Tim Bernardes, ein für den Latin Grammy nominierter Sänger, Songwriter, Musiker, Komponist und Produzent aus Sao Paulo, Brasilien, hat ein weltweites Publikum mit seiner delikaten Balance zwischen Klängen, die in der brasilianischen Tradition verwurzelt sind, und zeitgenössischem Indie und Folk in seinen Bann gezogen, die zutiefst warm, intim, emotional und heilend ist.

Er hat mit Künstlern wie den Fleet Foxes, Tom Zé, David Byrne, Gal Costa, Devendra Banhart, Shintaro Sakamoto und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Mil Coisas Invisíveis ist sein zweites Soloalbum nach seinem 2017 erschienenen Debüt Recomeçar. Das Album entstand vor allem während der Tournee mit seiner gefeierten Tropicalia-Indie-Gruppe O Terno und auf dem Weg ins Jahr 2020, als er beschloss, sich vom Touren zurückzuziehen und sich auf neue Songs zu konzentrieren. Herausgekommen ist ein Album, das großzügig und intim ist - eine Reihe von Meditationen über metaphysische Transformation im Angesicht großer Unsicherheit. »Ich hoffe, dass ich eines Tages nur ein Zehntel so gut singen und Songs schreiben kann wie Tim Bernardes« robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes »Ein Wunder der Abstimmung, der Dynamikkontrolle, der Raffinesse, der instrumentalen Ausführung und der Freiheit in der Eleganz des Bühneneinsatzes«, Caetano Veloso »Bernardes' Stimme ist wahrhaftig vom Feinsten«.

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... Ähnlich zeitgenössisch geht Tim Bernardes zur Sache. Sein neues Album "Mil Coisas Invisíveis" (Psychic Hotline) ist so etwas wie die Antipode zum sprudeligen Album von Bala Desejo. Er dreht die "Saudade" der brasilianischen Musik in eine universelle Melancholie, die an die intellektuellen Seiten des Indie-Folk aus dem Norden andockt. Da hat er auch längst schon einen guten Stand. Die Fleet Foxes haben ihn schon ins Studio geholt, Devendra Banhart und David Byrne. Auf dem Album hat er fast alles selbst gemacht. Viel Nylonsaiten-Gitarre, Klavier, eine Plektrum-gezupfte Bassgitarre, wie sie Carol Kaye auf den späten Beach-Boys-Platten spielte, und Orchesterarrangements, die in ihrer Sparsamkeit auf einen ästhetisch tadellosen Schwebezustand abzielen. Dieser Minimalismus in Perfektion gibt seiner Stimme genau den Raum, den sie braucht für all die Dynamik und Emotionalität. Bernardes beherrscht Miles Davis' Credo, dass alles, was man nicht spielt, mindestens so wichtig ist, wie alles, was man spielt. Auch wenn Jazz bei ihm und seinen Zeitgenossen meist nur ein Nachgedanke ist. Aber das war er im Bossa Nova irgendwann auch.

(www.sueddeutsche.de)

Flora Purim, eine der ganz Großen des brasilianischen Jazz-Fusion, kehrt mit ihrem ersten Studioalbum seit über 15 Jahren zurück: »If You Will«, erschienen über Strut.

Das Album ist als Feier ihrer Musik und ihrer Zusammenarbeit konzipiert und enthält neben neuen Kompositionen auch neue Versionen von Floras persönlichen Lieblingssongs und positiven Texten aus ihrer abwechslungsreichen Karriere.

»If You Will« ist ein weiters Kapitel des Umbruchs in Floras langer, illustrer und abwechslungsreicher Karriere. Neben ihrer gefeierten Partnerschaft mit Airto und ihrer frühen Zeit mit dem Quarteto Novo hat Flora mit Stan Getz, Gil Evans, Miriam Makeba, George Duke, Chick Corea (als Gründungsmitglied von Return To Forever), Dizzy Gillespies United Nation Orchestra, der uruguayischen Band Opa und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet. Ihre Soloalben bei Milestone sind echte Jazz-Fusion-Klassiker.

Zweites Solowerk des brasilianischen Musikers Rodrigo Amarante, bekannt für den Titelsong Tuyo der Netflix-Serie Narcos, als Mitglied von Orquestra Imperial, Los Hermanos, der Rough Trade-Band Little Joy (mit Fab Moretti von The Strokes & Bikini Shapiro), sowie als Komponist für Gal Costa, Norah Jones und Gilberto Gil.

Im Gegensatz zu seinem Solodebüt Cavalo (2014) ist Drama karikaturistisch, filmisch, parteiisch wie die Erinnerung. Die Songs fliessen im Bogen, spielerisch täuschend, wie ein Märchen. Der ominöse Opener/Titelsong lässt erahnen, dass die Dinge vielleicht nicht so sind, was sie zu sein scheinen, und dass sich Hinweise im Verborgenen verstecken.

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Since releasing the sublime Cavalo in 2014, Brazilian singer/songwriter Rodrigo Amarante has earned some well-deserved North American hype thanks to the evocative "Tuyo," which he wrote as the theme song for Netflix's drug cartel drama Narcos. A creaky, string-decorated bolero sung in Spanish, it's a typically eclectic offering from an artist who is hard to pin down. Weaving and winding through an array of beguiling rhythms, languages, and tones, Amarante's second album, Drama, moves between flair and subtlety with a casual grace that feels timeless. From the melodramatic strings-meet-laugh track dichotomy of the opening instrumental to its deceptively breezy art-pop counterpart "Maré," Amarante casts a spell that remains unbroken for the album's duration. The swooning bossa nova of "Tara" gives way to the haunting clamor of "I Can't Wait," one of several English language cuts from the now Los Angeles-based singer. With its growling horn stacks, "Tao" lays down an inescapable groove and represents Drama at its most muscular. More than anything, Amarante feels like a Tropicália artist for the 21st century, artfully fusing Brazilian and Latin American traditions to progressive songwriting and arrangements that touch on pop, psychedelia, folk, and rock. Like a consummate craftsman he folds unexpected details into the whole without a lot of fanfare, which lends the album an undercurrent of excitement and even tension. Leaving the listener with a sense of sweet melancholia, Amarante wraps up with "The End," a dusty-voiced piano ballad that serves as the closing credits to Drama's captivating journey.

(by Timothy Monger, All Music Guide)

Far Out präsentiert das Debütalbum von Ricardo Richaid, Tontechniker und Produzent aus Rio de Janeiro, der mit vielen Brazil-Größen (wie Caetano Veloso, Arthur Verocai, Joyce, Ivan Lins, Marcos Valle, Azymuth, Hermeto Pascoal) zusammengearbeitet hat.

Deren musikalische Inspirationen vermengt Ricardo mit Elementen aus Psychedelia, Jazz und Rock zu einem modernen Brazil-Sound, der er mit Top-Musikern wie dem Percussionisten Marcos Suzano (Gilberto Gil), der Experimental-Pop-Künstlerin Ana Frango Eletrico und dem Vokalisten und Multiinstrumentalisten Jose Ibarra aufgenommen hat.

Brazil-Legende Marcos Valle feiert seit Mitte der 1990er auf Far Out Recordings seinen zweiten, musikalischen Frühling und präsentiert mit »Sempre« sein brandneues Album, aufgenommen mit erstklassigen Musikern wie Alex Malheiros (Azymuth), Trompeter Jesse Sadoc und Percussion-Meister Armando Marcel.

»Sempre« bietet brasilianische Feel-Good/Party-Musik zwischen Disco-Exstase, Cosmic-Samba und Late-Night-Jazz-Funk und erinnert an Valles erfolgreiche Spät-1970er/Früh-1980er Phase.

Es ist das dreizehnte Album des Sängers und Multiinstrumentalisten und seine Rückkehr zum »AOR«.

Es sind nur acht Stücke, diskrete vierzig Minuten und somit perfekt für zwei LP-Seiten, aber jeder einzelne Song des Albums ist ein Klang-Universum. Das Klangspektrum reicht von Soul über Fusion bis Funk und Soft Rock, leidenschaftlich eingespielt und produziert im Estudio Marini, Studio A Casa und Ed Mottas eigenem Dwitza, allesamt in Rio de Janeiro.

Die anderen Musiker auf dem Album geben den ausnahmslos von Ed Motta komponierten, getexteten, arrangierten und produzierten Stücken mit ihren Soli und auch im eng verzahnten Ensemble-Spiel genau die sinnliche Qualität, die er selbst als Zuhörer schätzt.

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»Großartige Platte – ein würdiger Nachfolger zu ›Perpetual Gateways‹ (2016).«

(Audio, Oktober 2018)

Alexandre Kassin ist ein brasilianischer Musikproduzent, Komponist, Multiinstrumentalist und Sänger. Er wurde 1974 in Rio de Janeiro geboren und zählt mittlerweile zu den bekanntesten Köpfen der heimischen Pop-Szene. In seiner langen Karriere hat Kassin bereits über 100 Alben produziert, unter anderem für Marisa Monte und Bebel Gilberto. Auch Sean O'Hagan (Stereolab, High Llamas) stand er schon produktiv zur Seite. Konzerte von Caetano Veloso begleitete Kassin als Bassist. Außerdem ist er Leiter der Band Orquestra Imperial. Mit Moreno Veloso und Domenico Lancelotti gründete Kassin die Gruppe +2. In jungen Jahren erstellte er ein Album, das allein auf den Tönen eines Gameboy basierte.

Sein aktuelles Werk »Relax« wartet hingegen mit einem breiten, vor allem sehr zugänglichen stilistischen Spektrum auf. Über elf Stücke hinweg flirtet Kassin ganz entspannt mit tanzbaren südamerikanischen Rhythmen, brasilianischem Pop und Soul. Dabei gibt er erfundene Geschichten über den Tod, Drogenmissbrauch, Politik und das Schicksal zum Besten.

Das macht »Relax« zu einem surreal-dichotomischen Erlebnis: den leichtfüßigen tropischen Arrangements stehen recht schwere Inhalte gegenüber. Für Kassin zeigt sich darin das Yin und Yang des brasilianischen Alltags - nichts ist gewiss.

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For more than two decades, Alexandre Kassin has left an indelible mark on Brazilian popular music. From his involvement in the near-mythical Acabou La Tequila in the mid-'90s to his collaborative membership in +2 with Moreno Veloso and Domenico Lancellotti, to dozens of production, songwriting, and sideman gigs -- including work with Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, Bebel Gilberto, and Erasmo Carlos -- he is among the most influential members of Brazil's music fraternity. Relax is only Kassin's second solo album; it follows his debut, Sonhando Devagar, by six years. Where the former celebrated blissed-out dreaminess, Relax revolves around the mundanities, tragedies, and absurdities of waking life.

There is much to link Relax with its predecessor musically. Kassin employs several of the same collaborators and utilizes just as many styles here, from disco, funk, and jovem garda, to samba torto (crooked samba), neo-bolero, bossa nova, and pop. Several tunes have seen the light in different versions before. "Estricnina" ("Strychnine Love") was first recorded in 2000 with vocals by Rio de Janeiro's Toni Plato. Here it's driven by a spooky organ, drums, and guitars, Kassin rips at the seam where new bossa meets jovem garda; his bassline and droll singing are backed by a haunted B-3 and skittering breakbeat snares. An instrumental version of "O Anestesista" (a "math bossa") was issued in 2017 on Visitantes Nordestinos by Mitch & Mitch -- Kassin played on and produced it. His take here offers his singing up front delivering darkly humorous lyrics (translated by Arto Lindsay) requesting a medical professional give him nitrous oxide during life's more difficult moments. Closer "Enquanto Desaba o Mundo" was written by Kassin for Zabelê, who cut it on her self-titled solo debut in 2015, which was produced and mixed by his +2 bandmates.

The title track, penned with Alberto Continentino, is a sideways tribute to production duo of Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti; it borrows the bassline from Hall & Oates' "She's Gone" and adorns its backdrop with a gorgeous Gil Evans-esque horn chart atop a fluid disco beat. Single "Momento de Clareza" is almost pure tropical disco (complete with a chunky Nile Rodgers-inspired guitar line). The breezy "Didgeridoo," co-written with Sean O'Hagan, is a samba whose lyrics are drenched in cannibalism, complete with dead meat being chewed, digested, and evacuated -- it's a metaphor for the end of a relationship. "A Paisagem Morta" references the influence of Frank Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" by way of Barry White and Marcos Valle; it's one of the more sensual things here. "Sua Sugestao" melds bossa nova and jovem garda rock, while "A Paisagem Morta" is an achingly beautiful tune about the ghosts left behind after a relationship dies; its fragile poetic lyrics are made more resonant with elegant trombones, Lancellotti's slippery snares, cascading pianos, and a mellotron. Despite its sometimes bittersweet (and perverse) lyrics, Relax is pure retro summer fun. Its imagination, execution, and restless carioca grooves make it a necessary addition to any Brazilian music fan's collection.

(by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

Das neue Album des ECHO Jazz 2017 Gewinners ist einem der bedeutendsten brasilianischen Singer-Songwriter gewidmet: Milton Nascimento.

