Sweetly gentle bossa from the team of Edson and Tita Lobo – working here with mellow arrangements by Joao Donato and Paulo Jobim that give the record a warm jazzy finish! Tita handles most of the vocals – singing in a lightly drifting style that recalls the mode of Astrud Gilberto's work at the end of the 60s – and she also plays acoustic guitar, dreamily working around some bass work by Edson that gives the record a soulful bottom sound. The record includes the nice groover "Dai Glorias" – plus the tracks "Vem O Fim", "Falando A Verdade", "Pode Chegar", "Meus Amigos", "A Pas E Possivel", and "Nos Bracos De Deus". CD

A lost treasure of Brazilian fusion – originally released by keyboardist Marcos Ariel on his own tiny label in 1981! The set sparkles with the best of the larger Brazilian fusion scene of the time – working in a post-Azymuth blend of keyboards, guitar, percussion, and Brazilian instrumentation – and often taking off to the skies in Return To Forever-like jams that really open the set up! Ariel plays a wide range of keys on the set, as well as a bit of flute – and other instrumentation includes soprano sax, guitar, percussion, and tenor from Leo Gandleman. The tunes have a nice way of blending the spacey with the rhythmic, and the set's got a sparkling finish that makes it sound as fresh today as it did over 20 years before! Titles include "Bambu", "A Ponte", "Humaita", "Samba Torto", "Mar", and "Dois Irmaos". CD

Sweet and jazzy work from Bebeto – the only solo album by one third of the legendary Tamba Trio! The sound here is similar to Tamba's great electric recordings of the mid 70s – fusion-inspired instrumentation, electric keyboards, flute, and a warm and fuzzy production style that makes the whole thing sound a heck of a lot more soulful than before. Bebeto's vocals are slightly fragile, giving them an intimate, honest quality – one that blends with the electric instrumentation in a way that's similar to some of Joao Donato's 70s work. Titles include "Mendingo E Ladrao", "Batuque", "Razao De Viver", "Moca Flor", "Estrardalhaco", "Cancao Do Nosso Amor", "Tristeza De Nos Dois", and "Deja Me Ir". CD

Heavy fusion from Argentina – an experimental album from the early 70s, played by a very hip group! The quintet features a lineup that includes some great Fender Rhodes by Fernando Gelbard, plus bass, drums, and soprano sax – all coming together in a style that's partially influenced by electric Miles Davis of the time, partially crafted in the progressive fusion mode of the European scene of the 70s. Overall, the album's a nice mix of spacey jazz and more jamming numbers, with titles that include "Oda Para Mi Nina", "Puntos De Partida", "Mirosbass", "Homenaje A La Muerte", and "Todo Flute". CD

Groovy, jazzy space soul soundscapes from Finland's Teddy Rok Seven – led by Teppo Makynen – who's worked with like minded scenesters Nu Spirit Helsinki and Five Corners Quintet – but steps out with an amazingly strong full length! The sound is a bit tough to pin down – it's all very trippy in a 70s soul jazz way, but still very cohesive, with pronounced influences like Herbie Hancock and George Duke in the mix – but it's filtered through a kind of late model Schema club jazz aesthetic, with some great nods to spacey hip hop and club connoisseurs! Nicola Conte fans, don't let this one slip underneath the radar – this a strong generator of that aesthetic – but with a unique, jazzy sound all it's own! Teppo presides over the sound on keys, programming and percussion, with wonderful accompaniment on vibes, keys, bass, trumpet, fluegelhorn, flutes bells and layered off-kilter echoey sounds and effects! Tracks include "The Beginning", "Feel" featuring Okou, "Askaa!", "King Abdissa", "Space & Echoes", "Damn Straight", "Steady", "Around The Clock" and more. CD

A really unique album from singer/songwriter Gary Corben – his first album, but a project that comes after a long relationship with Brazilian music – tuned beautifully here in the studio with production from Kassin! Kassin really helps give focus to Gary's lyrics – which are in English, on songs that draw from a rich history of Brazilian music – something Corben knows about plenty, given his seminal work reissuing 60s and 70s material as head of the Whatmusic label! Kassin's got a decades-long friendship with Corben, and you can really hear the warmth of that relationship here – as the tunes have a gentle, easygoing vibe that remind us of the spirit that made the Joao Donato album Quem E Quem such a wonderful and unique album. Titles include "Donateando", "Cheese Boogaloo", "Eu Nao Vou Mais", "Shangri La", "Tema Perdido", "Sorriso De Manha", and "Puma 72". LP, Vinyl record album

One of THE Brazilian funk classics of the 70s – the debut album of soulful singer Emilio Santiago! The sound is a wonderful blend of samba, soul, and some of the electric jazzy riffing that was big in Brazil at the time, and which showed up in the styles of groups like Banda Black Rio or Unaio Black – and Santiago's vocals are tremendous, equally at home with a hip grooving soul tune as they are with some of the album's mellower, jazzier tracks. Guest artists on the set include Brazilian jazz luminaries Joao Donato, Victor Assis Brasil, Ivan Lins, and Aecio Flavio – and the album includes the funky breaking classic "Bananeira", an amazing version of a song written by Donato and Gilberto Gil, served up by Santiago in a version that's easily the best ever! Other tracks include a great version of Jorge Ben's "Brother", plus "Quero Alegria", "Depois", "Doa A Quem Doer", and "La Mulata", a Latin groover by Marcos Valle! LP, Vinyl record album