Opa - Goldenwings / Magic Time (1976-77)

«Hugo Fattoruso, born in Montevideo, Uruguay, began his musical career as a prodigious and somewhat reluctant piano student at the age of four. By the time he was nine his father Antonio formed El Trio Fattoruso by drafting Hugo’s younger brother Jorge on drums, with Hugo on accordion and Antonio on "inverted bucket bass" (using a broom as the neck, and a cord as the instrument’s single string). This trio performed in street festivals, covering the variety of styles used in Uruguay’s carnivals (boleros, murgas, tangos, etc.), giving Hugo an education in the rich harmonic stuff of disparate musical styles.
At the age of 16 Hugo moved to the upright bass and began his tenure as the under-aged member of The Hot Blowers, a swing band that toured throughout Latin America in the late 1950s. This period could be seen as a second important milestone in Hugo’s harmonic education, hammering home the concepts of improvisation and musical interplay.
By the early 1960s, rock’n’roll began to shake the world’s foundation, and Hugo set out to express himself in that medium by forming Los Shakers, where he and his brother shared song writing, singing and guitar responsibilities. Los Shakers were a huge success throughout Latin America, as they were able to mold the complexities of bossa’s harmonies, Uruguay’s urban song style, candombe rhythms and the backbeat of rock into a new and contagious form.
By the late 1960s the influence of jazz, and of the Afro-Uruguayan rhythm of candombe, took Hugo to New York City, where he formed the group Opa. In Opa Hugo played keyboards and sang, while his brother played drums, and childhood friend Ringo Thielmann played bass. Opa’s mixture of jazz, rock, Brazilian harmonies and rhythms, and Uruguay’s African-flavored music (candombe) gave this band a distinctive voice, and garnered them recognition among musicians in the then growing "Latin jazz" scene. Opa released two albums on their own, Goldenwings and Magic Time. Opa’s music served to influence the next generation of Uruguayan musicians, continuing the Fattoruso’s impact on Uruguayan musical culture. From that point on Hugo travelled the U.S. and worked with a variety of artists.» (bigworldmusic)

Osvaldo Fattoruso and Blbs drinking mate.

«In 1997, it came as a quite a surprise when Fantasy reissued Opa’s albums Goldenwings (1976) and Magic Time (1977) on a single 74-minute CD – surprising because this fusion trio had only a very small following; its albums were far from big sellers, and the original LP versions were in print for only a few years. If one notices some similarity between the melodic blend of jazz, rock, funk, pop and Brazilian music heard on this disc and Airto Moreira’s CTI dates of the 1970s, it’s no coincidence – Moreira produced and played percussion on both albums. Opa members Hugh Fattoruso (keyboards, vocals), George Fattoruso (drums, vocals, percussion) and Ringo Thielmann (bass, vocals) often worked with the percussionist and his wife Flora Purim in the 1970s, and his influence clearly rubbed off. It’s regrettable that Opa was never as commercially successful as either Moreira or Purim, although this CD points to the fact that it wasn’t due to a lack of rewarding material». (AMG)

Many thanx to Blbs (see pic) for this post.

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Rogério Tavares - Galope (2004)

«Rogerio Tavares is undoubtedly one of the greatest new talents to play Spanish guitar. This exceptional debut album somehow manages to mix the traditional side of Brazilian traditions with modern influences. His superb mastery of the Spanish guitar is evident on nearly every track, but unlike many players he brings in very light touches of electronica to help fuse the sounds. Galope is an intimate, introvert album, sometimes sad, sometimes joyful, with flashes of serenity and warmth, rhythm and party.» (Amazon)

«Rogério Tavares nasce a Pau dos Ferros, (Brasile). Comincia a suonare la chitarra all’età di dieci anni per accompagnare il papà al canto e prosegue gli studi da autodidatta e in parte presso il conservatorio di Natal, Brasile. La musica non lo abbandonerà più nelle riunioni in famiglia, tra amici e nelle prime esibizioni in pubblico nel Nord-Est brasiliano dove cresce e prende la maggiore influenza ed ispirazione per la sua musica. Cantante e compositore, vive stabilmente in Italia dagli anni 90. Partecipa ai festival latino-americani di Modena, Torino e Bologna e alle manifestazioni Blu Rimini (RN), Radio Villazza (VC), Appennino Music Festival, Veneto Jazz Festival. Nel 2004 esce Galope, il suo primo lavoro discografico, distribuito da Halidon (H.squared), ma anteriori e successive sono le collaborazioni con altri artisti e la realizzazione di alcuni brani per compilation. Il suo ultimo disco è Round, Tavares Quintet (vedi http://www.myspace.com/tavares5%29.).» (MySpace)

Intervista a Rogério Tavares qui.