Mit dieser Aufnahme feiert das Qunitett außerdem sein 10-jähriges Bestehen. Neben seinem Einfluss in der brasilianischen Musik seit den Clube da Esquina-Jahren ist Milton Nascimento auch eine Referenz für internationale Stars wie Paul Simon, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Esperanza Spalding und die legendäre Gruppe Earth, Wind & Fire, um nur einige zu nennen.

Jede Aufnahme von Hamilton de Holanda ist eine große Überraschung, denn als einer der besten Instrumentalisten Brasiliens zeigt er immer wieder aufs Neue seine Einzigartigkeit und Vielseitigkeit. Auf Casa de Bituca sind mit Milton Nascimento und dem legendären Samba-Star Alcione ganz besondere Gäste zu hören. Hamilton selbst singt auch zum ersten Mal ein ganzes Lied, Mar da Indiferença, eine Komposition seines langjährigen Partners Marcos Portinari.

Die Aufnahmen wurden zudem als Videos mitgeschnitten, die als DVD beiliegen

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Ein geradezu magisches Zusammentreffen, das alle Beteiligten im hellsten Licht erstrahlen lässt.

(Musikwoche, 30.06.2017)

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Ein vorgezogenes Geburtstagsgeschenk der feinsten Sorte. Und wir dürfen mitfeiern.

(Michael Laages, NDR Info, 22.06.2017)

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Umwerfende Hommage an Landsmann und Kultsänger Milton Nascimiento.

(Tonart, Sommer 2017)

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Wenn Hamilton de Holanda die zehnsaitige Konzertmandoline zupft, tut sich in der Tat eine Welt auf, in der es harmonischer, gesünder, ausgeglichener zugeht.

(Fono Forum, 08 / 2017)

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Hamilton de Holanda spielt Nascimientos Songs nicht orginalgetreu nach, seine Versionen klingen jazziger.

(TAZ, 10.07.2017)

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Dabei wandelt er besonders schön die breitwandige Melancholie und Spiritualität, die Nascimentos Werk durchziehen, in kammermusikalischen Swing.

(Rolling Stone, Juli 2017)

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De Holanda versteht es hier, diese so einzigartige Musik seines Landsmannes intelligent zu interpretieren, sie auf seine sparsame Art in einem anderen Licht erstrahlen zu lassen.

(Jazzthetik, September 2017)

Domenico Lancellotti ist ein brasilianischer Sänger, Schlagzeuger, Multiinstrumentalist und Komponist. Er wurde 1972 in Rio de Janeiro geboren. Sein Vater ist der bekannte Komponist Ivor Lancellotti. In der Vergangenheit kollaborierte Lancellotti bereits mit vielen namhaften Künstlern der Música Popular Brasileira, darunter Adriana Calcanhotto, Marcos Valle, Fernanda Abreu und Caetano Veloso.

Insbesondere die Zusammenarbeit mit Letzterem ist naheliegend, da Lancellotti mit dessen Sohn Moreno Veloso sowie Alexandre Kassin das Aufsehen erregende Trio +2 bildete. Zu weiteren bekannten Projekten Lancellottis gehören Orchestra Imperial und Ritmistas. Das reflektierte Samba-Album »The Good Is A Big God« ist inspiriert von einer Reise durch den brasilianischen Nationalpark The Serra dos Órgãos.

Es erscheint bei David Byrnes Label Luaka Bop und wurde durch die Mitarbeit von Nina Miranda, Moreno Veloso, Alexandre Kassin, Pedro Sá und vor allem Sean O'Hagan (Stereolab, High Llamas) geprägt. Letzteren lernte Lancellotti im Rahmen des Kulturprogramms der Olympischen Spiele 2012 in London kennen. Seitdem stand man in einem kreativen Austausch und schickte sich die Soundfiles über den Atlantik hin und her.

�Wir haben zwar schon eine Vielzahl von Einfl�ssen, angefangen bei Bj�rk und bei der DJ-Szene in Japan aufh�rend. Doch was immer wir auch spielen, es wird in der Musica Popular Brasileira verhaftet bleiben. Selbst eine Band wie Sepultura kommt davon nicht los � und wir wollen es nicht einmal. Nur das wir versuchen, das typisch brasilianische Spektrum nach unserem Gusto zu erweitern, aber eben nicht verlassen!�

Rodrigo Amarante wurde bekannt als Mitglied von Los Hermanos, einer der beliebtesten Alternative-Bands Brasiliens. Seit Jahren lebt er in den USA und trat zuletzt in Devendra Banharts Liveband sowie als Gr�ndungsmitglied der US-brasilianischen Band Little Joy (neben dem Strokes-Schlagzeuger Fabrizio Moretti und Binki Shapiro) in Erscheinung.

Sein Solodeb�t "Cavalo" ist ein mutiges, ehrliches und zutiefst pers�nliches Album, das sich mit dem amerikanischen Exilleben des Brasilianers besch�ftigt. Der n�mlich lebt seit 2008 in Los Angeles, ein Umstand, den man "Cavalo" auch anh�rt: Das Album lebt von einem leicht diesigen, vertr�umten West-Coast-Vibe, die Songs atmen verschiedene Stimmungen, Sprachen und Tempi. So ist das erste St�ck "Nada Em Vao" eher schlafwandlerisch unterwegs, w�hrend "Hourglass" ein schnell bewegender psychedelischer Stomper ist und "Mon Nom" als sonnenfleckiger, franz�sischsprachiger Folktronic-Walzer kommt.

Ein verf�hrerisches Album, das atmosph�risch irgendwo zwischen David Crosby, Bon Iver und Cat Power anzusiedeln ist.

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The road leading to Brazilian singer/songwriter Rodrigo Amarante's first solo album was a long one. The journeyman artist began his career in the late '90s taking a sideman role in the popular Brazilian rock group Los Hermanos and eventually emerging as the band's driving force and key songwriter. He was a member of the samba big band supergroup Orquestra Imperial, recorded in America with Devendra Banhart, and then formed the indie project Little Joy with Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti. But it took nearly two decades until he was ready to make his most personal artistic statement, 2014's sublime Cavalo. A thoughtful and beautifully rendered blend of classic tropic�lia and indie folk and rock styles, Amarante evokes the pan-global creativity of Caetano Veloso, the wry and romantic charm of Paolo Conte, and the experimental pop meanderings of Andrew Bird. This is a unique record by an artist who is hard to define as he jumps from Portuguese to French to English throughout songs that are moody, melancholic, and at times jaunty. From the strange beauty of opener "Nada em V�o," whose sonic bed resembles Bibio's Silver Wilkinson album, to the spare, enchanting closer "Tardei," Amarante presents a diverse but ultimately cohesive set fixated on themes of quiet solitude, exile, and discovery. Two of the most striking tracks, "Mon Nom" and "Irene," sit together in the sequence, wistfully sung and gently played on solo classical guitar through a warm, gauzy filter that best represents the overall tone of Cavalo. When he does pick up the tempo, as on the Spoon-esque "Hourglass" or the bright, tropical romp "Man�," it changes the mood enough to further flesh out Amarante's unique personality without disrupting the album's flow. Already a well-known figure in the Brazilian pop scene, this wonderfully creative and understated solo debut ought to vault him further into international favor and critical success.

(by Timothy Monger, All Music Guide)

Neben Brasiliens musikalischen Traditionen existiert eine pulsierende zeitgenössische Musiklandschaft, verkörpert durch den heißblütigen und einnehmenden Sound von Sexy Fi. “Nunca Te Vi De Boa” ist gleichzeitig Indie Rock, Blues Pop und Brazilian Soul und spiegelt Brasiliens wachsende Rolle in der internationalen Szene wieder. Ein Großstadt-Soundtrack zum globalen Zusammenleben.

Vom süßen und doch melancholischen Opener ‘Bermas’ zum sich geschickt auftürmenden, Bläsergeschwängerten “Loro Con Loro”, gleitet dieses Album dahin zwischen Momenten angstbehafteter Dissonanz à la Sonic Youth und dem gespenstischen Sinnieren gesangsgesteuerter Pop-Empfindsamkeit ähnlich Portishead. Mit dem herausragenden Song “Keep Cooler” und einem Remix der hochbegabten Born Ruffians (Warp Records), verkörpert dieses Werk bemerkenswert selbstbewusst die Indie-Bewegung Lateinamerikas.

Diese Reise ist auch die Geschichte einer musikalischen Beziehung, die in Brasiliens Hauptstadt, während des Studiums an der University of Brasilia, ihren Anfang nahm. Die Freundschaft der Sängerin Camilla Zamith mit Gitarrist Praxis überdauerte und erstreckte sich über den Atlantik hinaus, als Camilla nach London und Praxis nach Rio de Janeiro zog. Über das digitale Netz blieben sie in engem Kontakt, was in 2009 zum ersten Album des Duos, “Chora Matisse”, führte, damals noch unter dem Namen Nancy. Auf dem Rücken dieser ersten Bemühungen gründeten sie schließlich Sexy Fi und spielten eine Reihe von Festivals in ganz Brasilien, schließlich auch eine kleine US-Tour, die in Showcases beim heiligen SXSW-Festival in Austin, Texas mündete. In 2011 wurde Sexy Fis charakteristischer musikalischer Tropical-Chic auf dem Album “Nunca Te Vi De Boa” von Produzent John McEntire (Tortoise) in den Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago eingefangen, und Far Out ist überglücklich, die Band einem neuen Publikum vorstellen zu können.

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Singer Camilla Zamith and her unassuming crew cobbled together this promising EP using instant messaging, GarageBand and pluck, resulting in a fetching album spearheaded by this catchy tune about an obsessive lover tired of being walked on

(WIRED)

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In terms of new bands, Brazilian band Nancy won me over with the sexy and swaggering Keep Cooler

(USA TODAY)

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The softness of their music keeps sharp little spines around its frame, like a green blade of grass

(URB Magazine)

"Liebe Paradiso" der Name ist Programm bei diesem wunderschönen brasilianischen Meisterwerk, das gleichzeitig eine Hymne an Berlin und die paradiesische Liebe ist. Entstanden über drei Jahre und in unzähligen Aufnahmesessions, inspiriert von langen Aufenthalten in Berlin und illustriert mit Fotos, Sounds und Videos (Letztere nur im Netz) von diesen Reisen, verbindet "Liebe Paradiso" einige Stars der Bossa Nova oder MPB (Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Jaques Morelenbaum, Milton Nascimento) mit jüngeren Helden wie der Sängerin Adriana Calcanhotto oder Donatinho von der Band "Paraphernalia". Streng genommen ist dieses Album eine Neubearbeitung eines der großen brasilianischen Erfolge des Jahres 1997.

Aber, um es mit einem brasilianischen Pop-Kritiker zu sagen, der "Liebe Paradiso" hinter Jay-Z/Kanye West und die Derek Trucks Band auf Platz 3 seiner Jahrescharts wählte: "Das hat nichts mit Faulheit zu tun, sondern mit einem gründlichen und sehr durchdachten künstlerischen Ansatz. Man sollte es sich gönnen, das Album mindestens ein Dutzend Mal mit Kopfhörern zu hören, denn jedes Hören enthüllt wunderbare neue Details." Vor bald 16 Jahren komponierten und spielten die Protagonisten Bastos und Fonseca elf Titel für das Album "Paradiso" ein - sehr reduziert, oft nur mit Gitarre, Gesang und Percussion, eine Art moderner ,,Bossa Nova".

Der unmittelbare und anhaltende Erfolg dieses Albums hallte auch gut zehn Jahre später noch nach, als Bastos ,,unvermittelt zu ziemlich viel Geld kam", Wie er es ausdrückt - und sich überlegte, seinen überraschenden Geldsegen in eine Überarbeitung des Albums zu investieren. "lch hatte das Gefühl, dass "Paradiso" noch unergründetes Potential hat", erinnert sich Bastos, ein langjähriger Hit-Lieferant und Kollege von Tom Jobim, Edu Lobo, Dori Caymmi, Milton Nascimento oder Ed Motta.

All das ist interessant, doch schließlich nicht wirklich wichtig: "Liebe Paradiso" wirkt auch ohne die ereignisreiche Vor- und Produktionsgeschichte. "Liebe Paradiso bietet eine dichte, umsichtige und leidenschaftliche Lyrik", meint der Schriftsteller Marco Lucchesi ("Ereignislicht"). "Es ist ein Fenster in das Andere. Mitfühlend und einfühlsam und mit einer raffinierten Ökonomie der Mittel. Das Totale und das Fragment. Das Mehr im Weniger. Als wäre jede Komposition eine einzelne Stimme, sehnsüchtig nach einem klaren und unersättlichen Horizont. (...) Ein Werk von Poeten, Poeten gewidmet. Ein seltenes Juwel in der aktuellen brasilianischen Popmusik." Und eines, das sich schon nach wenigen Tönen als absolut paradiesisch zu erkennen gibt.

