It's the early 80s, and Gal's working with a style that's sure a lot sweeter and slicker than her earlier albums – but her voice is still fantastic, and we can't help liking the catchy tunes on the album, which are produced in a style that's similar to some of the modern soul-oriented work that Marcos Valle was doing around the same time. There's a lot of electric keyboards and percussion, but Gal's voice is still out front, singing in a lovely touching manner. Includes a nice remake of the classic "Baby" performed with backing vocals by Roupa Nova, plus the tracks "Ruma Louca", "Olhos Do Coracoa", "Mil Perdoes", "Sutis Diferencas", "Grande Final" and "Sim Ou Nao". CD

Gal Costa looks surpisingly youthful on the cover – and she's also sounding more youthful in her music than we've heard in many years – thanks to a key collaboration with Kassin and Moreno Veloso! Both of the younger musicians really find a fresh space for Gal to work with – a nice shift away from some of the more staid, mature modes of her other recent records – and a style that brings out all the creativity that made us fall in love with Costa so many years ago! This shift isn't a return to Tropicalia, but instead a move towards that playful, genre-stepping territory that you'll find in both Veloso and Kassin's music, especially the latter. One of Costa's best in years – and with titles that include "Amor Se Aclame", "Anuviar", "Espelho D'Agua", "Ecstasy", "Jabitaca", and "Sem Medo Nem Esperanca". CD

A slightly traditional set from Brazilian vocalist Gal Costa – but a great one too, and record that demonstrates a new sense of poise and grace in her vocals in recent years! The material here is mostly bossa – work that pre-dates Gal's initial time on record, but which is delivered here with a sensitivity that's wonderful – never too "easy", despite the familiarity of the tunes, and handled with just that right sense of contemplation and expression with which Jobim and others first penned the tunes. Backing is small combo jazz by a quartet with flute, guitar, bass, and drums – and although live, the sound is nicely close up and intimate – really fitting the mood of the songs. Titles include "Fotografia", "Nada Alem", "Corcovado", "Garota De Ipanema", "Wave", "Samba Do Aviao", "A Felicidade", "Triste", and "Ave Maria No Morro". CD

Light and lively work from the great Gal Costa – a set that's light years away from her Tropicalia experiments of a decade before, but which is equally beautiful in its own sort of way! First off, Gal's vocals are amazing – more expressive and dynamic than in the early days – with a range of different emotions that comes off wonderfully, and without some of the heaviness of some of her contemporaries – such as Maria Bethania. The arrangements, while not entirely tropical, mix together jazz choro modes with more contemporary touches – providing a surprisingly strong, sparkling backdrop for the lyrics! The album features a nice remake of "India", plus the tracks "Forca Estranha", "Olha", "Meu Nome E Gal", "Balance", and "Samba Rasgado". 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

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

That's a young Gal Costa on the cover, but the album's a contemporary one – yet the music also has a surprisingly youthful vibe – almost a back-to-basics approach that has core acoustic instrumentation mixed with some occasional light strings, but always used in these gentle ways that seem to have the vocals come right out front in the mix! Many numbers have a guest singing along with Gal – vocalists who include Criolo, Silva, Rodrigo Amarante, Seu Jorge, and others – and given the gentle instrumentation and light strings, the approach almost takes us back to Gal's debut album Domingo, which was a set of duets with Caetano Veloso. And no surprise, the album also features a few tracks from that classic record, alongside other material from Veloso, Dorival Caymmi, Chico Buarque, and Luiz Melodia. Titles include "Paula E Bebeto", "So Louco", "Avarandado", "Meu Bem Meu Mal", "Coracao Vagabundo", and a nice remake of "Baby" – plus a version of the Bob Dylan tune "It's All Over Now Baby Blue". CD

An overlooked bit of mid 80s bossa – a live set that features Antonio Carlos Jobim on piano and vocals, plus some great additional help from Gal Costa! The work here is a nice maturation of older bossa modes – slightly darker than before, and with a rich feeling that represents the better sounds of Jobim's later career – inflected with some slightly sunnier moments. There's a group of female chorus singers on the set – working in a style that's somewhere between Quarteto Em Cy and Brasil 66 – and other group members include Danilo Caymmi on flute and Jacques Morelenbaum on cello, working with Jobim in a small combo style with plenty of jazz. Titles include "Agua De Beber", "Dindi", "Two Kites", "Corcovado", "One Note Samba", "Samba Do Sonho", and "Sabia". CD