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Antonio Carlos Jobim's Finest Hour (2000)

«While Antonio Carlos Jobim is an essential figure in the music of Brazil, he also created a significant place for himself in American music as a great songwriter and a key figure in the tremendous popularity of bossa nova. Apart from his unique melodic gift, what makes Jobim’s work memorable is the complexity of mood he could evoke - the touch of sadness that colors the brightest bossa nova, the irony in the midst of joy, and the mixture of delicacy and resilience in his voice and piano. He was an artist who worked primarily in pastels, but it was his sense of shadows that gave his work its most enduring qualities. Including his most famous tunes and collaborators – like “The Girl from Ipanema” with Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto – Jobim’s Finest Hour catches it all, from the standard-bearers to such gems as the playful “Aguas de Março”.» (Stuart Broomer, Amazon)

«Verve continues their Finest Hour series with Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Finest Hour, a 17-song collection highlighting the bossa nova pioneer’s singing and songwriting. “Insensatez”, “Corcovado”, “The Girl From Ipanema”, “Desafinado”, and other definitive tracks make this set entertaining, if not comprehensive.» (AMG)

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Quarteto Novo - Quarteto Novo (1967)

«The Quarteto Novo was a seminal group with a strong Northeastern accent. They brought the tradition of that region of Brazil and mixed it with the bebop jazz language, the result so influential that it broke cultural and physical barriers throughout the planet. […] Certainly modern, distinguished proponents of that genre, like Egberto Gismonti, have the Quarteto Novo to thank for that.

In 1966, the Rhodia company wanted live music for a fashion event, hiring the violonista/guitarist/banjo player/viola player Heraldo do Monte, drummer/percussionist Airto Moreira, and bassist/violonista Théo de Barros and forming the Trio Novo. […] After pianist/brass/flute player Hermeto Pascoal joined the trio, it became the Quarteto Novo, which recorded its only LP with songs by Vandré and the group's participants, for Odeon in 1967. The album Quarteto Novo won the Troféu Roquette Pinto and the Troféu Imprensa. The Quarteto Novo […] toured Brazil as Vandré's exclusive group, being the backing group for Vandré on his 1968 album Canto Geral. […] The group disbanded in 1969 and the LP was reissued by EMI/Odeon as a CD in 1993.» (AMG)

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Musidanças 06 (2006)

A rare (and great) collection of lusophone music from Portugal, Brasil, Mozambique, Capo Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinée-Bissau and Angola.

«A Sara Tavares um dia lançou-me o desafio. Porque não fazer uma compilação com a participação de artistas que actuariam no Festival Musidanças desse ano.
Desafio feito, desafio aceite e assim em 2006 surge este CD Musidanças, que mostra a música de alguns dos muitos projectos da música do mundo lusofono que proliferam aqui em Portugal.
Os artistas cederam uma música dos seus CDs do momento, o Cláudio Silva masterizou, a Elsa Escaja fez o design da capa do CD e foi editado pela Zoomusica (MML) etiqueta dedicada á música do mundo lusofono.» (Firmino Pascoal, Zoomusica)

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Gilles Peterson in Brazil (2004)

A great party record (two-disc set). Have fun!