Mit dem fantastischen “AOR”, seinem zwölften Album unter eigenem Namen, könnte Ed Motta endlich auch diesseits des Erdballs für Furore sorgen. Die Zeit ist reif, das Album perfekt dafür: “AOR” ist Ed Mottas herzliches und hervorragendes Tribut an den “Album-” oder auch “Adult-Oriented- Rock”, den Bands wie etwa Earth, Wind & Fire, Doobie Brothers, Chicago, The Beach Boys oder auch Steely Dan geprägt haben.

Features von der amerikanischen Gitarrenlegende David T. Walker über den Incognito-Gitarristen “Bluey” Maunick bis zu lokalen Legenden wie Jota Moraes, Chico Pinheiro oder Zé Canuto.

“Bevor man sich dieses Album anhört, sollte man sich ein Hawaii-Hemd a la Magnum anziehen, dazu Slipper ohne Socken wie in Miami Vice, sich in ein Cabrio setzen und an Kokosnusspalmen vorbei in den Sonnenuntergang cruisen. Egal ob in Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Miami oder Hawaii. Aloha!” Worauf warten wir noch?"

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... umgibt er seinen Bariton, der in voluminöser Sattheit thront, mit einem Zauberkasten an Tastenmagie (...) und Unterstützung von alten Gitarrenkumpels wie David T. Walker und Bluey Maunick.

(Rolling Stone, Juli 2013)

... das Gaspedal im Cabrio ist festgestellt, mit AOR düst man nicht durch Köln-Nippes, sondern über den Pacific Coast Highway aus dem Phantasialand des Pop.

(musikexpress, August 2013)

Der Sohn der Samba-Legende Ivor Lancelotti mit einem faszinierenden Solo- Album zwischen Indie, Pop, Soundtrack und Latin. Produziert von Mario Caldato Jr. (Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson, Beck)

The words "cine privê" conjure up late-night skin flicks for Brazilians, but the more appropriate meaning of the album title is closer to its literal translation: private cinema. Domenico writes and co-writes all the songs, sings, plays guitar and designs the rhythmically adventurous soundscapes heard on Cine Privê. Built on consistently intriguing rhythms and sonic textures, Cine Privê is reminiscent of the meditative yet swinging quality of Joao Donato's mid-seventies albums (Quem É Quem & Lugar Comum) as filtered through the indie aesthetic of Yo La Tengo, Pavement or Stereolab, sans the in-your-face avant-garde-isms. True to his intentions, many of Domenico's songs come across like soundtracks to lost films, for instance: the falling-in-love montage in an Italian rom-com starring Roberto Benigni ("Su Di Te") or the Spaghetti Western set in the Brazilian Northeast.

Schon auf zwei vorangegangenen Alben hat Brasiliens Singer-Songwriter- Legende, zur �berraschung aller Puristen, hervorragend mit der jungen Rockgruppe BandaCe harmoniert. Auf Abracaco setzen die vier Musiker jetzt ihre mal nostalgisch-melodische, mal Indie-rockige Mischung aus Samba, Bossa Nova, Funk und Rock fort. Gleich in der ersten Nummer mit dem doppeldeutigen Titel A Bossa Nova e foda (was sowohl f�r Die Bossa Nova ist Schei�e als auch Die Bossa Nova ist spitze stehen kann) stellt Caetano klar, dass brasilianische Musik nicht immer sanft und relaxed sein muss. In dem Song vergleicht er Bossa-Erfinder Joao Gilberto k�hn mit brasilianischen Martial-Arts-K�mpfern. Ich m�chte nicht das Klischee bedienen, dass die Bossa Nova immer etwas S��es und Weiches ist, verr�t Caetano. Zum Beweis seiner These h�re man Abracaco, staune und genie�e Velosos neue intelligent-sperrige Brasil-Perlen!

Caetano Veloso sah in ihr die "Zukunft der brasilianischen Musik", und auch hierzulande liegen ihr Kritiker und Publikum nach den Alben "Céu" und "Vagarosa" zu Füßen. Nun krönt die Sängerin aus São Paulo ihr bisheriges Schaffen mit "Caravana Sereia Bloom". Als Thema hat sich Céu die Mythologie des Reisens auserkoren, inspiriert durch mehrere Trips in den wilden Nordosten Brasiliens. Ihre 13 Kompositionen knüpfen direkt an der gewagten Klangwelt der Tropikalisten an und ziehen zugleich den Hut vor den Low-Fi-Sound-Rebellen des Nordostens wie Nação Zumbi, Otto oder DJ Dolores. "Caravana Sereia Bloom" ist eine Sammlung von Kurzgeschichten, die sich um einen fahrenden Zirkus ranken: Trösterin eines traurigen Clowns, Schutzengel einer einsamen alten Dame, Sängerin in einer Karaokebar - Céu schlüpft hier in viele Rollen. Stilistisch gibt sich das Werk wild wie das Zirkusleben: Psychedelic-Rock, Cumbia, Ska, Lambada und melancholische Balladen. Das bislang aufregendste und gewagteste Album der Brasilianerin.

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Caravana Sereia Bloom, the third album in seven years from Brazilian singer and songwriter Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças (aka Céu), sounds dramatically different than the breezy, electronically washed 21st century bossa and samba of her previous offerings. Both earlier efforts were influenced by the electronic music of Thievery Corporation, Kruder & Dorfmeister, and even Röyksopp, as well as jazzy bossa, samba and classic MPB. Working with producer Gui Amabis, Caravana Sereia Bloom is a much more expansive recording. Born from ideas incurred during an extended road trip through her native country from São Paulo to the nation's northeastern region, and the inspiration of the road movie Bye Bye Brazil, it reflects -- musically -- much of what she heard during those travels; this music also has much in common with the ambitious, experimental spirit of the tropicalia era without being self-conscious. While Caravana Sereia Bloom is easily the most stripped-down record she's cut, it is also her most contemporary. Céu and Amabis employ programming and electronic sounds throughout; the emphasis here is on guitars, basses, drums, keyboards from synths to Wurlitzer, reeds, winds, and brass. No two tracks seem to come from the same root universe, but all reflect the fleeting sensations of life on the road. The funky carnivalesque jazz samba in opener "Falta de Ar" contrasts mightily with the neo-psychedelic surf guitar chicha of "Amor de Antigos." The ska-inflected cumbia of "Asfalto e Sal," with its bass drums, flutes, and hypnotic bassline, is an album highlight. "Contravento" is a rhythm collision of samba, lambada, and cumbia. It's among the most driving tracks here and colored beautifully by a multi-tracked tenor sax, B-3, percussion loops, drums, a taut bassline, and pulsing guitars. "You Won't Regret It," one of three English-language tracks here, is a cover of a vintage rocksteady tune featuring gorgeously layered vocals, trumpet, flügelhorn, sampled tuba, and grand rhythmic interplay. "Baile de Ilusão" melds 21st century brega and cumbia in a heady, sensual mix with a lovely melodic frame. "Fffree" is an abstract, completely solo tune, on which Céu plays organ, guitar, and bass and sings a brief, airy poem about the liberating quality of rootlessness. The 13 tracks on Caravana Sereia Bloom reveal an artist who is pushing the envelope of MPB, and is taking no prisoners in the process.

(by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

In his native Brazil, Kassin is a sought-after producer (Bebel Gilberto), bass player (Caetano Veloso), and musical director (Orchestra Imperial, a new-twist samba band that plays for audiences of up to 40,000). But outside Brazil, he is best known as one of that mysterious trio known as �+2� who released three albums on Luaka Bop, each identified by a different leader: Moreno (Veloso, Caetano�s son) +2, Domenico (Lancellotti) +2, and � the last of the series, released in 2008 � (Alexandre) Kassin +2. The +2�s toured the world, collaborated with royalty of the indie rock world like John McEntire (Tortoise) and Sean O�Hagan (High Llamas), and called it a day after completing their high-concept trilogy.

Kassin�s first songwriting project since the +2�s, and his first proper solo release, is likewise a concept album: a set of songs about dreams. This is no routine mishmash of oneiric whimsy, however; Kassin�s unconscious turns out to be both lucid and precise. He dreams (and therefore sings) about eating zebra (�Natural World�) and bananas (�Potassium�); about losing cell phone signal (�Out of Service�) and his heart (�When You Are Dancing Samba�); about sex in a handicapped bathroom (�Gym Pants�), and the similarities between ice cream and bodily fluids (�Absorb You�). It is a journey as deadpan as it is surprising. And you can dance to the whole thing.

Previously available only in Brazil, Sonhando Devagar [Dreaming Slowly] is now released for the first time anywhere on LP (download code also included), in a gorgeous 3-D gatefold sleeve. 3-D glasses included to help you read the fantastic lyrics in both Portuguese and English.

The early-2000s renaissance of Marcos Valle was a delight for his fans, especially those who had long held onto hopes that they'd hear more to rival his late-'60s and early-'70s prime. Curiously quiet after a 2005 live album, though, it seemed that Valle had gone back into hibernation. He returned with a bang, however, on 2010's Est�tica, which is nearly everything his fans had been looking for. The songwriting is bright and memorable, the production style unifies the best of his sunny late-'60s style and his innovative early-'70s prime, and Valle's strong personality is at the center of it all. (The latter is especially welcome, since he'd seemed relatively detached on some of his 2000s records.) The opening "Vamos Sambar" simply sparkles, its summery samba groove energized with soft strings and brass -- even finding time for a brief, irresistibly melancholy bridge. Second track "Prefixo" is mostly an instrumental, though it features Valle's deep nasal speaking voice. "Papo de Maluco" is a male/female duet, conjuring visions of his duet classics like "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" and "Batucada." "Novo Acorde" even has the analog synthesizers that Valle used to great effect on records like Garra and Previs�o do Tempo. With songwriting, performance, and production all coming at such a peak this late in his career, it becomes clear that Est�tica is not only a delightful record, and not just a record that finds him sounding more natural than he has in years -- it's the first masterpiece of Valle's comeback years.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

Das Comeback des Jahres: Das erste Album der Kult-Brasilianer seit 1974!!

Selbst der gr��te Fan von Os Mutantes h�tte nicht damit gerechnet, dass eine improvisierte Wiedervereinigung 2006 zu einem neuen Album der Brazil-Superstars f�hren w�rde - zur ersten neuen Musik der Os Mutantes seit 1974! "Haih Or Amortecedor" wurde vom OM-Gr�nder S�rgio Dias mit den brasilianischen Legenden Tom Z� und Jorge Ben konzipiert. Letzterer schrieb �brigens den gro�en Hit der Band, "Minha Menina", der 2008 in einer McDonald's-Werbung wieder auftauchte. Doch "Haih Or Amortecedor" ist weder Nostalgie, noch Remake der 60er-Jahre, in denen Os Mutantes den Psychedelic-Rock von Brasilien aus erfanden. Nein, das Album steht sowohl f�r Kontinuit�t wie f�r ein radikales Update dieser Legende: vom 50s-Dreampop von "Anagrama" bis zum sexy Samba von "O Careca", von einer Gru�adresse Wladimir Putins an die russische Armee bis hin zur Saga Saddam Husseins im Gewand eines Pariser Nachtclub-Blues. Man ahnt, warum viele Musikergr��en (u.a. Devendra Banhart, Beck) die Band so sehr verehren; Kurt Cobain bat 1993 sogar schriftlich um eine Reunion. Sein Wunsch geht jetzt in Erf�llung.

(amazon)

Mit bekannten Mitteln etwas Neues schaffen � das Wunderkind aus S�o Paulo macht�s m�glich. Doch C�us Gr��e liegt nicht in dem Umstand begr�ndet, dass sie Samba mit Reggae, Lounge und einem Schuss Tropicalismo verbindet, sondern wie sie dies macht: konzentriert, stilsicher und mit unbek�mmerter Lust am Experiment. Dabei klingt die 29-j�hrige Tochter eines brasilianischen Komponisten auch auf dem Nachfolger ihres gefeierten Deb�ts stets wie sie selbst � unvergleichlich und vertraut zugleich. Mit �Vagarosa� legt die musikalische Kosmopolitin ein weiteres Werk voll ansprechender Melodien vor.

