Sampler disk from the "Batucada Por Favor" compilation. 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of our favorite Walter Wanderley albums ever – and a record that moves past the more familiar bossa trio style used on his hits for Verve, into groovier new territory with added players who include Dom Um Romao on drums and Marcos Valle on guitar! And not only is the lineup expanded, but the styles are too – as Wanderley moves away from the straighter bossa and samba jazz of his roots, into the world of more unusual, more complicated rhythms that were showing up in the Brazilian scene at the end of the 60s. Marcos Valle's contribution is felt strongly here – as the album includes a fantastic instrumental take on his classic "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" (aka "Os Grilos") – plus other Valle compositions that include "Ainda Mais Lindo", "Batucada", and "E Preciso Cantar". Other tracks include "Wave", "So What's New", and "O Barquinho". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite Walter Wanderley albums ever – and a record that moves past the more familiar bossa trio style used on his hits for Verve, into groovier new territory with added players who include Dom Um Romao on drums and Marcos Valle on guitar! And not only is the lineup expanded, but the styles are too – as Wanderley moves away from the straighter bossa and samba jazz of his roots, into the world of more unusual, more complicated rhythms that were showing up in the Brazilian scene at the end of the 60s. Marcos Valle's contribution is felt strongly here – as the album includes a fantastic instrumental take on his classic "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" (aka "Os Grilos") – plus other Valle compositions that include "Ainda Mais Lindo", "Batucada", and "E Preciso Cantar". Other tracks include "Wave", "So What's New", and "O Barquinho". CD

A killer early album of Batucada tracks – filled with lots of tight, short, hard percussive groovers! LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful set of Brazilian vocal tunes – sung by Pamela Driggs in a warm and jazzy mode that recalls some of the greats of the 70s! Production is spare and smooth, but never too smooth – and Pamela sings in a mix of English and Portuguese, scatting and tripping easily between the grooves. Titles include "Agua De Beber", "Take Five", "Batucada Surgiu", "Noites No Rio", "Leiloca", "Nature's Beauty", "Vivo Sonhando", and "Itacuruca". CD

One of the best records in years from the mighty Far Out label – and a set that really takes the imprint back to its roots! The name of the record echoes the first Friends From Rio session that launched Far Out almost two decades ago – and like that classic, this one's a collaborative effort between a range of Brazilian and British talents – served up in a style that bridges the gap between older bossa and more contemporary modes! The music is perfect from the ground up – not a cheesy bossa remix project, but a true blend of all the best elements, served up in a rich new style. The project gets key Incognito-style help from Daniel "Venom" Maunick, and a real Azymuth pedigree from Alex Malheiros – and the whole thing features a great range of different singers, including Hyldon, Robertinho Silva, Aleh Ferreira, Ivan Matheus, Denise Pinaud, Sabrina Malheiros, and Carlos Dafe – each wrapped up in a sweet blend of Fender Rhodes, organ, riffing guitar, and sweet jazzy horns. Titles include "So Resta A Porta Se Abrir", "Mas Que Nada", "Garota", "Aguai", "Casino Bangu", "Batucada Bidu", "Anthemia", "Leita De Pedra", and "Mulher Malagueta". CD

Possibly the best album ever by this excellent Brazilian percussive combo! The record begins the groove where the group's other albums started – by taking hard batucada rhythms, and tight samba grooves – but it also adds in a bit tighter production, and shows a marked commitment to hitting the same sort of dancefloor groove that you'd expect from other work on Far Out. Wilson Das Neves and Robertinho Silva are at the head of the percussion team – and tracks include "Roda Baiana", "Bo", "Batucumba", "Taruma", "Berimbal Capoeira", and "Read Between The Lines". CD

A wonderful album of modern batucada tracks – played by one of the greatest percussion blocos in Brazil! The set's got a sound that's extremely rootsy, yet also very focused – a bit more song-based than your usual batucada set, and featuring some great guest vocals by Caetano Veloso, Martinho Da Vila, and Lazzo. Titles include "Ile De Luz", "Canto Da Cor", "Negrume Da Notie", and "Negro De Luz" – but the best track is the instrumental groover "Ile Aiye", which has a killer echoey percussion sound! CD

