in the spirit of her other incredible session from 1969, but also features some even heavier and more tripped out guitar – in a way that really pushes the psychedelic aspect of the work! The sound here is really amazing – very fuzzy and freaky at times, in ways that make the album one of the most rocking sets of the entire Tropicalia scene, but in ways that still hang onto the quirky experimental qualities of work by Os Mutantes or Caetano Veloso. Gal's vocals really rip out amazingly at times – light years away from the sweet sound of the late 70s, and more in the frenetic, urgent style you'd expect from the politically-charged scene that spawned the set. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil join Gal on a great version of "Pais Tropical", Jards Macale guest stars on the classic "Empty Boat" – and other tracks include "Tuareg", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Pulsars E Quasars", and "Cultura E Civilizaco". Essential! LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible live album from Gal Costa – one that's easily as great as any of her studio albums from the time! But unlike the studio albums, the style here is quite spare and intimate – a very personal presentation of Gal's music, recorded in a way that has her starting out nearly solo at the start, then adding in band members as the concert rolls on. The first portion of the performance mostly features acoustic guitar and Gal's vocals – in a style that's a bit like late 60s Nara Leao or Maria Bethania – but the second half gets more electric, often with some trippier Tropicalia touches! Titles include "Falsa Baiana", "Coracao Vagabundo", "Como 2 e 2", "Hotel Das Estrelas", "Mal Secreto", "Assum Preto", "Antonico", "Sua Estupidez", "Fruta Gogoia", and "Perola Negro". CD

One of the most upbeat, positive records that Gal Costa has given us in years – a set that really sparkles like its glowing image on the cover! Gal explores a more soulful side of her talents here – with a voice that almost makes us think that decades have rolled back, and we're instead hearing some sort of record that has Costa strongly influenced by American soul, and some other great modes of the 60s and 70s. The presentation is still nicely contemporary, and the set was directed by Pupillo, who's the drummer on the date – and Gal gets guest help on two tracks, one from Maria Bethania, the other from Marilia Mendonca. Titles include "Sublime", "Mae De Todas As Vozes", "Abre Alas Do Verao", "Palavras No Corpo", "Vida Que Segue", "Minha Mae", "Cuidando De Longe", and "Realmente Lindo". CD

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". CD

Three Brazilian musical giants – all coming together in a live setting – and presented in a way that reminds us of some of the great collaborative MPB projects of the 70s! All three artists participate vocally – taking verses alone and together, and frequently trading lines or sharing lyrics – all set to well-crafted backings handled by Gilberto Gil and Nando Reis – with this fantastic collaborative spirit that stands as part of that great legacy of Brazilian music – a field of true giants who are always willing to put their egos aside in a way that so many Anglo musicians still haven't discovered! The sound here is wonderful – far more than the sum of its already-great parts – on titles that include "Perola Negra", "Baby", "All Star", "Palco", "Trinca De Ases", "Dupla De As", "Retiros Espirituais", "Barato Total", "A Gente Precisa Ver O Luar", "Por Onde Andei", and "Nos Barracos Da Cidade". CD

Massively heavy sounds from A Bolha – a Brazilian group who were previously known as The Bubbles, and backed up Gal Costa during the Tropicalia years – but who work here in a fuzzy, bassy groove that's totally great – definitely an heir to the headier sounds of the UK scene at the start of the 70s! The guitars are definitely in full force here, but the basslines drive things along strongly too – echoing some of the Peruvian sounds of the time, but with a bit more Brazilian sophistication – and definitely a musical echo of lessons learned during Tropicalia, even though the set's a fully instrumental one. Organ also figures in the mix too – and titles include "Bye My Friend", "Razao De Existir", "Um Passo A Frente", "A Esfera", and "Neste Rock Forever". Bonus tracks include "Sem Nada" and "18:30 Parte 1". LP, Vinyl record album

Warmly wonderful sounds from Maria Creuza – really coming into her own at the time of this mid 80s set – and finding a way to blend together rootsy sounds and sophisticated production – all with a result that's a bit like Gal Costa at the time! There's a gentle feel to the set – not sleepy or mellow, but kind of easygoing – as Maria delivers the lyrics with a relatively personal feel, over arrangements that sometimes have a touch of samba, more often a touch of light jazz. Titles include "So Pra Descansar", "Maliciosa", "Tua", "Milagre De Amor", "Fragmentos", "Vontade", "Estrela Cadente", and "Sessoes De Cinema". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful batch of mellow bossa tunes – all from the pen of Carlos Lyra, and performed by a host of Brazil's best musicians that includes Lyra himself. The recording quality is excellent, and the tracks are spare stripped-down takes of some of Lyra's best material – most of which you'll recognize instantly. As with the other Lumiar sets, the material here is not on other LPs, which makes the set an even bigger treat! There's 20 tracks in all, featuring great performances by Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Joao Bosco, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Nana Caymmi, Helio Delmiro, Joyce, Simone, Leny Andrade, Roberto Menescal, Emilio Santiago, Nico Assumpcao, and others! CD