(Wolfgang Zwack, STEREO)

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�Vagarosa�, das zweite Album der sensationellen Vokal-Stilistin aus S�o Paolo, ist eine Entt�uschung �� k�nnten jene f�lschlicherweise sagen, die darauf hofften, die geniale Brasilianerin w�rde sich vielleicht mehr den Traditionen von Samba &, Bossa & Co. zuwenden. Oder die andere Fraktion, die eventuell mehr elektronifizierte Moderne erwartete. Doch Maria Do C�u Whitaker Po�as entzieht sich all diesen Erwartungen und pflegt stattdessen ihre kosmopolitische Stilvielfalt. Und auch ihr zweites Album best�tigt all jene Qualit�ten, die AUDIO schon ihr etwas gef�lligeres Deb�t zur �Pop-CD des Monats� (siehe 8/2007) k�ren lie�. Ein wenig Geduld braucht es zwar schon, doch dann entfaltet �Vagarosa� (was gem�chlich, langsam oder auch l�ssig bedeutet) eine immense stilistische Farbenpracht und belohnt die Ann�herung durch reichhaltige, stets fein abgestufte Soundvariationen. Und weil derart �tolle, inspirierte und �animierende Musik nach wie vor eher rar ist, d�rfte die 29-j�hrige Paulista bei Musikgourmets mit weitem Horizont bald mehr sein als nur ein gut geh�teter Geheimtipp. C�u kreuzt virtuos Sambaspuren und Popmelodik, streut Electronica-Streusel und Dub-Riddims ein (wie in �Cordao Da Insonia�, der Hymne auf die kreative Schlaflosigkeit), garniert das trippig treibende �Nascente� mit schl�ngelnden Vocals und grandiosen Jazz-Bl�sern und umgarnt �Rosa Menina Rosa� mit Retro-Orgelsounds und Psychedelic-Ambiente. �Somnambulo� wiederum spielt mit einen Hauch von Tango mit Trip�Hop und Scratches � und alles zusammen beweist: C�u ist eine Ausnahmek�nstlerin und rechtfertigt den Deb�t-Lorbeer mit ihrer zweiten Platte vollauf.

Fazit: C�u bleibt die weitsichtige, stilsichere Hohepriesterin des Brasil-Pop

(Claus B�hm, AUDIO 11/2009, Album des Monats)

Caetano Veloso sieht in C�U �die Zukunft der popul�ren brasilianischen Musik�, f�r uns ist �C�U� das beste Album, das dieses Jahr aus Lateinamerika kommt. Der Perfektion n�her klang noch keine Vermischung von Klassik und Moderne im Bereich der Latin-Musik. Trip & Hip Hop, klassischen Samba, Reggae, Soul und Blues l�sst die sch�ne Brasilianerin gleich in F�lle in ihren fortschrittlichen Sound einfliessen, was in zur�ckhaltend coolen Songs resultiert, die ihrer fantastischen Stimme gen�gend Raum zur Entfaltung lassen und ein immenses Talent offenbaren.

(exitmusic.ch)

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Cibelle vereint auf unverwechselbare Art und Weise verschiedenste Stile zu ihrer einzigartigen, einfallsreichen und bezaubernden Musik. Keine falsche Bescheidenheit: Ihr zweites Album ist ein geniales Meisterwerk! Es kombiniert akustische Instrumentierung mit Elektronik, laute Gitarren und Kinderspielzeug, fesselnde Klangwelten und pure Melodien, getragen von ihrer unverkennbaren, ergreifenden Stimme.

Jeder Song auf The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves ist ein Erlebnis – als ob man eine Geschichte hört und gleichzeitig eine unbekannte Landschaft voller Überraschungen durchstreift. Cibelles Texte und musikalische Ideen entspringen ihren Emotionen: Sie sagt, sie möchte ihr Leben als ein Labor nutzen und dabei sowohl der Hamster als auch der Wissenschaftler sein...

Cibelle hat dieses Album über einen Zeitraum von 18 Monaten produziert. Auf ihren Reisen zwischen ihrem momentanen Wohnort London und ihrer Heimatstadt São Paulo haben sie einige ihrer neuen Songs begleitet und sind während dieser Zeit von verschiedenen Co-Produzenten und Performern bereichert worden – darunter Mike Lindsay (Mitglied des britischen Folkotronica-Acts Tunng), Apollo Nove (innovativer Produzent und Künstler aus São Paulo, der einen Großteil ihres Debütalbums produziert hat), Yann Arnaud aus Paris (Air, Sebastien Schuller), und Gäste wie Seu Jorge (bekannt aus den Filmen ‘City Of God’ und ‘The Life Aquatic’), Devendra Banhart und Spleen

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Seit Ende der 90er Jahre verknüpft die brasilianische Sängerin Cibelle die Bossa Nova mit der Moderne. Ihr neues Album, entstanden halb in London, halb in Sao Paulo, dokumentiert diesen Spagat zwischen den Kulturen mit flüssigen Gitarrenzaubereien, unkonventionell gespielten Keyboards oder Geräuschen.

(C. Hammer in Audio 6 / 06)

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For anyone fond of Cibelle's 2003 self-titled debut, a pleasant album of Brazilian downtempo typical of Six Degrees (a trendy worldbeat label based in San Fransisco with a Lonely Planet-like following), The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves is likely to generate a sense of surprise. It's a bold move in an indistinct direction, away from the broadly appealing samba-lite downbeat of her self-titled debut album and toward abstract soundscapes and poetics. It's a consciously artistic direction, for sure, and while her music is just as graceful as before, with her absolutely beautiful vocals in the forefront at all times, it's a more difficult approach to grasp, one that reveals itself steadily with each successive listen. After all, Cibelle had been an immediately appealing album, comprised of feel-good music that was difficult to dislike, much like Bebel Gilberto's beloved Tanto Tempo. On the other hand, The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves bares a resemblance to highly crafted, lulling, and ultimately enchanting — if a bit odd — recent critical favorites like Björk's Vespertine and Devendra Banhart's Cripple Crow (the latter artist is featured here on a duet performance of Caetano Veloso's "London London"). Half the album is sung in fluent English, and the songs build and swell with each passing minute rather than play out in a straightforward verse-chorus-verse fashion. The music is fascinating if you can appreciate the conception of such an album, one that credits three different producers (Apollo Nove, Mike Lindsay, Yann Arnaud) who each live in different countries and, for the most part, co-produce each track. Cibelle's ambition will be lost on some listeners, undoubtedly, especially those looking for some agreeably laid-back Brazilian beats tailor-made for globetrotting. Yet the artistry so evident on The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves should be a delightful surprise to those who enjoy their music heady as well as luscious, and with a literate, worldly edge.

(by Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide)

In their impressive and ambitious quest to completely reinvent their sound for each new album, los Hermanos this time around opted for a soft, low-key, jazzy, and slightly Djavan-inspired sound. And as expected, this soothing, mellow reincarnation of the group didn't please a large part of their fan base. Not that the music is bad. On the contrary, the album contains several very fine moments. But as a whole, it is so different to los Hermanos' earlier efforts that many listeners simply became disappointed. While the stylistic difference between "Quatro" and the group's three earlier albums is striking, there is much less difference between the individual songs on this album. They all have the same sleepy atmosphere and the calm and tasteful arrangements in common. "Dois Barcos," "Sapato Novo," and "Primeiro Andar" stand out for their complex and beautiful melodies. "Paquet�" has a bossa nova sound to it and "O Vento" catches attention with its light, floating guitar rhythm. The soft, almost lethargic singing of Marcelo Camelo on most of the tracks also strongly contributes to the special atmosphere of the album.

(by Philip Jandovsk�, All Music Guide)

Celso Fonseca is a unique singer and brilliant songwriter who bears the torch of the classic bossa/samba Brazilian sound. He has collaborated with such luminaries as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte and Bebel Gilberto.

Celso Fonseca's Natural is a great listening experience - smooth, sensual, pure, warm, caressing, and seductive. An integral part of Rio's up and coming generation of singers and songwriters, Celso has recorded, produced and performed with some of Brazil's brightest stars.

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After a successful career in Brazil reaching back two decades, Celso (pronounced "SELL-so") Fonseca is finally making his solo debut in the United States. Fonseca has produced, written for, arranged, or played on albums by such stars as Baden Powell and Gilberto Gil, as well as younger artists like Bebel Gilberto and Virginia Rodrigues. Natural, however, makes it abundantly clear that he is just as adept in the lead role as singer and star. Here he chooses to create modern but elegant bossa novas that sound hip but, unlike Bebel Gilberto’s electronic music-oriented Tanto Tempo, are mostly done using traditional acoustic instruments. With an emphasis on voice (he sounds like a young Caetano Veloso) and acoustic guitar, Fonseca has a strong collection of nine originals rounded out with Jobim and Powell covers. Aptly proving how skilled Fonseca is with his art, "The Night We Called It A Day" and "Slow Motion Bossa Nova" are rare examples of English language bossa novas that gracefully capture the music’s essence.

Tad Hendrickson

Their burgeoning individual careers, to date, have included many years of touring experience with some of the founding fathers of Brazilian Bossa Nova and Tropicalia and collaborations with such diverse musicians as Beastie Boy producer Mario Caldato, Brazilian noise-guru Arto Lindsay, and Trattoria artist Takako Minekawa.

Most recently, they have embarked together on the project of a musical trilogy: three albums by the threesome, each created under the leadership of a different member, and allowing his particular vision to come to the forefront. With each incarnation, we see the triumvirate through a different lens. As Domenico explains: “We had the idea to make a trilogy with music. Each member of the band will stand in the center and make his own album, in this way, we can change the focus every shot we make.”

2001 saw the release of Music Typewriter, the exquisitely crafted, lyrical debut of the plus twos. The album, accompanied by an extended tour of the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan, was highly praised by critics. “Half of this debut is mentholated bossa nova; half is sexy carnival music for the digital era. All of it is gorgeous.”

(Entertainment Weekly; February 23, 2001)

Three years on, the band has undertaken a change in musical direction (and name), shifting focus to the drummer, electronic percussionist, composer, and "sound-scapist" Domenico Lancelotti. Sincerely Hot infectiously combines samba, bossa nova, tropicalia, MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), rock and electronica together in a raw, rough mix that still hangs on to its sweet Brazilian roots. It may be, in Moreno's words, "clearly a drummer's album," but its reconstitution of the diverse elements present on Music Typewriter - increasing the emphasis on groove and sonic experimentalism, without sacrificing the compositional mettle and subtlety that kindled the trio's first album - result in an invigorating, inventive, but approachable record that should appeal to ears of all stripes.

-Domenico- was born in 1972 and raised in an Italian-Brazilian family in Rio de Janeiro. The rhythms of samba are in his blood: his father is the well-known 1970s composer and singer Ivor Lancellotti. Domenico has collaborated with artists such as Quarteto Em Cy, Daniel Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Fernanda Abreu, Adriana Calcanhotto; in the '90s, around the time he first met and befriended his current compadres, he formed the experimental rock band Mulheres Que Dizem Sim (Women Who Say Yes). As well as a drummer, Domenico is also a visual artist - he created the cover art for all of the trio's releases so far, with the help of his wife Zoy.

“When we made Moreno Veloso+2’s Typewriter Music, we focused on the singing. And first when I thought of making mine, I wanted it to be as bossa nova trio like Milton Banana, where the drummer always leads other musicians. My album become something different from this, but the idea is till there and one can hear it on the album.” -DomenicoBorn in Bahia, Brazil's first capital and the birthplace of many Afro-Brazilian beats, -Moreno- was raised in Rio de Janeiro by perhaps the country's most respected composer and singer, Caetano Veloso, and his wife Dede. A gifted singer equally at home on guitar, cello, trumpet, and tambourine, Moreno has had the opportunity to experience firsthand the siftings and shiftings of Brazilian musics throughout his life. The constant exploration and recombination of styles which is evident throughout Caetano's career is also very present in that of Moreno, whose tendency is to bridge the experimental and the traditional, as with both his mid-90's band Gold Nyte Warszawa and the current group.

The group's third member and the producer of Sincerely Hot, -Kassin- is what we call a pure Carioca. From the beginning, Kassin has always been fond of the experimental, bizarre side of music. His older brother, a DJ, encouraged his catholic tastes early on, inspiring him to purchase his first album – a Kraftwerk record – at the age of 8. In 1996 he released his first album with his Tex- Mex/ska fusion band Acabou La Tequila. A well-known producer as well as a bassist, Kassin has collaborated with and produced many artists including Lenine, Marisa Monte, Bebel Gilberto, Arto Lindsay, Caetano Veloso and Jorge Mautner.

“I have never cared about where music is from. I think it is very discriminative to categorize any music to a certain frame. [That] all the music except from U.S.A and Europe would be always categorized as world music – I feel this way of thinking is very colonial.” -Kassin

Welcome to the revolving musical door that is Moreno, Domenico, and Kassin. Stylistic trailblazers, accomplished instrumentalists, respected producers, heirs to a family heritage of Tropicalia and Samba, and the vanguard of a new generation of Brazilian musicians - these are three consummate artists whose unique mix of traditional Brazilian songwriting with the quirky beats, loops, and noises of contemporary electronica is defining the sound of New Brazil.