«Radio One and Worldwide DJ Gilles Peterson is an authority on world music, and Brazilian music is the most happening global sound of the moment. This album has been compiled using Peterson's vast knowledge of what's been turning up the heat in clubs and on the radio. This is a two-disc edition, one containing Brazilian heritage and traditional music and one hosting cuts from the new generation of artists.» (Amazon)

Full tracklist and more English reviews here

Recensione in italiano qui

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Cal Tjader - Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil (1962)

«This 1962 set by Cal Tjader, recorded at the beginning of the bossa nova craze in the United States (released in the same year and on the same label as the smash Jazz Samba by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd), has one of the most boring titles imaginable — which doesn't begin to describe the laid-back yet magical innovations in the grooves. Produced by Creed Taylor, the date was arranged and orchestrated by the great pianist Clare Fischer (who also wrote the liner notes). Tjader set out to offer a very modern portrait of the music pouring out of Mexico City by showcasing selected Mario Ruíz Armengol compositions and out of Brazil by spotlighting numbers by singers such as Elisete Cardoso and João Gilberto. Tjader's vibes are placed in juxtaposition with Fischer's piano and percussion by Changuito, Milt Holland, and Johnny Rae, with a woodwind section that included both Don Shelton and Paul Horn, and even some wordless exotica vocals by Ardeen DeCamp. In addition, Brazilian guitar star Laurindo Almeida helps out on about half the set and contributed "Chôro e Batuque," while Fischer offers "Elisete," named for the singer. The feel here is gentle with infectious rhythms and beautifully wrought woodwinds (check "Se é Tarde, Me Perdoa"), gorgeous piano, and spacious vibes. The arrangements by Fischer certainly represent the era, but they endure into the 21st century because of the shining example of interplay between the percussion and melodies (note the breezy "Silenciosa"). Tjader had been playing samba on records for a number of years by this point, and worked with Getz in 1957, but this was the first place he allowed his own complex yet delightfully subtle melodic (rather than just rhythmic) sensibilities to shine on the vibes. The most remarkable thing about this set is how effortlessly the two traditions blend.» (AMG)

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Nicolas Krassik - Caçuá (2006)

«Caçuá, a word with Tupi (Indigenous Brazilian Language) origins, is a wicker or vine basket used to carry provisions and is transported by beasts of burden in the inland parts of the Brazilian Northeast.

It is also an inspired baião by João Lyra and Maurício Carrilho whose name Caçuá baptizes the second CD by French violinist settled in Rio since 2001, Nicolas Krassik.
The mixture of colors and spices very much Brazilian, this Caçuá brings together genres like choro, samba, baião and xote, framed by arrangements that highlight the sound of the quartet lead by Nicolas (with his violin, Nando Duarte on the seven string guitar, João Hermeto on percussion and Fabio Luna on drums), among guests Carlos Malta, Chico Chagas, Eduardo Neves and João Lyra.
One of the CD’s highlights is the participation of Seu Luiz Paixão, a rabequeiro from Pernambuco that dialogues with Nicolas’s violin on the last track of the CD, recreating the atmosphere of a Northeastern fair.
The repertoire of Caçuá is also the first registration of Nicolas as a composer in the cheerful Meu Maxixe and in the dense and slow samba, Petite Maman, dedicated to his mother Marie-Claude, who passed away in December 2005. The vibrant record exhibits the violinist’s talent in improvisation allied with his technique and sound characteristics. Nicolas, the Parisian is completely integrated into the Rio scene and is able to interpret all the classical repertoire of Brazilian instrumental music, an example being the waltz Santa Morena, by Jacob do Bandolim, whose arrangements allow for excerpts of traditional Turkish music.

In short, this is a caçuá filled with musical ideas that encourage dance, emotion, humor and contemplation. As well as, Nicolas’s first job as musical producer, here by my side in a demonstration of extreme sensibility, technical refinement and constantly maturing as an artist.» (Luís Filipe de Lima, NicolasKrassik.com. Review also available in French and Portugués version)

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The Rough Guide to the Music of Brazil: Rio de Janeiro (2005)

«Cutting down the usual mass of music contained in any given Brazilian compilation, and following the more regional focus of the Bahia Rough Guide, this album covers the more urban music of Brazil — the samba, bossa nova, carioco, and so on. Some electronic samba opens the album, followed quickly by a rendition of a classic Gilberto Gil piece. Fusions of samba with electronica, bossa nova with funk, and MPB with soul and jazz make themselves heard here. The classic compositions of Jobim, Gil, Powell, and others also find their way in simultaneously. Some of the most interesting stuff here is the least standard for the area. Ed Motta sounds like an old Michael Jackson dance record, Beth Carvalho enhances an old piece with notions of "Over the Rainbow." The sounds aren't as contemporary as one might expect given the massive life in Rio currently, but there are some interesting pieces here that make a decent cross-stylistic set.» (AMG)

