Smooth harmony vocals by this classic Brazilian quartet – released on the 10th anniversary of the group, and an excellent example of the way they'd matured over the years! The style is still in the mode of their older work – with harmonies right up front in the mix – but the overall style is more sophisticated, with touches of jazz, and complicated musical backings by Wagner Tiso, Magro, and Francis Hime. Quarteto Em Cy join the group on versions of "Ana Luiza" and "Pressentimento" – and the album's got an excellent reading of Milton Nascimento's "Vera Cruz", as well as "Galope", "Canto Triste", and "Amei Tanto". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work by one of Brazil's most unique groups! Of all the contributions that Brazil has made to the world pop legacy, one of the greatest is their strong tradition of pop vocal groups – most of which took a basic American jazz harmony sound and turned it into something really special and amazing. This set compiles some wonderful sides from the the all-male MPB4 one of our favorite Brazilian groups! There's a total of 26 tracks in all, including "De Palavra em Palavra", "Meu Violao", "Agora e Portela 74", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Lamento", "Pot Pourri de tom Jobim", "Ultima Forma", "San Vincente", and "Candeias". LP, Vinyl record album

The group MPB4 pays tribute to some of the greatest Brazilian singers of the 20th Century, from Tom Jobim to Monsueto to Baden Powell to Nelson Cavaquinho. The LP features a number of different "pot pourri" sets dedicated to an individual singer. The group runs through tracks by the singer in a medley style, blending together the tracks as they bring their voices together in their famous harmony style. Very nice! CD

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An excellent collection of the amazing work by this oft-overlooked Brazilian vocal group. The MPB4 combo managed to skirt bossa, samba, and MPB styles – and come up with a unique sound that was always extremely pleasing, and often a little challenging. This record features many great cuts by the band – like "Cravo E Canela", "Partido Alto", "Bom Dia, Boa Tarde, Boa Noite", "Roda Viva", "Lamento", and "Ole Ola". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Janela De Apartamento", "Cantiga De Beira D'Agua", "Voo Do Amor", "Lindo Balao Azul", "A Nivel De", "Porto Seguro", "Papo De Passarim", "Boa Sorte", and "Labirinto". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 70s album by this landmark Brazilian vocal group – recorded with a smooth electric feel that works well for their sweet harmonies. The album features songs by Joao Bosco, Livan Lins, Chico Buarque, and Edu Lobo – and the overall sound is different than their 60s work, but great in many different ways. It's because of groups like this that Brazil was able to hang onto a harmony sound long after American groups of the 60s had faded away – and if you dig the Brazilian harmony work of the 70s, you'll like this one a lot. Titles include "O Ronco Da Cuica", "Corrente", "Canto Dos Homens", "Aparecida", "Moreno", "Bola Ou Bulica", and "Negro, Negro". LP, Vinyl record album

Recent work from this classic Brazilian vocal quartet – drawing on a range of styles that spans much of their history. Some tracks have washes of Four Freshmen or Beach Boys-oriented harmonies, others are more in a modern easy mode, and still others have traces of samba or bossa grooving. The overall production's a bit smooth, and Chico Buarque guests on one track. Titles include "Resposta", "Primavera", "Paciencia", "Presente De Um Beija Flor", "Lenha", and "Onde Voce Mora?". CD

A great album by this legendary Brazilian vocal group, and one that proves that they were still evolving their style nicely in the 70s. Some of the tracks feature the funky samba style that was showing up in other Brazilian recordings of the time, but the best bits have compilicated arrangements, with jazzy overtones, and rich harmony vocals in the best tradition of the group. Ivan Lins did a nice arrangement of the title cut, which is one of his own compositions, and other tracks include a good electric version of Milton Nascimento's "Fe Cega Faca Amolada", Edu Lobo's "Cheganca", and the baroque "Nosso Mal", which features a guest appearance by Quarteto Em Cy. LP, Vinyl record album

Roberto Menescal oversees the production on this 1991 record from MPB 4. The album has the group performing compositions by some well known figures such as Lisa Ono, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Tracks include several by Dorival Caymmi such as "O Samba Da Minha Terra", "Requebre Que Eu Dom Um Doce", "E Dengo Que A Nega Tem" and "Nega Do Balaio Grande". Others include Jobim's "Samba Do Aviao", Veloso's "Sampa", Ary Barroso's "Camisa Amarela", and Gil's "Aquele Abraco". CD

Roberto Menescal oversees the production on this 1991 record from MPB 4. The album has the group performing compositions by some well known figures such as Lisa Ono, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Tracks include several by Dorival Caymmi such as "O Samba Da Minha Terra", "Requebre Que Eu Dom Um Doce", "E Dengo Que A Nega Tem" and "Nega Do Balaio Grande". Others include Jobim's "Samba Do Aviao", Veloso's "Sampa", Ary Barroso's "Camisa Amarela", and Gil's "Aquele Abraco". LP, Vinyl record album