(luakabop.com)

Dass aus Brasilien nicht nur Samba und Fußball kommt, sondern auch gute und unverschämt charmante Pop-Musik, beweist die Sängerin CIBELLE auf ihrem fantastischen Debütalbum. Erstmalig in Erscheinung getreten ist das ehemalige Fotomodell auf dem mittlerweile schon klassischen Album von SUBA 'Sao Paulo Confessions', dessen Songs sie mit ihrer unverwechselbaren Stimme veredelte. Auf ihrem Debütalbum tritt sie nun auch als Songwriterin und Ko-Produzentin auf und zeigt eindrucksvoll, dass sich ihr Talent nicht nur auf das Singen beschränkt. Mit Unterstützung durch APOLLO 9 (Brasiliens angesagtestem jungen Produzenten) und den Soundarchitekten CHRIS HARRISON und PETE NORRIS (die u.a. für den MORCHEEBA Sound sorgen) hat CIBELLE ein Album geschaffen, das funkelnde, moderne Songs enthält, die Anleihen nehmen bei Downbeat und Latin, bleiben aber immer POP und tragen den ganz speziellen CIBELLE-Stempel. Trotz aller Internationalität zeigen die Songs CIBELLE's sehr persönliche Welt voller Fantasie und Emotionen und laden uns ein, ihr zu folgen. Wer das tut, wird es ganz sicher nicht bereuen. Ein neuer Stern am Pop-Himmel ist aufgegangen. Tracklisting: Deixa, Só Sei Viver No Samba, Hate, Luisas, Waiting, No Preggo, I'll Be, Train, Inutil Paisagem, Um Só Segundo, Pequenos Olhos.

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Die Brasilianerin Cibelle singt wie ein Ex-Model klingen muss, nämlich cool-laziv, und passt damit genauso gut zur zeitgemäßen Electro Bossa wie einst Astrud Gilberto zur Original Bossa Nova. Auf ihrem Debütalbum wirkt sie mit ihrem Gesangsstil wie eine Projektionsfläche für die verspielten Arrangementideen von Produzent Apollo 9.

(H.-J. Lenhart in Jazzthetik 6 / 03)

When you're the son of Caetano Veloso, one of Brazil's most beloved singer/songwriters and men of letters, you have to face a lot of expectations when you release your debut record. But Moreno Veloso is no clone; while he's inherited the wry iconoclasm of his father, he stamps himself all over this record, letting his personal musical idiosyncrasies flourish, like the theremin and sound processing that buzz like flies over his cover of the Brazilian classic "Das Partes." While the majority of the songs come from Veloso's pen, like fellow new generation artist (and musical scion) Bebel Gilberto he's not afraid to pay homage to the inspirational samba and bossa nova that's an integral part of his country's musical heritage, even venturing as far as North America for a take on "I'm Wishing" from the movie Snow White, which pitches English and Portuguese vocals against each other in a luminously simple performance. His own material can range from the rhythmic and funky "Arrivederci" to the understated, relaxed "Nenhuma," where he reaches into a falsetto range of a voice that's admittedly limited. The experimental tendencies are just enough to give an interesting quirk factor, without overwhelming his natural melodicism. While this album won't start another Tropicali� movement, the way his father's mix of Brazilian and rock did in the late '60s, it establishes him as one of the brighter new lights in the MPB (Brazilian popular music) scene.

(by Chris Nickson, All Music Guide)

Veloso continues to show his pre-eminence as a singer and songwriter with Noites Do Norte. He may be almost 60, but he's far from set in his ways, still chipping away at lyrical and musical boundaries. But where he looked outward many years ago, getting inspiration from the rock music of Britain and America, these days he looks inside, at Brazil, making songs like his version of Jorge Ben's "Zumbi" a cinematic journey across Brazil. The title track delves back into history, its words taken directly from the writing of 19th century abolitionist Joaquim Nabuco. Inevitably, samba and bossa nova remain the musical touchstones, but they're also the jumping-off point for experimentation, such as the hip-hop drumming (up front in the mix) on the opener, "Zera a Reza," or "13 De Maio," where son Moreno Veloso offers his own idiosyncratic approach to the playing and engineering. "Ia" uses electric guitar and drums to make a swirling soundscape that's almost modern psychedelia behind Veloso's instantly recognizable voice. Never content to tread ground he's already covered, Veloso continues to go off the map.

(by Chris Nickson, All Music Guide)

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Nearly 35 years after the advent of tropicalia, the Brazilian movement that fused native music and visuals with Anglo/psychedelic flavors, singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso continues his deep, playful experimentation. Noites do Norte ("Northern Nights") is a striking art-pop fusion whose intellectualism is often bound up with the beauty of its layered tones. Concerns from the country's national identity and ongoing racial crises--a theme that fed Veloso's 2000 soundtrack to Orfeu, an update of the Black Orpheus story--to early memories, broken hearts, and the artist's adoration of filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni swim through a colorful aural canvas. But for all of Veloso's trademark verbal surprises (for one, the Antonioni tribute is sung in Italian), it's easy to believe his claim that initially "I did not think about the songs. I went to the studio looking for sounds." Whether juxtaposing a Milesian trumpet with lush reeds and strings ("Sou Seu Sabiá"), deploying screeching rock guitar ("Rock 'n' Raul," "Ia") and machine noises ("Cantiga de Boi") in the midst of acoustic sound, or contrasting a troupe of drummers with baroque strings over the discrete movements of the three-minute title track, Veloso fills the disc with so much music that it seems to suspend or expand the listener's sense of time: a rare trick from a rare trickster.

(by Rickey Wright, amazon.com )

Den Ausschlag f�r den Ruhm der Joao-Tochter gab wohl die Tatsache, dass sie f�r dieses Album den traditionellen Bossa-und Brasil-Chanson Sound mit einigen Beitr�gen moderner Club-und Electronica Produzenten aufpeppte. Startschuss zu einer, Kreise ziehenden, Neuorientierung des Genres. Amon Tobin und Thievery Corporation, Smoke City und auch Produzent Suba sorgten f�r diesen Mix, der sich aber auch auf Klassiker wie Chico Barque oder Gilberto Gil zur�ck lehnt. Jetzt ist das Album von 2000 selbst ein Klassiker.

(Glitterhouse)

If it is true that the best and most lasting innovations draw much of their deep strength from the past, then Vinicius Cantuaria may have a lock on the future of Brazilian music. Here the Brazilian singer/songwriter/instrumentalist conjures up a fascinating record, deeply rooted in the bossa nova yet infused with a cool, studied Generation X sensibility, a willingness to explore new combinations of sound, and the ability to lose itself in strange places. Many of these songs are incantations where the European and contemporary spices are applied ever so subtly -- a string quartet darkly colors the title track, Erik Friedlander's cello adds warm undercurrents, Cantuaria's electronic samples delicately add mysterious shadows. Yet at the same time, the bossa nova rhythm is almost always there swinging away, gently driving the music underneath Cantuaria's warm Portuguese vocals. More importantly, these songs tap deeply into the Brazilian sense of saudade (roughly translated, yearning) to a remarkable degree. Cantuaria receives totally simpatico Anglo help from Bill Frisell, who adds pearl-like electric guitar to "Amor Brasileiro"; Peter Apfelbaum, whose subtle and pithy tenor sax enhances "Maravilhar"; and Sean Lennon, whose unobtrusive electric bass underpins three numbers. The most striking track, "Retirante," definitively ties Brazil and the American avant-garde together as Cantuaria alternates his Portuguese vocals with Laurie Anderson's characteristic arch speech-song and quietly shattering violins. Tucuma may well be the breakthrough that the hype claims it is.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

Caetano Veloso continues his free-thinking explorations of tropicalismo on this ambitiously arranged, elaborately packaged suite of songs devoted to whatever happens to cross his mind. Veloso says that he was listening a lot to the collaborations of Miles Davis and Gil Evans around this time, and Jaques Morelenbaum's charts often reflect their darkly urbane ethos. Yet for Morelenbaum's yin there is also the yang of the battering Bahian percussion that dominates many of the rhythm tracks. "Livros" in Portuguese means "books," so Veloso gives you a sample of his book Verdade Tropical in the booklet notes and pays eloquent tribute to them on the title track: "Books are transcendental things/But we can love them with our hands." He is alternately awestruck and appalled by the ambiguities of New York City on "Manhata"; here, the arrangement definitely contains haunting echoes of Evans. He can venture into atonality on "Doideca" (12-tone, but pointedly translated in the booklet as "loony"), recite the horrors of a slave ship voyage, tell someone off ("Nao Enche," which means "Piss Off"), or simply sing "How beautiful could a being be" over and over, presumably to a child, in falsetto to a hot groove. One of the most amazing songs is an epic about the life of Alexander the Great; it comes off like a great saga song. Finally, he runs down a long list of all his favorite Brazilian singers, seemingly leaving out no one, only to close with "Better than this there's only silence/And better than silence, only Joao." Can't add anything to that, except don't miss this CD if you love Brazilian music.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

Nascimento is Milton Nascimento's most deeply Brazilian-sounding album in a long time, and also the most downcast, but none the worse in its emotional impact. He adopts the battering, heavy percussion rhythms of the folia boxes (popularized by Olodum) on several tracks, which frame the main portion of the album and give it enormous vitality. There isn't a bumper crop of new songs here (only half of the 12 tracks), but what there is represents the most interesting material he has recorded in some time, including the beautiful "Rouxinol" with its haunting accordion, flute and a gently hypnotic rhythm, and the arresting "Louva-A-Deus," pitting Nascimento's voice against the huge drums. Particularly affecting is L�o Masliah's "Guardanapos de Papel," sung in Portuguese at first and reprised in Spanish at the album's close, which has an almost despairing Nascimento singing about prophetic yet impoverished poets with tasteful piano/keyboard textures. He offers a touching vocalese on his friend Wayne Shorter's "Ana Maria" from their collaboration Native Dancer as a memorial to Shorter's late wife (lost on the TWA plane that crashed into the Atlantic in 1996), with soprano saxophonist Nivaldo Ornelas offering a different take on Shorter's lead. Just about everyone seems to take on "Ol' Man River" sooner or later, but Nascimento does it as a vocalese with large choir -- and it works. So far, this CD represents his best work of the '90s and even a good part of the '80s, a genuine renaissance for the Brazilian icon.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

"Txai" is described as a term of respect for those who are allies of the forest -- and such is the focus of this concept album, the end result of a fact-finding voyage through part of the northern Brazilian watershed. Utilizing forces ranging from a simple dialogue between Milton Nascimento's baritone and percussion to a large orchestra and chorus (often arranged by Wagner Tiso), Nascimento shares his thoughts about the rivers and nature, ultimately warning us not to let the forces of capitalism destroy the Amazon rain forest (reinforced by a spoken passage written and narrated by actor River Phoenix). The songs are separated by wild-sounding interludes of folk music from the peoples of the region, and there is a fascinating vocal/percussion arrangement of Heitor Villa-Lobos' "Nozani Na." As much as one applauds the sentiments and sincerity of Nascimento -- and as much as one wants to enjoy this record -- one is still forced to admit that despite the unity of conception, Nascimento's own material isn't as strong as it could have been. But the record's ambition and the continued allure of Nascimento's voice will commend it to the dedicated fan.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

Passarim is Jobim's major statement of the '80s, emerging during a time when Jobim's concerns were turning increasingly toward Planet Earth issues. The title song is one of Jobim's most haunting creations, a cry of pain about the the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest that resonates in the memory for hours. Also, by this time Jobim had resumed touring with a large group containing friends and family, and they carry a great deal of the load here, with lots of airy female backup vocals, two worthy songs by Jobim's multi-talented son Paulo and another by flutist/singer Danilo Caymmi. Recorded entirely in Rio, the record's overall sound is very different from Jobim's '60s and '70s work � denser, hazier, still grounded in the samba yet rougher in texture (as is Jobim's voice). Though not as immediately winning as the Creed Taylor-produced albums, this music repays repeated listening � particularly the extended suite from Jobim's score for the film Gabriela � and there are samples of Jobim's wry humor in "Chansong" and the bossa nova reworking of "Fascinatin' Rhythm".

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

This is a reissue of the original 1980 release, the first for Polygram after Milton Nascimento had left EMI. The album had the fundamental support of the melodic percussion of the Minas Gerais group Uakti, along with the usual robust orchestrations. Nascimento had a hit with "Can��o da Am�rica," but several songs must be mentioned for their strong melodic qualities, like the folklore-tinged "Peixinhos do Mar," "Sue�o Con Serpientes" (with Mercedes Sosa), Villa-Lobos' "Cantiga," and "Sentinela" (with singer Nana Caymmi showcasing her strong, personal voice timbre similar to Nascimento's, which serves wonderfully to convey the idea of religious devotion).

(by Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide)

Not strictly a jazz album in the strict sense (it was originally issued as part of the Masters of MPB on LP in 1977), Slaves Mass has strong compositional themes among its seven tracks. The maestro Hermeto Pascoal plays everything from flutes, soprano saxophone, guitar, Fender Rhodes, acoustic piano and clavinet on this set, and enlists help from Ron Carter, Airto, Flora Purim, Raul DeSouza, David Maro and others. "Mixing Pot," is the opener and an anomaly in that it is a vanguard fusion tune where Pascoal really digs in and improvises. It also features the only appearance on this set of Alphonso Johnson on electric bass. In "Missa Dos Escravos," the title track, Pascoal's emblematic pig gives his first growls in a song dominated by Brazilian Indian references. Wonderfully and intricately composed, it centers around folk tropes. "Chorinho Para Ele" is a beautiful and modern choro with a somewhat challenging glissando bridge that really proposed new directions for the traditional genre. "Aquela Valsa" is a beautiful six/eight theme that turns into a samba with a beautiful trombone solo by DeSouza. "Cannon" is an utterly improvisational piece that meanders and winds around Pascoal's flute solo. Atonalism dominates the piano solo in "Escuta Meu Piano," which also presents bits and pieces of different styles (like bai�o) and folk songs. Hot samba improvisation is found in "Gel�ia de Cereja," that slips and slides through a variety of schema and dynamic changes without much internal focus, but it is a compelling bit of creative anarchy nonetheless in that it displays Pascoal's full range of restless musical and textural impulses � as well as a beautiful soprano solo. Slaves Mass was finally issued on CD by Collectables in the United States in 2005.