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Putumayo Presents: Nuevo Latino (2004)

«This is the perfect chill disc to throw in your musical rotation. A mix and match grab bag of musical styles with one common thread; it's in a Latin groove. The artists span the globe which is what one comes to expect from Putumayo. The styles of music run the gamut of Latin exotica but with an edge of electronica that results in world beats with a modern attitude. It is very exciting to hear traditional music getting a musical makeover; it is music steeped in tradition with wings for the future. There are long established artists like Jarabe de Palo, Aterciopelados, Los de Abajo and Sergent Garcia but there is much more. Lesser known but not necessarily less talented artists abound for your discovery. Hey! That is what Putumayo is all about, discovery of cool music from elsewhere. Speaking of cool, all these tracks are way cool, especially "Mi Negra" which has that Manu Chao Clandestino multi-layered, percussive lush sound, punctuated by horns and quirkiness, the reggae-Cuban flavored "Original" by Kana and "El Indio" by Los de Abajo, which has a modern tropical feel to it and the ever-lovely voice of Andrea Echeverri from Aterciopelados on "Manana," where she invokes an electronica-driven sambaesque beat that has a retro-futuristic vibe that is pure nirvana. This is good music for relaxing late night and finishing off a good night, or anytime, for that matter. Highly recommended for world music aficionados.» (Amazon)

More info here

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Cacai Nunes - O Avesso (2006)

A great instrumental album from Brazil, introducing us to the multi-faceted and fascinating sound of the viola caipira, made available by the artist himself in his nice blog Acervo Origens.
Bravo, Cacai!

«Pernambucano criado em Brasília, Cacai Nunes é parte de uma geração de músicos que vem desenvolvendo uma linguagem musical contemporânea, com a cara de Brasília. A cidade em que se criou serve de inspiração: moderna, arrojada, diferente e com influências culturais de todo o país. Brasília é campo fértil para o surgimento de uma personalidade musical nova.

Cacai Nunes começou seus estudos de viola caipira em 2001 na Escola de Música de Brasília com Marcos Mesquita. Em 2003 passou a estudar e, posteriormente, trabalhar com Roberto Corrêa revisando sua obra em partitura, que seria publicada no livro Composições.

A viola caipira foi trazida para o Brasil pelos portugueses ainda na época da colonização e rapidamente se misturou às culturas aqui presentes. Por isso, a viola é muito popular no Brasil e usado em todo o território nacional, tocada de maneira variada, conforme as tradições de cada região. Isso faz da viola caipira um instrumento muito rico em possibilidades, fortemente identificado com as tradições populares.

Cacai Nunes, lançou em agosto de 2006 seu primeiro disco intitulado O Avesso, apresentando suas composições, ora solo, ora com arranjos para banda, com toques mais modernos e arrojados. No cd, arranjos de Pixinguinha, Chiquinha Gonzaga e Dilermando Reis, ganham nova cara na viola caipira.» (more at CacaiNunes.com)

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Putumayo Presents Carnival (2001)

«Carnival, the ecstatic release of carnal desire in the days leading up to Lent, has a long history. With its roots firmly buried in the Dionysian festivities of ancient Greece, the celebration was appropriated by the Romans for their Bacchanalian homage and then adapted by Roman Catholics to fit pre-Ash Wednesday festivities. Celebrated by Catholics and Bacchanalians alike, contemporary carnival celebrations are especially fervent among the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and the Americas. And from the parading samba schools in Rio to the calypso tents on Trinidad, the art form most identified with carnival is that of music. On Putumayo's Carnival, ten festive tunes, performed in the spirit of carnival, are presented. Among the featured artists are New Orleans' own Eddie Bo building slide trombone riffs on top of shuffling beats, Colombian salsa group Fruko y sus Tesos singing about a particular kind of foppish carnival reveler, and Rio's distinguished sambistsa Martinho da Vila beautifully performing the carnival classic "Canta Canta, Minha Gente." Though some of the CD's cuts have more to do with festivals in general than with carnival in particular — such as Big Davy's Crop Over celebration song — all the songs contribute to the ebullient atmosphere of the compilation. If you're looking for field recordings of actual carnival celebrations then this CD is not for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for contemporary studio recorded songs that reference carnival either directly or indirectly, then Putumayo's Carnival should probably find its way onto your stereo.» (AMG)