A great album by MPB-4, and one that shows them absorbing a lot of psychedelic influences, and applying them to the arrangements of their unique baroque vocal style. The record has an amazing spacey feel in its best parts – with an approach that certainly owes something to the contemporary work of Edu Lobo, and other Brazilian composers who were pushing the boundaries of pop music. Plus, the whole thing's housed in a great cover, with a fragmented image of the band. Titles include "Faz Tempo", "Ultima Forma", "Cancao De Nana", "Bom Dia, Boa Tarde, Boa Noite", "Partido Alto", and "Viva Zapatria". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 70s album from this excellent Brazilian harmony group! Their sound is a different from that of Quarteto Em Cy or Tamba Trio, and their singing is less filled with straight jazzy harmonies than it is some off-kilter vocal lines that weave together and challenge each other throughout the tracks – in a really beautiful way. While they're best known for their groundbreaking work from the 60's, this LP's a good batch of tracks from the 70's that still retains the feel of the group. Cuts include "Fantasia", "Angelica", "Nascente", and a cover of Caetano Veloso's "Tropicalia"! LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful! This is perhaps one of the greatest records ever by this legendary Brazilian vocal group – and the album's a stunning mix of post-bossa arrangements, and the more baroque sort that some Brazilian groups were using at the time. Roberto Menescal produced the album – and one of the highlights is the group's incredible version of Milton Nascimento's "Cravo E Canela", and an amazing take on Marcos Valle's "O Cafona". Other tracks include "Valsinha", "Confirmacao", "Maria Das Dores", "Minha Historia", and "Mudei De Ideia". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning early album by one of the greatest Brazilian vocal groups ever! This classic Elenco release captures the MPB4 when they were still very much in their bossa/samba mode – borrowing heavily from groups like Os Cariocas and Tamba Trio, yet crafting their own unique approach to the music with some challenging harmonies, and nice rhythms. Titles include "Fica", "Que Te Viu E Quem Te Ve", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Meu Violao", "Brincadeira De Angola", and "Cordao Da Saideira". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong compilation of work by this dynamic Brazilian vocal group – one that focuses on tracks from their 70s years at Philips, a time when they were pushing past the more standard format of some of their earlier, more bossa-oriented recordings, and trying to figure out a way in which their range of vocal styles could fit into 70s modes of expression. The results are quite compelling – and have the group still using the well-crafted harmonies they honed in the 60s, but opening up in some weird and wonderful ways. Titles include "Amigo E Pra Essas Coisas", "Bola Ou Bulica", "Ana Luiza", "Passaredo", "Ultima Forma", "Pois E Pra Que", "Partido Alto", "Canto Triste", "De Frente Pro Crime", and "Palhacos E Reis". LP, Vinyl record album

If you've ever been wondering which album to get by Chico Buarque – this is it! The record's a stunning batch of sophisticated sides, done in collaboration with Roberto Menescal, and with help from Jobim and MPB4! The album builds on the style of Buarque's excellent late 60s songwriting, and adds in some of the more complicated approaches to arrangement that were being developed in Brazil at the end of the 60s – in a way that pushes Chico's work to the next level, and which makes this record sit right up there with work at the time by Jobim or Edu Lobo. Titles include "Samba De Orly", "Valsinha", "Acalanto", "Deus Ilhe Pague", and "Construcao". Really beautiful – with a lot of soul, and a great sound! Amazing package, too – comes in a hardcover book-style jacket, with a bonus 42 page book that also includes full color images, with lots of vintage photos, plus notes on the record in Portuguese! The whole thing's sort of an update of the old Abril Cultural style of the 70s – brought into the CD generation. CD

The classic recording of Chico Buarque's opera Malandro – done with the supervision of Chico himself, who also stars on vocals along with singers that include Gal Costa, Zizi Possi, MPB4, Nara Leao, Alcione, Moreira Da Silva, and Francis Hime. Hime handled the arrangements and directed the music – and titles include "O Malandro", "Viver De Amor", "Hino De Duran", "Terezinha", "O Meu Amor", "Pedaco De Mim", and "Opera". LP, Vinyl record album

A great package of Jobim material, and very nicely produced, like all the other titles in this series! The album features some great compositions by Jobim, including a few lesser-known gems – and the music is performed by a wide range of artists, but all very faithfully to Jobim's ideas. The set includes "Garota De Ipanema" by Os Cariocas, "Teresa Da Praia" by Dick Farney & Lucio Alves, "Dindi" by Sylvia Telles, "Maititapere" by Jobim, "Sabia" by MPB4, "Corcovado" by Sergio Mendes & Bossa Rio, "Ligia" by Chico Buarque, and "Falando De Amor" by Ney Matogrosso. Full-length 12" LP – and the booklet's filled with nice writings and some great color photos! LP, Vinyl record album