(by Alvaro Neder & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

As an original member of Chick Corea's group Return to Forever, Purim subsequently drew praise as a solo act. Recording for the jazz label Milestone since 1973, Purim's sensual and strong voice was singular enough to withstand the pitfalls that hampered the work of many Latin jazz fusion artists. Open Your Eyes You Can Fly represents a commercial breakthrough, and has the artist again supplemented by adventurous players and top-notch songwriting. The best of the three Chick Corea tracks is the title song. With it's emotive and stinging guitar solo from David Amaro, it features Purim at her most accessible and charming. The remake of "Sometime Ago" has one of Corea's more accessible melodies, as Purim turns in one of her more sweet and fulfilling vocals. The melodic and soothing "San Francisco River" has the artist writing solely with frequent Corea collaborator Neville Potter on the evocative track. Despite the great work here, Open Your Eyes You Can Fly, lacks consistency. But with the great talents assembled and great voice, it's easy to overlook that fact. Hermeto Pascoal's "Andei (I Walked)" has a great synthesizer solo from George Duke and a flute solo from Pascoal. "Ina's Song (Trip to Bahia)" features Purim singing in Portuguese, starting off slow but then enlivened by her passion filled vocalizations. Produced by jazz producer Orrin Keepnews, this features the artist more lucid and joyful than some of her other work. For the reason it is recommended.

(by Jason Elias, All Music Guide)

With Índia, Gal Costa completely abandoned the absurd, screaming guitars and wild drumming for some of the lushest, most sophisticated, and most complex arrangements of her career. Her voice is clear and inviting as always, sitting perfectly with the strings, accordions, horns, reeds, and percussion that swirl around, effortlessly punctuating the romance in every track. With Gilberto Gil alongside on acoustic guitar and musical director, the arrangements definitely glow with his polyphonic personality, but these songs have a feel all their own -- sounding as if they blossomed out of necessity and the sharp edge of elegance. Índia seems as if it were conceived with ideas walled off to past influences and future aspirations, holding a timeless quality, leaving one to wonder if Costa and Gil were at all aware of what they were producing while it was happening or if they were completely swept up in the magic of the moment. Even though the hugely influential Tropicalia movement was over by the time of this release, Índia unquestionably shows that Costa's inventiveness was still unfolding and impulsive and should be considered by the wave of Tropicalia collectors as a worthy addition to the assortment of recordings in that it shows how a major player in that movement transferred her ambitions to a completely different direction without forsaking her class or drive.

(by Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide)

Die Platte gilt als Klassiker brasilianischer Musik, von dem sich unzählige Musiker inspirieren ließen. Und Pat Metheny wird man erst dann richtig verstehen, wenn man sich diese Platte zu Gemüte geführt hat.

(S. Thielmann, Stereoplay, 10 / 88)

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One of Milton Nascimento's most experimental albums, Milagre Dos Peixes was originally released in 1974. Accompanied by the Som Imaginário, Nascimento presented this album in a theater show in Rio and São Paulo, with orchestra, and the result live recorded and released on a double album called Milagre Dos Peixes Ao Vivo. In one of the worst periods of military dictatorship, all lyrics were systematically censored, the reason why the album is instrumental. Not entirely, to be sure. He can be heard crying "Eu Tô Cansado" (I Am Tired), and he also sings the lyrics of "Sacramento," having the boy Nico Borges delivering "Pablo" with that mixture, so dear to Nascimento, of a poor boy's ingenuity filled with a religious aura. It can be said that this album was especially suited for the talents of Naná Vasconcellos, who adds so much life to it. A must-have classic.

(by Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide)

Mit den Texten auf Englisch und Portugiesisch. Zehn Jahre, nachdem das Deb�t von Marcos Valle (�Samba Demais") Liebhaber brasilianischer Musik mit dem unglaublichen Talent der Valle-Br�der bekannt machte, half eine neue Richtung und eine neue Backing Band dem S�nger dabei, seine musikalische Palette auszuweiten.

Groovy Funk und Jazz-Fusion, die Hilfe der Band Azimuth (sp�ter Azymuth), Synthies, Fender Rhodes und elektronische Sounds lie�en den Samba, Bossa Nova und Baiao von Valle zusammen mit der Inspiration aus schwarzer amerikanischer Musik und dem Psych Rock fr�herer Alben neue Dimensionen erschlie�en. Obwohl sich Valle nicht komplett vom Sound seiner Vergangenheit entfernte, bringen der Gesang, die Grooves und die tiefgr�ndigen Songs auf �Previsao Do Tempo" den H�rer dazu, sich frei zu f�hlen und nachzudenken.

�Previsao Do Tempo" erschien urspr�nglich 1973 und mauserte sich schnell zum Liebling der Valle-J�nger. Neue und alte Fans werden den einfachen Zugang zu diesem ehemals kaum zu findenden brasilianischen Klassiker lieben.

�Previsao Do Tempo" ist ein Highlight in der Valle-Diskographie und ein willkommener Neuzugang in jeder s�damerikanisch angehauchten Plattensammlung. File after Os Mutantes and before Caetano Veloso.

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While Garra had seen all of Marcos Valle's talented parts -- songwriting, production, singing, and performing -- coalesce into the most beautiful whole ever seen in Brazilian music, Previs�o do Tempo represented a slight pulling back from those lofty heights. Easygoing and relaxed where Garra had been nearly giddy with joy, the album still didn't lack for career-topping moments -- most of them due to the sunny groove produced by Valle with his backing band (soon to break away and form the boundary-pushing Azymuth). With Valle on Fender Rhodes and Jose Roberto Bertrami on Mini-Moog and ARP, the album is more electronic than electric, but with soloists as talented as these, and a lifetime of musical instincts to draw on, the results are absolutely pristine. (Only Stevie Wonder was capable of coaxing the same type of warm, fluid grooves from his coterie of synthesizers, and integrating them so flawlessly into his productions.) As could be expected, narrative songwriting takes a backseat. In its place are loose, aqueous, funk-filled jams with synth and electric bass leading the way. Garra is still the peak of Marcos Valle's '70s output, but Previs�o do Tempo is its own masterpiece, one where a listener plays connect-the-dots to hear the beauty inside.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

Araçá Azul marks the end of Caetano Veloso's pop- and rock-oriented phase made up by his previous four studio albums. Araçá Azul is also the most experimental and "difficult" album that Veloso has ever made, and it bears few similarities to his earlier recordings. Many people who bought the album when it was newly released had expected it to be a natural and similar follow-up to 1972's Transa. After having listened to it, many of people got so disappointed with Araçá Azul that they actually went back to the stores where they had bought it and demanded a refund. On the other hand, Araçá Azul was very much acclaimed by critics. Typical tracks on the album are the fascinating "De Conversa," which doesn't have a melody or real lyrics, and the playful "Gilberto Misterioso." Another good track is the psychedelic, almost punk-styled "Eu Quero Essa Mulher." There is also the delicate and beautiful "Júla/Moreno" and the equally beautiful "Tu Me Acostumbraste," with lyrics in Spanish. These last two songs perhaps give a hint of what Veloso would soon produce on '70s masterpieces like Jóia, Bicho, and Cinema Transcendental. As a whole, though, this album, with all its experimentalism and sound effects, probably isn't something that one would put on while having friends visit, but for a fan of experimental music or for someone in the right mood, it's a very good record.

(by Philip Jandovský, All Music Guide)

Reminiscent of the Clube da Esquina album he made the same year with Brazilian superstar Milton Nascimento, L� Borges' 1972 solo debut proves that his influence on Nascimento was quite strong. The recording is texturally lush and dreamy, at times urgent and bizarre, and filled with the fantastic and intricate guitar playing one would expect of Borges after hearing his dazzling work with Nascimento. His vocal arrangements are lavish, often similar to the vocal qualities of George Harrison's All Things Must Pass, and his instrumental arrangements are just plain confounding. Piano phrases mash in and out of control over the unorthodox yet clever progressions; polyphonic percussion interlocks with jazzed-out organ lines and thoughtful, melodic bass work. Occasionally, a string section will fall into place, fulfilling the album's decorative quota, and the whole construction becomes watertight. It is truly stunning to pick apart the timbre of individual instruments and realize how necessary and meticulous each part is in the overall presentation. Borges is one of those arrangers who can build up a music bed with miles of depth and construct a wall of sound, yet keep the overall concept in crisp focus. No layer of the instrumentation seems to ever become obscured by another, nor does any part seem unnecessary, and so much is going on rhythmically and melodically that it demands full attention. The remarkable quality of Brazil's musical culture to seamlessly integrate as many outside influences into one place is well represented here. Many western textures, such as soul, rock, jazz, and pop, are absorbed into the picture with fervor and grace rarely executed in the world of western music. "N�o Foi Nada" illustrates this particularly well, but the melting-pot sentiment echoes through all of Borges' performances here.

(by Gregory McIntosh, All Music Guide)

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Originally released in 1972, Lo Borges' solo debut is a stunning piece of post-bossa nova Brazilian pop music. Combining influences ranging from soul, jazz, pop, psychedelic, and bossa nova with brilliant musicianship and wild arrangements, Lo Borges is one of the finest Brazilian records of the 1970s, if not ever. Borges emerged out of the Clube de Esquina musical collective, from the state of Minas Gerais, along with Milton Nascimento, a movement that rivaled the brilliance of the more well known Tropicalismo. Absolutely brilliant and available on CD in the USA for the first time ever.

Two years after her underrated album on CTI Records, Astrud Gilberto's follow-up is her first attempt to be taken seriously, not as a singer -- she had that covered -- but as a songwriter, at a time when simply singing standards was seen as lacking. Her four songs on this ten-song album show she has a way with a melody, though obviously influenced by countrymen Milton Nascimento and Jorge Ben, and her producer Eumir Deodato. "Gingele" and "Zigy Zigy Za" are exactly the kind of riff-based tropicalismo that Ben and company were making popular around this time. "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie" is probably her best song here (covered over 20 years later by Kahimi Karie), though it is Ben who often gets the writing credit (here it's listed as Gilberto and associate producer David Jordan). Very few concessions are made to America; only "Daybreak (Walking Out of Yesterday)" comes from the pop world, with instrumentation and sound coming from south of the equator.

(by Ted Mills, All Music Guide)

Released in 1972, Transa was recorded by Caetano Veloso during his exile in London, England, shortly before his return to Brazil. The sound of '70s electric rock predominates, fused with Brazilian rhythms and percussion, berimbau sounds, and his own violão playing. Several lyrics in English, and also in Portuguese, carefully avoid direct reference to politics, which may be found disguised in all songs, especially in the melancholic and depressed images of the poem by Gregório de Matos, "Triste Bahia," for which Veloso wrote the music. "It's a Long Way" also makes ciphered references to the political situation and was broadly played in the '70s. The broad use of pontos de capoeira (music used for accompaniment of capoeira, a martial art developed by Brazilian slaves as a resistance against the whites) can also be understood in that sense. The album also has "Mora na Filosofia," a classic and beautiful samba by Monsueto that scandalized people with its rock rendition.

(by Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide)

Os Novos Baianos was an important group in Brazilian music in the '60s and '70s -- from which came several successful solo artists: Moraes Moreira, Baby Do Brasil (then Baby Consuelo), Pepeu Gomes (a virtuoso in rock guitar and choro mandolin), and Paulinho Boca de Cantor. Other support musicians for their recordings included here had already constituted a band called A Cor Do Som, which also had some international success playing electric choro. This is their second album, released in 1972. The work displays a strong influence from João Gilberto, with whom they had been together in the preceding year (clearly felt in Moraes' "Acabou Chorare"). But it is not related to bossa nova in any way, consisting of explorations of the group's compositions in acoustic and electric settings, with freshness and originality. The album has some important songs, including "Brasil Pandeiro," a classic by Assis Valente rejected by Carmem Miranda that deals with the appreciation for Brazilian music by American people; "Preta Pretinha"; "Acabou Chorare"; and "Besta é Tu."