Gal Costa gets some great help here from Celso Fonseca – who produced the album, and gives Costa a fresh sound that makes the album one of her best from the 90s! The music's a bit in Fonseca's own mode on his recordings – currents of bossa that bring a classic feel at times, but also modernized a bit in the arrangements, and creative use of contemporary instrumentation – at levels that keep the whole thing from just being a back-to-bossa session! Gal's voice is wonderful – able to turn a line with such subtle power, she grabs us even when we can't understand the lyrics – and the instrumentation is right in there to underscore all the best elements, with the right touches on piano or guitar. Titles include "A Voz Do Tambor", "Imunizacao Racional", "Qui Nem Gilo", "Sertao", "Calling You", "Habib", and "Aguarte Agora". CD

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". CD

A beautiful tribute to 25 years in Brazilian music by Maria Bethania – and a record that's easily one of her greatest efforts from later years! The album's something of an all-star effort – with guest vocals from Nina Simone, Joao Gilberto, Gal Costa, and others – and tremendous instrumentation from Wagner Tiso, Hermeto Pascoal, Jaime Alem, Sivuca, and Jose Roberto Bertrami – all of whom help to give the record a sense of majesty that matches Bethania's tremendous vocals. There's none of the overwrought "tour de force" quality going on here – and instead, the guests all make relatively restrained contributions – always letting Maria keep center stage, in a way that shows their support simply, and subtly. Titles include "Quase", "Maria/Linda Flor", "Tomara", "Flor De Lr Embora", "Awo/Inhansa", "Palavra/Apesar De Voce", "Tocando Em Frendte", and "Logrador". CD

Wonderful early work from Maria Bethania – an album that's put together with a very sophisticated sound, and a really powerful feel overall! The orchestrations are relatively baroque – sometimes using strings in odd ways, other times bringing in bits of voices – all very much in keeping with the genius that was brewing at the time in albums by Gal Costa or Nara Leao. And oddly, the backings for the album are not credited at all – save possibly to Manoel Barenbein, who's listed as the director of the production – and we're guessing that Maria had a good deal to do with the overall sound of the set, not just the vocals! Titles include a wonderful groover called "Mano Caetano", done as a duet with Jorge Ben, and very much in Ben's best style from the time – and other tracks include "Janelas Abertas No 2", "Jesus Cristo", "Que Me Dera", "Folha Morta", "Mariana, Mariana", and "A Tua Presenca Morena". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautifully groovy album from Celia Reis – maybe the hippest set ever from this Brazilian singer who was equally at home in samba and bossa modes! Production and arrangements are by Arthur Verocai – which will give you an idea of the creativity that went into the record – as Verocai creates all these ambitious grooves that are very much in the best territory of some of the funky Marcos Valle work at the start of the 70s – basslines dipping under strings, all topped with Celia's wonderful vocals – which have a power here that we've never heard on other records – almost a Gal Costa sort of touch! Tracks include tunes by Valle, Verocai, and others – and titles include "Em Familia", "Mia", "Vida De Artista", "Dominus Tecum", "Ay Adelita", "Toda Quarta Feira Depois Do Amor", "A Hora E Essa", "E Preciso Dizer ADeus", and "Badalacao". CD

A beautifully groovy album from Celia Reis – maybe the hippest set ever from this Brazilian singer who was equally at home in samba and bossa modes! Production and arrangements are by Arthur Verocai – which will give you an idea of the creativity that went into the record – as Verocai creates all these ambitious grooves that are very much in the best territory of some of the funky Marcos Valle work at the start of the 70s – basslines dipping under strings, all topped with Celia's wonderful vocals – which have a power here that we've never heard on other records – almost a Gal Costa sort of touch! Tracks include tunes by Valle, Verocai, and others – and titles include "Em Familia", "Mia", "Vida De Artista", "Dominus Tecum", "Ay Adelita", "Toda Quarta Feira Depois Do Amor", "A Hora E Essa", "E Preciso Dizer ADeus", and "Badalacao". CD

A beautifully groovy album from Celia Reis – maybe the hippest set ever from this Brazilian singer who was equally at home in samba and bossa modes! Production and arrangements are by Arthur Verocai – which will give you an idea of the creativity that went into the record – as Verocai creates all these ambitious grooves that are very much in the best territory of some of the funky Marcos Valle work at the start of the 70s – basslines dipping under strings, all topped with Celia's wonderful vocals – which have a power here that we've never heard on other records – almost a Gal Costa sort of touch! Tracks include tunes by Valle, Verocai, and others – and titles include "Em Familia", "Mia", "Vida De Artista", "Dominus Tecum", "Ay Adelita", "Toda Quarta Feira Depois Do Amor", "A Hora E Essa", "E Preciso Dizer ADeus", and "Badalacao". LP, Vinyl record album

With a great lineup of guest artists including Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Gal Costa, and Shirley Horn! CD

The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim performed by Elis Regina, Maria Bethania, Gal Costa, Sarah Vaughan, Zizi Possi, Rosa Passos, Sylvia Telles, Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Sa, Nara Leao, and Astrud Gilberto. CD