Features tracks by MPB4, Gilberto Gil, Zizi Possi, Emilio Santiago, Fafa De Belem, Quarteto Em Cy, Gal Costa, Elis Regina, and Caetano Veloso! LP, Vinyl record album

Includes selections by Emilio Santiago, Nara Leao, Joao Bosco, Quarteto Em Cy, Moraes Moreira, Guilherme Arantes, Leni Andrade, Ney Matogrosso, MPB4, and Carlos Lyra. LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing work from a young Chico Buarque – a record that seems to draw on all the best elements of 60s Brazilian pop, and forge them into a sound that's all its own! At one level, there's a post-bossa style of larger arrangements here that recalls the work of Edu Lobo – handled by Maestro Gaya in a mode that recalls some of the best bits of the time on the Elenco or Forma labels. But at another level, there's also a personal and slightly folksy style that reminds us of the initial power of Geraldo Vandre – a sound that's clearly present in Buarque's work, and which stands in a direct line to the best strengths of the emerging Tropicalia generation. The set's filled with classics that include "Carolina", "Roda Viva", "O Velho", "Ate Pensei", "Sem Fantasia", and "Desencontro" – and a few tracks feature Chico in duets with either Toquinho, Cristina, or MPB4! CD

A stone classic from the great Ivan Lins – a set recorded at a time when he was fast becoming a big name on the global scene, not just in Brazil – thanks to his wonderful sense of songwriting and lyricism! The album's almost a celebration of all that Lins had done so far – put together with close collaborators Gilson Peranzzetta and Vitor Martins – and done with lots of great help from famous guests who include MPB4, Erasmo Carlos, Nana Caymmi, Tim Maia, Elis Regina, and Patti Austin. The arrangements are wonderful – sophisticated and offbeat, and every bit as compelling as Lins' work from the 70s – and titles include "Abre Alas", "Comecar De Novo", "Novo Tempo", "Formigueiro", "Dinorah Dinorah", and "Juntos". CD

A wonderful album of tracks that show how far the samba sound had evolved by the Tropicalia era! The set was put together for a TV show in Sao Paulo – and it features a bunch of great work that you won't find elsewhere! The lovely Marilia Medalha contributes 2 great tracks – "Pressentimento" and "Luandaluar"; Elis Regina sings "Lapinha"; MPB4 perform "Quem Dera"; the soulful Jair Rodrigues sings "Coisas Do Mundo, Minha Nega" and "Canto Chorado"; and Edu Lobo and Marcia duet on "Rainha Porta-Bandeira". Also includes work by Paulo Marquez, Jose Ventura, and Arlete Maria – and comes packaged in a great cover! LP, Vinyl record album

The second volume of Phono 73 – a groundbreaking live concert that brought together some of Brazil's greatest artists of the early 70s, and which was one of the biggest musical events of the decade! The all-star concert was one of the first real expressions of musical freedom in the wake of the military regime – and it marked a bold return of exiles Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, amidst leading names in MPB that included Gal Costa, Elis Regina, Raul Seixas, Maria Bethania, Nara Leao, and Toquinho. Volume 2 features titles that include "Zumbi" by Jorge Ben, "E Com Esse Que Eu Vou" by Elis Regina, "Ladeira Da Preguica" by Elis Regina & Gilberto Gil, "Filhos De Ghandi" by Gilberto Gil, "Nao Tem Predao" by Ivan Lins & MPB4, "Pesadelo" by MPB4, "Jazz Potatoes" by Jorge Ben & Gilberto Gil, and "Baioque" by Chico Buarque. LP, Vinyl record album

Tracks by Emilio Santiago, Nara Leao, Joao Bosco, Quarteto Em Cy, Moraes Moreira, Guilherme Arantes, Leni Andrade, Ney Matogrosso, MPB4, and Carlos Lyra. CD

In case you didn't know it, the Beatles have always been huge in Brazil – a firm inspiration for MPB artists from the Tropicalia era onward, taken up with an honest appreciation that almost surpasses that of American and British audiences. This great little set is a perfect example of the depth of the Beatles' influence on Brazilian popular music – as it brings together 14 famous Beatles' covers from the vaults of Universal Music, recorded over a 40 year stretch for Philips and other labels in Brazil. Titles include "Because" by MPB4 & Quarteto Em Cy, "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" by Gilberto Gil, "And I Love Her" by Rita Lee, "Yesterday" by Zizi Possi, "The Long & Winding Road" by Leo Gandleman, "Demais" by Veronica Sabina, "Meu Amor" by Tunai, "For No One" by Caetano Veloso, "Imagine" by Paulo Ricardo, "Oh Darling" by Rosa Maria, and "Woman Is The N_gger Of The World" by Cassia Eller. CD