(by Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide)

During the hot Brazilian summer of 1971, Marcos and Paulo Sergio Valle, along with their significant others and six additional couples, rented a few modest fisherman shacks in the small village of B�zios to escape from Rio's more populated beaches. The focus was making music and soul searching, as was the practice for affluent young hippies back then. They stayed for two months. "I wanted to go in a new direction," says Marcos looking back. "I wanted to try out a rock influence and to risk a little bit more." Shifting away from the studio musicians used on 1971's Garra, Vento Sul (translation "South Wind") was a rewarding collaboration with Brazilian progressive rockers O Ter�o. Originally released in 1972, Vento Sul not only channeled the B�zios beach bum vibe, but also manifested a floating dream like psychedelic sound. Any way you spin it, we at Light In The Attic are extremely proud to present Vento Sul as part of our four-album Marcos Valle reissue campaign. Consisting of an ambitious string of early 1970s landmark studio sessions (sympathetic in spirit to Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye's game changing work from the same era) and released on LP, Vento Sul features extensive liner notes by San Francisco-based writer Allen Thayer (Wax Poetics) with exclusive interview content and song-by-song breakdown from Marcos himself. Fans new and old will finally have easy breezy access to these once hard-to-find Brazilian classics. Elevated by a strong union between Valle and O Ter�o, Vento Sul'smagical spell of an album is a welcome addition to any South American friendly record collection and sits proudly with the best of Brazil. File after Os Mutantes and before Caetano Veloso.

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F�r heutige Ohren f�llt diese exotische Mischung aus Fl�ten, E-Gitarren, Gainsbourg-Bass und entr�ckten Satzges�ngen, die ebenso viele Kanten wie schwungvolle Rundungen aufweist, eigent�mlich unvermittelt aus Zeit und Raum.

(stereoplay, M�rz 2013)

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When Marcos Valle recorded 1972's Vento Sul, he'd been a wildly successful, well-established songwriter, producer, and recording artist for nearly a decade, furthering the horizons of bossa nova and samba in the pre-MPB era. Due to that success, each successive recording brought higher expectations. In the face of mounting pressure, Valle dropped out for a bit, took a vacation, and in the process wrote the music for the album that was to become his hardest left turn to that point. Nothing could have prepared listeners for what transpired on Vento Sul (translation: South Wind). Even after the revolution tropicalia had wrought, this album was radical. The set was composed by Valle and brother Paulo S�rgio Valle in Buzios, then a mellow, out-of-the-way beach town that offered young people great surfing and a cosmic communal hippie vibe provided by the Valles and 14 companions who had taken the two-month summer retreat with them. When Valle returned to Rio, he sought to re-create the laid-back dreamy collaborative atmosphere of Buzios in the studio. He'd been backed live by Brazilian psychedelic, proto-prog rockers O Ter�o (translation: The Rosary), who included drummer and future guitar hero Vinicius Cantu�ria. He also employed arrangers Ian Guest and Hugo Bellard and studio aces such as guitarist Claudio Guimar�es, drummer Robertinho Silva, and flutist Paulo Guimar�es. Some of the music here retains undeniable elements of both bossa and samba ("Malena," "Rosto Barbado," and even the tripped-out "Paisagem de Mariana"), but they are wrapped in expansive psychedelic rock and baroque pop textures. Art rock makes its presence known in opener "Revolu��o Org�nica," with its contrasting hyper flute and hard rock guitar -- but make no mistake, this is not tropicalia; if anything it reflects the influence of O Ter�o most, and here too, samba makes its voice known in the bridge. There are Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys sounds, textures, and harmonies throughout, but best heard on cuts such as "Mi Hermoza" (even with its mean electric guitar breaks) and the instrumental "B�das de Sangu." "Democ�stico" is a hallucinatory, political, spoken word number, with phased wah-wah guitars, flutes, harpsichord, and Latin percussion. The title track, by contrast, with its layered piano, guitars, and stretched-to-the-breaking-point waltz rhythm, is so dreamy, spacious, romantic, and sparse, it's the set masterpiece. Vento Sul was greeted with hostility by Valle fans and critics alike, but time has proven that criticism unfounded. It remains one of Valle's most provocative albums, but it's also one of his most beautiful, mysterious, and enduring ones.

(by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide)

Das megarare Album des aussergew�hnlichen Komponisten und Arrangeurs Artur Verocai von 1972 ist wieder erh�ltlich! Das Album ist mit einer Mischung aus Funk Einfl�ssen, Folk Anleihen, jazzartigen Soli, zwanzigk�pfigem Streichorchester, elektronischen Kl�ngen und Soundtrack�sthetik ein echtes Meisterwerk. F�r Fans von Shuggie Otis, Jorge Ben oder Tim Maia!

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Arthur Verocai's long-lost solo LP straddles the continents to fuse Brazilian tropicalia with American funk, yielding a shimmering, dreamlike mosaic of sound that both celebrates and advances the creative spirit. Employing a dizzyingly lush 20-piece string section, stiletto-sharp bursts of brass, and electric piano melodies that twinkle like stars, Verocai's heady productions draw on folk, jazz, and pop traditions from both sides of the equator to make music that is both immediately familiar and quite unlike anything else you've ever experienced. While its sun-kissed arrangements and insistent rhythms clearly evoke its Brazilian origins, Arthur Verocai nevertheless seems to exist somewhere far outside of space and time.

(by Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide)

Stillness is a concept album � the title tune opens and closes it in moody stillness � and a transition piece all at once, for Sergio Mendes seemed to be searching for a viable way out of the Brasil '66 formula. Indeed, "Righteous Life," using a different L.A. rhythm section, is really a folk-rock record, a good one, and a far cry from the bossa-propelled '60s. So is the funky voodoo cover of Stephen Stills' "For What It's Worth" in its own way, though the old Brasil '66 sound does come in very handy in a superb treatment of another folk-rock song, Joni Mitchell's "Chelsea Morning." Yet Mendes also experiments with different, more authentically Brazilian rhythm patterns in a brilliantly propulsive rendition of Gilberto Gil's "Viramundo" and a lovely Oscar Castro-Neves/Sebastiao Neto tone poem, "Celebration of the Sunrise." This would also be Lani Hall's farewell to Sergio Mendes, leaving the band in mid-album on the way to becoming Mrs. Herb Alpert and starting a solo career, to be replaced by the Brazilian Gracinha Leporace, who is now Mrs. Sergio Mendes. Overlooked in its day, Stillness is the great sleeper album of Sergio Mendes' first A&M period.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

Jardim El�trico is a natural follow-up to Os Mutantes's previous effort, A Divina Com�dia Ou Ando Meio Desligado and a step further away from the '60s psychedelics that characterized the groups first two albums. Some consider Jardim El�trico to be the beginning of the decline of Os Mutantes, but the album is very popular among the fans of the group. One of the absolute highlights of the album is the humorous "El Justiciero," which features Spanish lyrics and also some Spanish-style guitar play. Other great songs are "Tecnicolor," which has lyrics in English, the melodious and slightly Beatlesque "Virg�nia," and "Tudo, Tudo, Tudo," a song that features a bluesy mouth harmonica. On these and other tracks on the album, the music of Os Mutantes is just as playful and creative as ever. On the whole, this is a very enjoyable album that will almost certainly appeal to any fan of the group. The casual listener, though, will probably be better off starting with one of the group's three first albums. It may be worth noting that five of the songs on Jardim El�trico were really recorded in France in 1970 to appear on the album Tecnicolor, which aimed at the international market, but wasn't released until the year 2000. To get hold of these songs, Jardim El�trico is definitely a better choice than Tecnicolor.

(by Philip Jandovsk�, All Music Guide)

Chico Buarque's fifth album for Philips is a classic, where nearly all the songs became hits. Buarque was featured in an acoustic setting, almost completely aloof from the tropic�lia movement (the courageous orchestration of Constru��o is very reminiscent of the influential work by Rog�rio Duprat). He delved into the Brazilian tradition of sambas and romantic or doleful songs, coming up with "Deus Lhe Pague" and "Constru��o," both having strong lyrics subliminally criticizing the military dictatorship; "Cotidiano," existentially thematic, revolving around the man-woman relationship routine; "Olha Maria" (written with Tom Jobim and Vin�cius de Moraes), a sad separation farewell; "Samba de Orly," a reference to the French airport and city that became paradigms of the exiled Brazilians; "Valsinha," a beautiful love story; and other immortal songs in which the genius of the composer meets sensitively and reverently the heart of the Brazilian feel.

(by Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide)

Der Nachfolger zum selbstbetitelten 1970er Album des brasilianischen S�ngers, Songwriters und Musikers Marcos Valle, �Garra�, nimmt eine gesellschaftlich-wachsame Haltung ein, die hier mit einem verspielten Mix aus Samba, Bossa Nova, Baiao (einem rhythmischen Beat aus der l�ndlichen Nordosten Brasiliens), schwarzer amerikanischer Musik und psychedelischem Rock gew�rzt wird.

Marcos und sein lyrisch begabter Bruder Paulo nahmen das Album mit einigen der besten Studiomusiker Brasiliens auf � �Garra� ist ihr politisch deutlichstes Werk. Aufgenommen zwischen den Session f�r Seifenoper Soundtracks, mit denen Valle sein Geld verdiente, provozierte das Album wissentlich die staatlich Zensur. Ungl�cklicherweise kamen einige von Valles Zeitgenossen nicht so ungeschoren davon wie er und wurden f�r ihre politisch �fragw�rdigen� Inhalte entweder ins Exil geschickt (wie die Ikonen des Tropicalia Gilberto Gil und Caetano Veloso) oder mussten in die USA oder nach Europa fl�chten.

�Garra� erschien urspr�nglich 1971 und verz�ckte mit dem Rare Groove Klassiker �Wanda Vidal�, der noch Jahre nach der urspr�nglichen Ver�ffentlichung von britischen, europ�ischen und japanischen Musikfans hochgelobt wurde. Inmitten einer aufregenden Aufstellung von Instrumenten verbirgt sich ein ernsthafter Kern.

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Tempering his funkier inclinations to create a Baroque masterpiece of easy listening Brazilian pop, Marcos Valle recorded the most entertaining album of his career, and perhaps the best Brazilian pop album of all time. Garra begins with the elegant "Jesus Meu Rei," with a magisterial men's choir echoing Valle's sentiments while textured piano and organ complete the rich sonic palette. Second track "Com Mais de 30," only the first of several ingenious transitions, offers a light, breezy alternative, bouncing back and forth from main melody to an excellent bridge. Indeed, nearly every song has a bridge as strong as -- or stronger than -- the main melody, and Valle proves himself a master at weaving together the various studio musicians at his disposal. Valle moves briskly and assuredly from piano lines to acoustic guitar and back for "Com Mais de 30," combines flutes and a Mellotron for a tight bridge on the title track, and coaxes all manner of emotions from a symphonic orchestra -- hushed yet gradually building strings, bleating brass -- for the unabashed "Black Is Beautiful." Every song is excellent, most in the easy-pop vein of Samba '68. "Wanda Vidal," "Vinte e Seis Anos de Vida Normal," and the perfectly done closer, "O Cafona," are seamless blends of funk and easy listening; the last features a rangy bassline, organ, and wah-wah guitar working together with handclaps and separated men's and women's backing choruses while Valle breathily repeats words and phrases several times before climaxing at the end of nearly every line. Continually besting symphonic seducers from Esquivel to Brian Wilson, Marcos Valle recorded his masterpiece with Garra.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

One look at the doleful expression that Caetano Veloso wears on the cover of his third self-titled album from 1971 and it's clear that the listener is in for a bummer. It's a dead-eyed look that says, "Friend, sit down, have a drink, and listen to my weary tale." And a weary homesick tale it is, for the man who only a few years earlier had been one of the catalysts in a revolution that sent the Brazilian music world on the psychedelic Beatles-lovin' roller coaster of Tropicalia was now living in the U.K. in a government-imposed exile. Gone are the Day-Glo flashes of his earlier albums, replaced by the realism of a revolutionary whose dreams have been shuttered. If there was any doubt to the depths of his melancholy, Veloso clears it up right away with "A Little More Blue," reflecting on being thrown in jail and declaring that his exile is worse than his Brazilian imprisonment. Even more dismal may be the lovesick tribute to his sister, "Maria Bethânia," which plainly spells out his physical and emotional disconnection. It's not all so dismal, though; there are upbeat songs as well, like the acknowledged classic "London, London" and the lone Portuguese-sung track, "Asa Branca." There are Brazilian touches in the drums and Veloso's phrasing, but the album is more in the tradition of downer folk classics like Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks and Tim Buckley's Happy Sad. If that seems like heavy company, then seek out this emotionally rich and complex work by an artist who doesn't merely stand on the shoulders of giants -- he is one of the giants.

by Wade Kergan

In a discussion on the old blog about groups similar to Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 , the first name that came up was of course the Sergio Mendes produced Bossa Rio. If you're a bit familiar with Brazilian music you will see that this is a kind of 'supergroup'. Members are from left to right (on the upper cover): Osmar Milito (keys), Manfredo Fest (keys), Ronald Mesquita (drums), Gracinha Leporace (vocals), Pery Ribeiro (vocals) and Octavio Bailly Jr. (bass). Milito was replaced by Dwight Dickerson (piano) for the second album.