Dreamy bossa pop from the A&M studios of the 60s – the Brasil 66 sound at its best! The style here is a perfect blend of real Brazilian influences and some of the hipper styles bubbling in the LA studio scene of the time – all locked together perfectly by Sergio Mendes, in the twin-voiced style that let Brasil 66 transform any tune they could get their hands on! There's some really great numbers here of Brazilian origin – including Joao Donato's "The Frog", Marcos Valle's "Batucada", and Gilberto Gil's "Roda" – not to mention Sergio's own "Look Around", which is an especially charming number! Other titles include "The Look Of Love", "Pradizer Adeus", and "Like A Lover". CD

Dreamy bossa pop from the A&M studios of the 60s – the Brasil 66 sound at its best! The style here is a perfect blend of real Brazilian influences and some of the hipper styles bubbling in the LA studio scene of the time – all locked together perfectly by Sergio Mendes, in the twin-voiced style that let Brasil 66 transform any tune they could get their hands on! There's some really great numbers here of Brazilian origin – including Joao Donato's "The Frog", Marcos Valle's "Batucada", and Gilberto Gil's "Roda" – not to mention Sergio's own "Look Around", which is an especially charming number! Other titles include "The Look Of Love", "Pradizer Adeus", and "Like A Lover". LP, Vinyl record album

German drummer Klaus Weiss started out in more conventional jazz during the 60s – but as the 70s moved in, he really found his groove – and opened up strongly in styles that were funky, spiritual, and sometimes hard to define! That latter is definitely the case here – as Weiss leads his group Niagara through some amazing side-long jams – an all-percussion session that does an amazing job of creating criss-crossing elements of rhythm and melody throughout! The approach is maybe a bit like some of the shifting energy of a Brazilian batucada ensemble, but a bit tighter and more jazz-based at times – and the whole thing's wonderful, a definite funky classic – with two long jams titled "Sangandongo" and "Malanga". LP, Vinyl record album

A trio of early 70s LPs from Klaus Weiss & Niagara – in a massive 3LP wood box set! First up is the 1971 self-titled debut – a pretty astonishing set of heavy, hypnotic drums and percussion. It features just 2 long jams, "Sangandongo" and "Malanga" and it's pretty much an all percussion affair! Sub is a legendary bit of heavy funk. The lineup here includes fuzzy guitar, electric piano, and of course, lots of heavy percussion – all served up in a way that's jamming, but a lot more straightforwardly funky than some of the group's contemporaries on the European scene! Ack Van Rooyen plays trumpet, Ferdinand Povel plays tenor and flute, and the production is often very tripped-out – abstracting the jazz roots a bit with some really cool touches. A great bridge between the MPS scene and the more progressive German groups – with titles that include "SUB", "Bones", "Niagara", "Terra Incognita", "Gibili", and "Kikiriti". Afire is another seminal percussion effort – and an album with a very strong focus on the rhythms – but the groove is still somewhat melodic too, thanks to inventive use of some of the smaller, more tuned percussion instruments by other members of the group. There's almost a funky batucada groove going on here – a rich, round sound that comes from a very tight small combo! Titles include "City Walk", "What For", "Terpischore", "Carnival", "Rhythm Go", "Dance In Seven", "Rolling", "Malanga Two", and "The Third One". LP, Vinyl record album

A heavily percussive set of Brazilian grooves – recorded in Japan in the mid 70s, but done with lots of authentic Brazilian instrumentation overall, and a sound that's nice and rootsy! The vocals have just the right jazzy touch to keep this one from being a straight batucada session – and the record nicely mixes rough rhythms and sweet vocals to create a pretty compelling sound. Titles include "Oi Compadre", "Convencao De Ritmo", "Nega", "Bandeira Branca", "Esperancas Perdidas", and "Recordar E Viver". LP, Vinyl record album

Masters At Work have always had a talent for making wonderful club numbers that maintain the flavor of the source, like this batucada derived groover, with some nice percolating MAW touches and a rich, bouncy vocal melody. The other 2 numbers, Otto's "Bob" and Tenoria Junior's "Nebulosa" provide a wonderful counterpoint to the heavier club groove with their breezy vibe. CD