When this album was first issued in the mid 90s by EMI, it quietly glided onto the market, with very little effect. Over the past few years, though, the record has slowly been championed by a large number of American critics and musicians, and has come to be one of the most critically acclaimed releases by a Brazilian musician in recent years. The album's a mix of jazz-tinged vocal tracks by Marisa, with a style that certainly owes something to earlier Brazilian singers like Gal Costa or Joyce, but which also has lots of its own nice touches. Arto Linday produced the set, and Marisa runs through a batch of songs that includes versions of Lou Reed's "Pale Blue Eyes", Arnaldo Antunes "Deepest Night", Jorge Ben's "Balanca Pema", and her own "Enquanto Isso", sung with Laurie Anderson. There's also loads of guests on the album – like Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown, and others! CD

A live album from Milton Nascimento, but a set that's got all the majesty of his studio work of the 70s – thanks to a core group that's really wonderful, and some larger orchestrations that must have taken up a fair bit of space on the stage! Nascimento's got that wonderfully expressive style throughout – that new sort of soulfulness that he brought to Brazilian music at the end of the 60s – and core instrumental support is from Wagner Tiso on keyboards, Helio Delmiro on guitar, and Robertinho Silva on drums. Gal Costa joins the group on the song "Um Gosto De Sol", and the set features a great reworking of the beautiful classic "Para Lennon E McCartney" – plus the cuts "Brasil", "Menestrel Das Alagoas", "Coracao De EStudante", "Maria Maria", "Caxanga", "Solar", and "Paisagem Na Janela". CD

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. 2 bonus tracks – we THINK from the original Japanese releases: "Yes, Nos Temos Banana" and "Ai De Mim, Copacabana". CD

A nice batch of spirited visions of the work of the great Tom Jobim from throughout the years – by a top shelf line up of compatriots, contemporaries, and offspring including Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Os Cariocas, Zizi Possi, Nara Leao, Tambo Trio and others! There are 14 tracks in the set, ranging from Os Cariocas take on "Samba Do Aviao" from 1963 all the way up to Quarteto Em Cy's "Falando De Amor" from 1997. A great little cross section of artists and material that shows the wide-reaching grasp of Jobim's huge influence. Other tracks include "Dindi/Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar" by Caetano, "Aguas De Marco", "Desafinado" by Gal Costa, "Luiza" by Zizi Possi, "Corvovado" by Nara Leao, Vivo Sonhando" by Wanda Sa and lots more! CD

Includes tracks from Maria Bethania, Elis Regina, Los Borges, Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento, Joao Bosco, Djavan, and Gilberto Gil. CD

Music from Chico Buarque, Vinicius & Toquinho, Jorge Ben, Toquinho, Tamba Trio, Ivan Lins, Elis Regina, Caeteno Veloso, Gal Costa, and more. CD

Includes selections by Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Zizi Possi, Sergio Endrigo and Fafa De Belem, Tim Maia, Ivan Lins, Boca Livre, Maria Bethania, Chico Buarque, Emilio Santiago, Angela Roro, Vinicius De Moraes, and Elis Regina. LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – not just in Brazilian music, but in all modern music in general! The set's a legendary manifesto for the Tropicalia movement in Brazil – and features key works by all the leading musical luminaries in the movement – including a few later stars who are heard here at their most edgey! The work is as groundbreaking today as it was at the end of the 60s – a brilliant testament to the power of artists to really break down boundaries in art and music, and find a way to mix the political with the popular at the same time. Titles include a fantastic version of Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso singing "Baby", the "Tres Caravelas" duet between Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Gil's great reading of "Bat Macumba" with Costa and Veloso, Nara Leao singing "Lindoneia", Os Mutantes performing "Panis Et Circenses", Gilberto on "Geleia Geral, Caetano doing "Coracao Materno, and Rita Lee, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso singing "Enquanto Seu Lobo Nao Vem". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album – not just in Brazilian music, but in all modern music in general! The set's a legendary manifesto for the Tropicalia movement in Brazil – and features key works by all the leading musical luminaries in the movement – including a few later stars who are heard here at their most edgey! The work is as groundbreaking today as it was at the end of the 60s – a brilliant testament to the power of artists to really break down boundaries in art and music, and find a way to mix the political with the popular at the same time. Titles include a fantastic version of Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso singing "Baby", the "Tres Caravelas" duet between Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Gil's great reading of "Bat Macumba" with Costa and Veloso, Nara Leao singing "Lindoneia", Os Mutantes performing "Panis Et Circenses", Gilberto on "Geleia Geral, Caetano doing "Coracao Materno, and Rita Lee, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso singing "Enquanto Seu Lobo Nao Vem". LP, Vinyl record album