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The Ripple Effect - Hybrids (2005)

«Hybrids is a jazz album in name only – specifically the names of multi instrumentalist John Surman and drummer Jack DeJohnette, who leads this collaborative ensemble.

One of the few musicians to have recorded or performed with Ornette Coleman, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis, DeJohnette’s jazz credentials are obvious. But Hybrids tosses his cap into the modern electronica realm. With producers Ben Surman (John’s son) and Big Al (the mastermind behind the Sonic Kitchen, one of UK’s biggest and brightest electronic music studios), DeJohnette reinterprets seven of his own pieces in modern electronica. Four come from his recent collaboration with Mandingo griot Foday Musa Suso (Music From the Hearts of the Masters).

Hybrids does feature jazz and world music, but only as raw source materials for Surman to manipulate in the creation of a new electronic music hybrid. “I wanted to extract some of the grooves and melodies that I was drawn to and use them in a different context, retaining the groove and feel but placing it in a different musical setting,” Surman says. “I wanted to move outside of the more traditional acoustic approach and add elements you wouldn’t normally find in jazz.” In this respect, these Hybrids might be more Surman’s than DeJohnette’s.

The opening track, “Ancient Techno,” says a great deal about this set. DeJohnette’s fluid drums bubble up from underneath their accompaniment, constantly changing patterns. […] “Na Na Nai” opens with Surman on either bass clarinet or saxophone, which then washes away in electronic ripples; next, vocals by Marlui Miranda, one of the world’s leading researchers and performers of Brazilian Indian music, are shredded then laid in between the instruments. As Surman ghostwalks from the background into the foreground, the multiple layers (drum, voice, sax/clarinet, and electronic) coalesce to create a very new musical sound. DeJohnette again sets shifting tides of rhythm and sound, like a painter sampling from his palette, to create a new sound for futuristic “Worldwide Funk.” “The Just-Us Department,” the final track (and the only new song), crunches out DeJohnette’s most pronounced drumming on the entire set, pounding thick African drumming hewn in a modern, brittle icy metallic sound. (Allaboutjazz)

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Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Brazil (2005)

«Acoustic Brazil is Putumayo's fourth installment in its popular regional series which includes Brasileiro, Samba Bossa Nova and Brazilian Groove. Focusing again on bossa nova and samba canção, the compilers have put together a heady mix of old and new, with legendary performers like Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso and Chico Buarque crooning alongside more contemporary voices like Teresa Cristina, Lucas Santtana and Márcio Faraco. As usual, Putumayo has included extensive liner notes in English, Spanish and French, as well as numerous photos. Fans of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento or just bossa nova in general will find Acoustic Brazil not only warm and relaxing, but also teeming with life.» (AMG)

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Rosalia de Souza - Garota Moderna (2003)

«Italian producer Nicola Conte was responsible for one of the biggest underground dance hits of 2000, the wonderfully catchy and light "Bossa Per Due." That song and the album it was on, also titled Bossa Per Due, were a refreshing blast of laid-back Brazilian jazz meeting Stereolab at cocktail hour and made Conte one of the most sought-after producers in the world. In 2003 he hooked up with Rosalia de Souza, and on her debut record, Garota Moderna, Conte has done perhaps his best work yet. Over 13 tracks he and de Souza create a light, swinging, and hip mood that never flags and is a complete joy from beginning to end. Most of the songs are cut from the same cloth as Bossa Per Due: bossa nova-influenced rhythms spiced with loungy jazz touches and liberally borrowing elements from electronic dance music and easy listening. The frothy tropical cocktail is topped off with de Souza's sensual and sweet (and mostly sung in Portuguese) vocals. She never oversings or does anything remotely dramatic, often forgoing words altogether and crooning wonderful la-de-das. She is the perfect foil for Conte's winking and swinging sonic constructs. Tracks like "Maria Moita," "Tempo Futuro," "Mais," and "Ipanema" are sly groovers that sound like they should be playing in a James Bond movie set in Brazil. In fact the whole record is a retro-futuristic treat. It should appeal to dance music mavens, jazz fans, Brazilian music lovers, and just about anyone who likes easygoing, sunny dance music. It will also further cement Conte's position as a top-notch producer.» (AMG)