A classic early set of tracks by the Brazilian guitar genius Luiz Bonfa, filled with the lightness and breeziness that made his playing a huge inspiration for the Bossa Nova movement. Originally recorded in Rio by the Odeon label, with some orchestrations behind him, but they're mostly spare and fragile, and they let Bonfa's dark moody guitar come to the forefront. Titles include "Batucada", "Xango", "Mambolero", "Cancao De Outono", and "Sambolero". LP, Vinyl record album

The mindblowing first album from The Deviants – one of the weirdest, wildest groups on the UK scene in the late 60s – more garagey than psych, but pretty trippy at times too – and with a nasty edge that almost makes you feel like Kim Fowley was urging them on in the studio! The legendary Mick Farren is at the head of the group on vocals, but the set is clearly a collective effort – recorded by The Deviants themselves, before any label made them an offer to hit the studios – which may well be why the whole thing has such a distinct vibe of its own! The group almost have a proto-punk attitude at times – more LA than London – and they effortlessly shift through gems here that include "I'm Coming Home", "Garbage", "Bun", "Deviation Street", "Child Of The Sky", and the percussive heavy, batucada-like "Nothing Man". CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – a record that set a whole new standard for audio representation of a film! The mad music for the set was composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vincius De Moraes – and performed by Luiz Bonfa on guitar – but despite such prime bossa pedigree, the whole thing's got a sound that goes way beyond the familiar – a crazy mix of batucada percussion, samba rhythms, bossa guitar, and loads of sound effects from the film – so much so that the first half of the record is almost a sound-for-sound replication of the first 20 minutes of the movie! The sound collage is amazing – an extremely unique approach to soundtrack representation, and one that's never been done so beautifully since. A truly breathtaking record, filled with mindblowing sounds – and an early example of the genius that would explode in 60s music in Brazil. Some key bossa classics are represented here in early versions – including "Felicidade", "O Nosso Amor", and "Manha De Carnaval" – but they're wrapped up in odd sounds and rhythms that really make them sound different! Plus, this CD also includes a 13-minute medley of tracks from the score, performed by Bola Sete at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Fest! CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – a record that set a whole new standard for audio representation of a film! The mad music for the set was composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vincius De Moraes – and performed by Luiz Bonfa on guitar – but despite such prime bossa pedigree, the whole thing's got a sound that goes way beyond the familiar – a crazy mix of batucada percussion, samba rhythms, bossa guitar, and loads of sound effects from the film – so much so that the first half of the record is almost a sound-for-sound replication of the first 20 minutes of the movie! The sound collage is amazing – an extremely unique approach to soundtrack representation, and one that's never been done so beautifully since. A truly breathtaking record, filled with mindblowing sounds – and an early example of the genius that would explode in 60s music in Brazil. Some key bossa classics are represented here in early versions – including "Felicidade", "O Nosso Amor", and "Manha De Carnaval" – but they're wrapped up in odd sounds and rhythms that really make them sound different! LP, Vinyl record album

Seminal work from Liquid Liquid – one of the coolest, funkiest groups on the New York scene at the start of the 80s! The approach here is a blistering blend of different percussion modes – from batucada jamming to funky drums – all tied together with these basslines that really make the whole thing vibrated with a massive sound! The music's a bit in the spirit of ESG – who also recorded for the same label at the time – but is also a lot more adventurous, and played with even more tightness too. Titles include the wicked cut "Cavern", which was the massive sample for the classic hip hop track "White Lines" – and other titles include "Scraper", "Optimo", and "Out". 12-inch, Vinyl record

One of the grooviest Verve albums of all time – a rare American session from Brazilian legend Marcos Valle – and his only US album to feature vocals! The album's even dreamier than Valle's early bossa sides from Brazil – and the setting has some nice Verve-like touches from Deodato – who handled the arrangements, and brings a nicely airy, nicely jazzy style to the record. Most tunes are sung as duets with his lovely wife Anamaria – made famous by the album's landmark groover "Crickets Sing For Anamaria" – an English-language version of Valle's earlier "Os Grilos". Other titles are all great too – and sport English lyrics that hardly ever got much exposure. In addition to the great "Crickets Sing For Anamaria", other titles include "The Face I Love", "She Told Me She Told Me", "Pepino Beach", "Chup Chup I Got Away", and "Batucada". LP, Vinyl record album