A landmark album from late 60s Brazil! This is the first – and the wildest – album by this legendary group that was one of the founding forces of the Tropicalia movement – a brilliant musical statement that easily ranks with some of the most groundbreaking late 60s American work by The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, or The Stooges! The music is a wonderful blend of 60s rock and early MPB – hard-driving with plenty of guitars, but also produced with beautifully baroque touches that echo through simultaneous albums by Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa – both of whose 1969 albums are strongly resonant with this one. In fact, Caetano contributed a number of tracks to the album, including "Panis et Circenses", "Bat Macumba", "Trem Fantastma", and his great "Baby", which is done fantastically here. Great stuff all 'round! CD

A landmark album from late 60s Brazil! This is the first – and the wildest – album by this legendary group that was one of the founding forces of the Tropicalia movement – a brilliant musical statement that easily ranks with some of the most groundbreaking late 60s American work by The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, or The Stooges! The music is a wonderful blend of 60s rock and early MPB – hard-driving with plenty of guitars, but also produced with beautifully baroque touches that echo through simultaneous albums by Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa – both of whose 1969 albums are strongly resonant with this one. In fact, Caetano contributed a number of tracks to the album, including "Panis et Circenses", "Bat Macumba", "Trem Fantastma", and his great "Baby", which is done fantastically here. Great stuff all 'round! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the building blocks of the late 60s Tropicalia scene in Brazil – and a standout solo debut from the young Caetano Veloso! The album's got an approach that's as dynamic and trippy as its cover image might imply – the same amazing blend of sounds and styles you'd hear on contemporaneous records by Gal Costa or Os Mutantes – served up with similar wit, wisdom, and charm! Caetano's vocals are amazing throughout – filled with raspy power that goes beyond the barriers of language – and the production has loads of surprising elements tripping through the mix – some rootsy, some slightly orchestrated – but with a softer approach that resonates strongly with more psychedelic use of organ and guitar. The album's as powerful today as it was decades ago – an essential recording that holds up beautifully year after year! The kickoff track is "Tropicalia" (surprisingly enough!), and the album is a non-stop ride through gems like "Alegria, Alegria", "Onde Andaras", "Paisagem Util", "Ave Maria", and the groovy "Soy Loco Por Ti America", written by Gilberto Gil. LP, Vinyl record album

After coming up with classic compilations of MPB and Samba, David Byrne and the Luaka Bop crew turn their interests to Forro – folksy party music from the Northeast of Brazil, with surprising ties to Tex/Mex traditions, but an overall approach that's more sophisticated. There's a total of 18 tracks in all, with the requisite great set of notes – and titles include "O Fole Roncou" by Luiz Gonzaga, "Asa Branca" by Gonzaguinha, "Rejeicao" by Trio Nordestino, "Chiclete Com Banana" and "Tum Tum Tum" by Jackson Do Pandeiro, "Vou Com Voce" by Dominguinhos, "Festa Do Interior" by Gal Costa, and "Recordacao De Vaqueiro" by Clemilda. CD

One of the most diverse albums that Elis Regina cut during the 70s – a set that seems to leap from style to style with each new track, and really build from some of the more staid and jazz-based styles of her other records! Cesar Camargo Mariano is still in charge of arrangements here, but the overall sound is relatively different – mellow one minute, rockish the next, cast in stark piano after that, and always moving onward with the sort of variety we might expect from Gal Costa or Maria Bethania at this point. Some cuts are tinged with Latin and South American instrumentation, while others more guitar and electric keyboards – and highlights of the album include versions of two Joao Bosco songs "O Cavaleiro E Os Monihos" and "Jardins De Infancia", which has a beautiful soaring electric feel to it, and is a real groover along the lines of the tracks you might find on Blue Brazil. Other titles include "Tatuagem", "Como Nossos Pais", "Velha Roupa Colorida", "Los Hermanos", and "Um Por Todos". LP, Vinyl record album