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Marcos Ariel - Bambu (1981)

«A música instrumental brasileira renasceu revigorada em meados da década de 80. Um dos principais responsáveis por este movimento foi Marcos Ariel. Tecladista, flautista, compositor e arranjador, Marcos passeia com naturalidade por gêneros diversos, que vão do chorinho ao jazz fusion. Um artista completo, com carreira consolidada nos EUA e Europa.
Produzido pelo próprio Marcos Ariel e pelo parceiro João Baptista, 4friends aponta na direção contemporânea do jazz. A química perfeita entre parceiros de tantos anos é evidente; uma reedição da seção instrumental da Banda Zil, que trazia entre 1986 e 1991, além de Ricardo Silveira (guitarra & violão), João Baptista (baixo) e Jurim Moreira (bateria), os músicos e cantores Zé Renato e Cláudio Nucci. 4friends mostra um repertório de onze composições inéditas de Marcos Ariel.

Marcos Ariel iniciou sua carreira profissional em 1976, como flautista e pianista do Grupo Cantares. Em 1981 lançou "Bambu", contemplado com o Prêmio Chiquinha Gonzaga. Lançou diversos outros trabalhos na década de 80, e participou do Free Jazz Festival em São Paulo (1986) e Rio (1987). Com a repercussão alcançada pelo disco "Terra de Índio" no exterior, começou também a se dedicar à carreira internacional. Na década de 90, lançou 4 discos nos EUA, alcançando sempre ótima colocação nas paradas das FMs norte-americanas.» (ClubdeJazz.com)

Entrevista com Marcos Ariel: AloMusica

English Liner Notes: Whatmusic

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Vinicius Cantuaria - Horse and Fish (2004)

«Horse and Fish is Brazilian guitarist and composer Vinicius Cantuaria's fifth [American] studio outing and his sixth overall. It is in some ways a radical departure and in others a full maturation of the hints and promises he's made since his [American] debut offering, Sol Na Cara, in 1997. Cantuaria – playing electric and acoustic guitars – and his sextet (which includes the wonderful Paul Socolow on bass and the lyrical impressionistic trumpeter Michael Leonhart) execute a program of samba classics and originals read through a cooking meld of Latin and Brazilian jazz and pop atmospherics. It takes guts to open an album with a radically new read of Gilberto Gil's trademark "Procissão," much less rework it entirely. But Cantuaria's restless musical personality dictates nothing less. Moving this progressive samba into rock and jazz terrains with subtle funky keyboards, modal trumpet lines, and guitar fills that dreamily (à la Hendrix) play counterpoint to layered, sensual polyrhythms not only offers Gil a tribute for his compositional prowess, but sets Cantauria's own watermark high for the rest of the set. Rather than try to follow it in kind, Cantuaria and band shift gears with a moody and sweet little tune of his own (stretched by subtle electronics and textures) called "Quase Choro," and it is a "quasi-choro" rhythmically and melodically. And so it goes. The constant shift between beautiful samba tunes tastefully and subtly reworked in the (post)modern idiom, like Roberto Menescal's "O Barquinho," with its lilting guitars and staggered light keyboard touches, is stretched further out of time and space by the sheer tenderness in Cantuaria's folk tunes like "Perritos," where his acoustic guitar's single notes and chords ring through his vocals and buoy them into the transcendent heart of his melody. But there are fireworks, too, such as in the sexed-up Latin jazz of his "Cubanos Postizos," where Cuban son, merengue, and funky samba entwine and soul-kiss one another. Cantuaria is a startlingly diverse songwriter, and Horse and Fish displays his array to dazzling effect. From the shimmering bossa of "Look the Sky" to the nocturnal guitar pop of "Tokyo" to the elegant yet edgy avant Brazilian pop of "O Nome Dela," Cantuaria is nearly boundless in his ability to approach, stretch, and reinvent song forms with great taste and tenderness. Add to this covers of two Jobim tunes – "Ligia" and "Este Seu Olhar" –that create aural portraits of love, lust, brokenness, and devotion, and one has an album that stands apart. Horse and Fish is a very special recording, one that listeners can encounter on many different levels. It will enchant, challenge, seduce, surprise, and delight anyone who approaches it without prejudice. Simply brilliant.» (Thom Yurek, AMG)