The rare 3rd album by Gilberto Gil, and a key piece of the Tropicalia puzzle – one of the most wildly experimental albums from those years, and Gil's last before going into exile! The sound is much more electric than his other albums from the late 60's – and the production, songwriting, and instrumentation get very crazy at times – but never too crazy to cover up Gilberto's excellent singing, which is still as filled with feeling as ever. Arrangements are by the mighty Rogerio Duprat, who does as great a job here of balancing Gil's sensitivities as he does on Gal Costa's sublime efforts from 1969 – and the instrumentation is a weird and wonderful mix of Bahian rhythms, fuzzy guitar, and crazy electronics – all heartfelt one minute, freaked out the next. Tracks include "Cerebro Eletronico", "Volks Volkswagen Blue", "Futurivel", and "2001", which was written by Tom Ze and Rita Lee – plus the wild cut "Objecto Semi-Identificado", which is sort of a John Cage-esque track of found radio and electronics, with vocals by Gil! 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

Features vintage work by Sylva Telles, Tamba Trio, Nara Leao, Caetano Veloso, Joao Gilberto, Edu Lobo, Gal Costa, Sergio Mendes, and others! CD

A landmark album – not just in Brazilian music, but in all modern music in general! The set's a legendary manifesto for the Tropicalia movement in Brazil – and features key works by all the leading musical luminaries in the movement – including a few later stars who are heard here at their most edgey! The work is as groundbreaking today as it was at the end of the 60s – a brilliant testament to the power of artists to really break down boundaries in art and music, and find a way to mix the political with the popular at the same time. Titles include a fantastic version of Gal Costa and Caetano Veloso singing "Baby", the "Tres Caravelas" duet between Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Gil's great reading of "Bat Macumba" with Costa and Veloso, Nara Leao singing "Lindoneia", Os Mutantes performing "Panis Et Circenses", Gilberto on "Geleia Geral, Caetano doing "Coracao Materno, and Rita Lee, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso singing "Enquanto Seu Lobo Nao Vem". Also, this excelltn version features some wonderful bonus tracks that have Caetano Veloso working with Os Mutantes – on "E Proibido Proibir", "Ambiente De Festival", A Voz Do Morto", "Baby", "Saudossimo", and "Marcianita". CD

Features Antonio Adolfo on piano, Lula Galvao on guitar, Jesse Sadoc on trumpet and flugelhorn, Marcelo Martins on saxes and flute, Rafael Rocha on trombone, and Dada Costa and Rafael Barata on percusssion. CD

Funky fusion galore – two Stanley Clarke albums on a single CD! Rocks Pebbles & Sand is killer work from Stanley – a set to start off the 80s, but still very much in that unique blend of jazz, rock, and soul he forged so well in the 70s! The set begins with really heavy drums and bass – nicely propelled, but never too strong or too jamming – a great balance that really sets the pace well for the record as Clarke and the combo pulsate through a range of nice little numbers – often linked with a cool motorcycle sound effect! There's a few 80s touches, mostly in the keyboards, but these are never too modern – and all used very nicely. Titles include the extended "Story Of A Man & A Woman" suite – plus "Danger Street", "All Hell Broke Loose", "Rocks Pebbles & Sand", and "Underestimation". On Let Me Know You, Stanley Clarke's a lot more soul-based than fusion – but that's A-OK with us, because we like this sort of work a lot better than his jamming jazz rock of the 70s! The record's got a great mellow soul vibe – laidback and gently stepping – sometimes in a way that's a bit commercial, but never with as many of the cloying styles as hurt other records like this at the time. Stan sings, plays bass and guitar, and other players include Greg Phillinganes on Fender Rhodes and mini-moog, Ndugu Chancler on drums, Michael Sembello on guitar, and Paulinho Da Costa on percussion. Titles include "Straight To The Top", "Let Me Know You", "You Are The One For Me", "Play The Bass", "New York City", and "Secret To My Heart". CD

Pianist Daniel Bernardes has a lot of percussionists in his group – not just drummer Mario Costa in the core trio with Antonio Augusto Aguiar on bass – but another quartet of musicians, who add in vibes, marimba, glockenspiel, and other percussion – all in a set of tracks based on the compositional ideas of composer Olivier Messiaen! The music is still very strongly in a jazz-based mode – and the percussion is often used lightly, as melodic as it is rhythmic – but there's a great sense of note clusters going on, in ways that make the music inherently rhythmic, even when the drums are taking a back seat to the piano and vibes. Titles include "Globular Clusters", "Sobre Kieslowski I", "Ostinato Interludio E Cancao V", "19", and "Bolero". CD

Music from Jack Costanzo, Flying Fish, the Boogaloos, Third Coast Kings, Randa & the Soul Kingdom, Jazztronik, Milano Jazz Dance Combo, the Soul Investigators, Soul Surfers, Rickey Calloway & The Dap-Kings, and more. CD