The first-ever record in the Luaka Bop legacy – a massive collection of Brazilian grooves that still serves as one of the best introductions to the music we can think of! Most of the artists here are the bigger names of the MPB generation of the 70s – but many are still very under-represented in the US market – which makes the collection of work here completely essential. The styles range from samba soul of Jorge Ben to the lyrical poetry of Caetano Veloso to the soulful drama of Milton Nascimento – and titles include "Ponta De Lanca Africano" and "Fio Varavilha" by Jorge Ben, "Cacada" by Chico Buarque, "Quilombo O El Dorado Negro" and "So Quero Um Xodo" by Gilberto Gil, "Quiexa" and "O Leaozinho" by Caetano Veloso, "Sonho Meu" by Maria Bethania & Gal Costa, "Caixa De Sol" by Nazare Pereira, and "Anima" by Milton Nascimento. LP, Vinyl record album

Pure genius – a lost Nara Leao album from the late 60s, and a key piece in the puzzle of late 60s Tropicalia – a set we'd place right next to equally important records by Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, and Os Mutantes! Although Leao always gets cited as one of the more revolutionary Brazilian artists, her best work is usually incredibly elusive – often obscured by some of her more traditional, or more bossa-oriented records. This one features the lady at her most experimental – singing in this dark mode with great arrangements from Rogerio Duprat – the backstage architect of so many other important Tropicalia albums of the time. The arrangements are wonderful – with a spooky baroque quality that will haunt you long after the Mutantes crazy guitars have died down – the more subtle side of the Brazilian palette during this revolutionary period, and work that arguably had a much longer-lasting effect. Titles include "Mulher", "Infelizmente", "Tema De Os Inconfidentes", "Anoiteceus", and "Quem E". CD

A totally wild record from the Italian underground of the 70s – and a set that really lives up to its promise on the cover! Usually, a 70s record with "streaking" in the title has a sound that's more funky – in keeping with the "let's all run down the street naked" spirit of that moment. But this set is a bit darker, and has Loredana Berte singing in a few different modes – sometimes sultry and sexy, ala her image – but sometimes with more energy and rawness, almost evoking Gal Costa during the Tropicalia years, or maybe even Yoko Ono. Very weird and wild – with titles that include "Marrakech", "La Telefonata", "Oggi Si Vola", "SESSO", "Il Tua Palcosenico", "La Porti La Maglia", and "Fare L'Amore". LP, Vinyl record album

An ultra groovy soundtrack and one the rarest records ever by the hip Italian group! Like many of I Marc 4's other legendary efforts, it was originally issued as a sound library release – but this one was actually composed as a crazy 1970 film soundtrack. It's got some wild use of scacciapensieri (mouth harp), to much funkier effect than its use on Italian western soundtracks, plus loads of stripped down, but big sounding Hammond jazz funk with mad, mod-tinged stylistic detours. Some great Edda Del'Erso vocals and Alessandro Alessandroni choral flourishes, too. Includes "Beat Al Sud", "Shoppin'", "Slow Down", "Salmo 1970", "Hot Dog", "Middle Sound", "Brick", "Cowboy Party", "Just Be Mine", "Ballata Per Un Flauto", "Palme", "Costa Smeralda", "There's A River" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most striking Eric Dolphy work we've ever heard – a set of live performances from the years 1962 and 1962 that feature Dolphy in a free-thinking mode that surpasses even the modernism of his classic studio sides! The recordings feature Dolphy amidst a variety of players – including a number of unlikely suspects like Barry Galbraith, Eddie Costa, and Jim Hall – and although some of the tracks have a moody and introspective third stream quality (3 of the numbers are written by Gunther Schuller), others are quite open, and almost have an ESP-like intensity. One longer title is a jam session take on Charlie Parker's "Donna Lee" – recorded with a lineup that includes Phil Woods, Nick Travis, Benny Golson, Don Ellis, and Lalo Schifrin! Other titles include "Iron Man", "Half Note Triplets", "Densities", and "Night Music". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Les Baxter's greatest records – and one of his rarest too, one of the few he cut for Reprise after leaving Capitol! The record is a continuation of Baxter's exotica sound of the late 50s – played with some great help that includes Larry Bunker on vibes and percussion, Clare Fischer on celeste and piano, and Leo Acosta on gourd! The sweetly dreamy sound of Fischer is an especially nice addition – and often creates a gentle flow to tunes that have a more driving approach overall – but it's Les' genius with the arrangements that make the album sparkle most of all, because even familiar tunes are transformed by his exotica magic! Titles include "Slave Ship", "Congale", "Via Veneto", "Night With Cleopatra", "Peking Tiger", and "Fiesta Brava". LP, Vinyl record album