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The Bossa Nova Exciting Jazz Samba Rhythms Vol. 1 (2000)

Well, I think that the title says it all. Apart from a few (almost unavoidable) fillers, a brilliant collection of (mostly instrumental) rare killer bossa grooves from the golden 60's. Check it out (bossa) soul brothers!

Note: Due to some problems in uploading with Sharebee, today I opted for Megaupload.

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Think of One - Chuva Em Po (2004)

«Winning the “boundary crossing” category in the 2004 BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music has done this group of Antwerp bohemians no end of good in terms of publicity. Despite this being their sixth album, before the awards they were relatively unheard of outside Belgium.

Theirs is a diverse and unlikely mix of influences, including jazz, funk, reggae and punk rock, along with Belgian brass band music, which they combine with various world music elements. So far, this has meant a strong focus on Moroccan trance music, expressed over three CDs made in collaboration with a number of Marrakech-based musicians.

Chuva em Po is the result of a trip to Recife, Brazil, where the band hung out with local musicians and absorbed the rhythms of Brazil's musically rich North East, attempting a marriage between Latin and European carnival music. The result is a mixture of efforts by songwriter David Bovée and adaptations of traditional songs in local styles such as afoxé, frevo, maracatú and côco as well as more familiar samba and bossa nova – given a weird 7/4 twist on "Sideways Swimming".

Local singer Dona Sila do Côco and percussionist Carranca, (on loan from Nana Vasconcelos), are the stars of the album but Think Of One certainly deserve the recognition they're finally getting for their audacity and open-minded approach.» (Jon Lusk, BBC)

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Gal Costa - Gal Costa (Cinema Olympia) (1969)

Just for a moment, forget about samba beats and bossa nova, ’cause this album, released at the height of Tropicalia movement, is a real masterpiece of Brazilian (but world-class) psychedelic rock. Ultra-highly recommended!!

«After Caetano Veloso broke out with his solo debut, the self-titled 1968 release recognized as the building block for the now infamous Brazilian Tropicalia movement, his friends and musical peers released similar albums, always upping the ante in terms of outrageousness and inventiveness. This release, the second of two self-titled albums released by Gal Costa in 1969, set the high watermark in terms of overall insanity and complete experimental freedom for the entire lot; not Veloso nor Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, or even the rambunctious Os Mutantes stepped this far out into psychedelia, and even though Costa had hinted at the noisier aspects she was interested in exploring with her previous release, this album must have shocked listeners when it arrived on the shelves. In fact, 35 years of MPB – or music from anywhere else in the world for that matter – hasn’t heard another sonic assault quite like this. Costa is a ball of contradictions here: overtly wild but in control; sweet and accessible, yet brash; and, at times, almost violent as she screams and moans her way through the album while spindly, whiny guitars mix with soulful bass grooves, bombastic drums, exotic horns, woodwinds, and strings. The sonic textures are taken completely over the top with judicious use of delays, reverbs, and various production techniques new and exciting at the time. When taken all together, the listener may not at first notice the high quality of the songwriting for the unreal, emotional freak-outs laced throughout the performances. Costa’s crazy improvisations over Caetano Veloso’s tune "The Empty Boat" serve as evidence of this delightful impulsiveness when placed side by side with Veloso’s own rather forward-thinking recording of the song, which sounds positively conservative by comparison. All in all, Gal Costa is an indescribable, unpredictable, ambitious, and fun record preserving a slice of time when Brazil was at its most controversial state musically and politically and is a must-have for any psychedelic collection.» (AMG)

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