Probably none of these names were familiar with North American audiences at the time and consequently the personnal is not credited on the album covers, but all of them played important roles in Brazilian music:

Octavio Bailly already was a member of the first Bossa Rio group (Sergio Mendes' Bossa Rio Sextet) and as such took part in the famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1962 as well as recording with Cannonball Adderley. He and Ronald Mesquita functioned as the second rhythm section for Luiz Carlos Vinhas' Bossa Tres. The Bossa Tres not only accompanied Pery Ribeiro on his album Reencontro, crooner and trio also stayed in Mexico between 1966 and 1968 performing and recording as Gemini 5 (with Leny Andrade). Shortly after his stay with Bossa Rio, Mesquita would do two great albums that perfectly transplanted the Brasil'66/Bossa Rio style into the 1970s (Bresil 72 and Ronie e Central do Brasil).

Pery Ribeiro could already look back on a ten year career as a crooner with several succesful albums for the Brazilian market, among them Pery é todo bossa, the album that featured the first recording of Garota de Ipanema.

Manfredo Fest was a great blind jazz pianist who's albums from the 1960s are worth checking out for fans of jazz samba, while records like Brazilian Dorian Dream from 1976 are cult items among admirers of jazz fusion.

Osmar Milito is best known for his work for the Telenovelas (soap operas) as well as a handful of pop records similar in style to Marcos Valle.

Gracinha Leporace would become the singer for Brasil '77 and Mrs Mendes. She and her brother Fernando had done two albums with the protest group Groupo Manifesto. We will meet Fernando here soon, too, since he recorded a wonderful pop/psych album with the group Vox Populi.

The music's a well-balanced mix of contemporary Brazilian and North American tunes, wisely avoiding songs which were already recorded by Brasil' 66. The one exception being Wave, the only Tom Jobim piece here, which is taken at a slower pace than the Brasil '66 version.

Jorge Ben provides three of the "hardest" and grooviest pieces, all of which get worthy treatments and are definitely highlights. Edu Lobo, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso and Marcos Valle are all represented with one song, but while Milton's Cancao do Sal is a quite obvious choice (and another highlight), Lobo's Veleiro is a rarely covered song. Bossa Rio's take is remarkably different from it's original version, which can be heard on Edu e Bethania.
It's easy to guess that the lyrics of For Your Love Now, the English language take of Marcos Valle's Mustang cor de Sangue ("Blood-colored Mustang"), bear no resemblance at all to the original words. This set of English lyrics is another questionable effort from Mr Norman Gimble, who unfortunately "translated" many Brazilian classics. The music is excellent nonetheless.
Since i never cared for Caetano Veloso, i'm not familiar with the original version ofToday, Tomorrow (Boa Palavra), but Gracinha's singing is especially delicate here.

Lennon/McCartney were as inevitable as Bacharach/David. It's arguable that we need another version of Eleanor Rigby, while Blackbird, one of the few gentle moments on the White Album, get's a surprisingly dynamic treatment. Do you know the Way to San Jose is a personal favourite from the Bacharach book and doesn't dissapoint.

The weakest moments, at least for this listener, are those where older standards are treated, like Day by Day or The Night has a thousand Eyes. Somehow they just don't seem to click. I always felt similar about Brasil '66' takes of tunes from the great American songbook.

Auf diesem 1970 entstandenen Album ließ der brasilianische Pianist João Donato seine Bossa-Nova-Wurzeln hinter sich, um mit der Crème de la crème der in Los Angeles ansässigen Sessionmusiker eine eklektische Mischung aus Funk, Fusion und psychedelischem Rock und Pop einzuspielen. Der brasilianische Rolling Stone zählte »A Bad Donato« 2007 zu den »100 besten Alben der brasilianischen Musik«.

Zum Bossa Nova schien fast alles gesagt zu sein, als um 1970 die Szene auf zwei Jahrzehnte Musizierstil aus der Synthese von Samba und Cool-Jazz Elementen zur�ckblickte. Experimentierfreudige Musiker wie Luis Bonfa, Baden Powell, Charly Byrd, Jo�o und Astrud Gilberto und der Saxofonist Stan Getz gaben der �neuen Sache� Feuer wie Sentiment. Allen voran steht Carlos Antonio Jobim, der seine Ohrw�rmer wie das tickende und schiebende St�ck �Desafinado� und den genialisch eint�nigen �One Note Samba� auf Weltreise schickte.

Dass es f�r den Mann aus Ipanema noch immer viel zu sagen gab, zeigt dieses Album, das Jobims kreatives Profil auf dem H�hepunkt seine Reife abbildet. Bereits im ersten Titel, in dem Urbie Green an der Posaune �Tereza My Love� in den reinsten und h�chsten T�nen besingt, wird sp�rbar, dass die Sp�tlese des Bossa den stilbildenden Rhythmus weitaus feingliedriger strukturiert als die tanzfiebrige Fr�hreife. Gleichsam mit gl�nzenden Gold- und Silberf�den werden die Melodien rhythmisch umwoben, verdichtete Klangwellen bleiben duftig und zart. Und doch lassen die Akteure auch die Samba-Pferde von der Leine, wenn es im Latin-Klassiker �Brazil� knackig kl�ppelt.

Klangzauberer Deodato als Arrangeur und Dirigent und Rudy van Gelder an der Audio-Technik runden diese LP zu einem Meisterst�ck des Bossa-Repertoires, womit nun wirklich alles gesagt sein sollte.

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�Stone Flower� - Antonio Carlos Jobim (p, el-p, v, voc, g); Joe Farrell (ss); Urbie Green (tb); Hubert Laws (fl); Eumir Deodato (g, arr, cond); Harry Lookofsky (v); Ron Carter (b); Airto Moreira, Everaldo Ferreira (perc); Jo�o Palma (dr)

�Herrlich.� (Good Times, April / Mai 2015)

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�... dieses perfekt gepresste 180-Gramm-Reissue bringt den alten Zauber, der wie der Soundtrack jener Epoche wirkt, ins Heute hin�ber.�

(Stereo, Juli 2015)

Der Nachfolger zum selbstbetitelten 1970er Album des brasilianischen S�ngers, Songwriters und Musikers Marcos Valle, �Garra�, nimmt eine gesellschaftlich-wachsame Haltung ein, die hier mit einem verspielten Mix aus Samba, Bossa Nova, Baiao (einem rhythmischen Beat aus der l�ndlichen Nordosten Brasiliens), schwarzer amerikanischer Musik und psychedelischem Rock gew�rzt wird.

Marcos und sein lyrisch begabter Bruder Paulo nahmen das Album mit einigen der besten Studiomusiker Brasiliens auf � �Garra� ist ihr politisch deutlichstes Werk. Aufgenommen zwischen den Session f�r Seifenoper Soundtracks, mit denen Valle sein Geld verdiente, provozierte das Album wissentlich die staatlich Zensur. Ungl�cklicherweise kamen einige von Valles Zeitgenossen nicht so ungeschoren davon wie er und wurden f�r ihre politisch �fragw�rdigen� Inhalte entweder ins Exil geschickt (wie die Ikonen des Tropicalia Gilberto Gil und Caetano Veloso) oder mussten in die USA oder nach Europa fl�chten.

�Garra� erschien urspr�nglich 1971 und verz�ckte mit dem Rare Groove Klassiker �Wanda Vidal�, der noch Jahre nach der urspr�nglichen Ver�ffentlichung von britischen, europ�ischen und japanischen Musikfans hochgelobt wurde. Inmitten einer aufregenden Aufstellung von Instrumenten verbirgt sich ein ernsthafter Kern.

---

Tempering his funkier inclinations to create a Baroque masterpiece of easy listening Brazilian pop, Marcos Valle recorded the most entertaining album of his career, and perhaps the best Brazilian pop album of all time. Garra begins with the elegant "Jesus Meu Rei," with a magisterial men's choir echoing Valle's sentiments while textured piano and organ complete the rich sonic palette. Second track "Com Mais de 30," only the first of several ingenious transitions, offers a light, breezy alternative, bouncing back and forth from main melody to an excellent bridge. Indeed, nearly every song has a bridge as strong as -- or stronger than -- the main melody, and Valle proves himself a master at weaving together the various studio musicians at his disposal. Valle moves briskly and assuredly from piano lines to acoustic guitar and back for "Com Mais de 30," combines flutes and a Mellotron for a tight bridge on the title track, and coaxes all manner of emotions from a symphonic orchestra -- hushed yet gradually building strings, bleating brass -- for the unabashed "Black Is Beautiful." Every song is excellent, most in the easy-pop vein of Samba '68. "Wanda Vidal," "Vinte e Seis Anos de Vida Normal," and the perfectly done closer, "O Cafona," are seamless blends of funk and easy listening; the last features a rangy bassline, organ, and wah-wah guitar working together with handclaps and separated men's and women's backing choruses while Valle breathily repeats words and phrases several times before climaxing at the end of nearly every line. Continually besting symphonic seducers from Esquivel to Brian Wilson, Marcos Valle recorded his masterpiece with Garra.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

In a discussion on the old blog about groups similar to Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 , the first name that came up was of course the Sergio Mendes produced Bossa Rio. If you're a bit familiar with Brazilian music you will see that this is a kind of 'supergroup'. Members are from left to right (on the upper cover): Osmar Milito (keys), Manfredo Fest (keys), Ronald Mesquita (drums), Gracinha Leporace (vocals), Pery Ribeiro (vocals) and Octavio Bailly Jr. (bass). Milito was replaced by Dwight Dickerson (piano) for the second album.

Probably none of these names were familiar with North American audiences at the time and consequently the personnal is not credited on the album covers, but all of them played important roles in Brazilian music:

Octavio Bailly already was a member of the first Bossa Rio group (Sergio Mendes' Bossa Rio Sextet) and as such took part in the famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1962 as well as recording with Cannonball Adderley. He and Ronald Mesquita functioned as the second rhythm section for Luiz Carlos Vinhas' Bossa Tres. The Bossa Tres not only accompanied Pery Ribeiro on his album Reencontro, crooner and trio also stayed in Mexico between 1966 and 1968 performing and recording as Gemini 5 (with Leny Andrade). Shortly after his stay with Bossa Rio, Mesquita would do two great albums that perfectly transplanted the Brasil'66/Bossa Rio style into the 1970s (Bresil 72 and Ronie e Central do Brasil).

Pery Ribeiro could already look back on a ten year career as a crooner with several succesful albums for the Brazilian market, among them Pery é todo bossa, the album that featured the first recording of Garota de Ipanema.

Manfredo Fest was a great blind jazz pianist who's albums from the 1960s are worth checking out for fans of jazz samba, while records like Brazilian Dorian Dream from 1976 are cult items among admirers of jazz fusion.

Osmar Milito is best known for his work for the Telenovelas (soap operas) as well as a handful of pop records similar in style to Marcos Valle.

Gracinha Leporace would become the singer for Brasil '77 and Mrs Mendes. She and her brother Fernando had done two albums with the protest group Groupo Manifesto. We will meet Fernando here soon, too, since he recorded a wonderful pop/psych album with the group Vox Populi.

The music's a well-balanced mix of contemporary Brazilian and North American tunes, wisely avoiding songs which were already recorded by Brasil' 66. The one exception being Wave, the only Tom Jobim piece here, which is taken at a slower pace than the Brasil '66 version.

Jorge Ben provides three of the "hardest" and grooviest pieces, all of which get worthy treatments and are definitely highlights. Edu Lobo, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso and Marcos Valle are all represented with one song, but while Milton's Cancao do Sal is a quite obvious choice (and another highlight), Lobo's Veleiro is a rarely covered song. Bossa Rio's take is remarkably different from it's original version, which can be heard on Edu e Bethania.
It's easy to guess that the lyrics of For Your Love Now, the English language take of Marcos Valle's Mustang cor de Sangue ("Blood-colored Mustang"), bear no resemblance at all to the original words. This set of English lyrics is another questionable effort from Mr Norman Gimble, who unfortunately "translated" many Brazilian classics. The music is excellent nonetheless.
Since i never cared for Caetano Veloso, i'm not familiar with the original version ofToday, Tomorrow (Boa Palavra), but Gracinha's singing is especially delicate here.

Lennon/McCartney were as inevitable as Bacharach/David. It's arguable that we need another version of Eleanor Rigby, while Blackbird, one of the few gentle moments on the White Album, get's a surprisingly dynamic treatment. Do you know the Way to San Jose is a personal favourite from the Bacharach book and doesn't dissapoint.

The weakest moments, at least for this listener, are those where older standards are treated, like Day by Day or The Night has a thousand Eyes. Somehow they just don't seem to click. I always felt similar about Brasil '66' takes of tunes from the great American songbook.

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Highly sought on vinyl by bossa nova fans, this debut album from this short-lived sextet (not to be confused with Sergio Mendes' Bossa Rio Sextet) seems to suggest a theory: the more handshakes away from Herb Alpert, the better and more authentic the music. Bossa Rio was discovered and produced by Mendes, who in turn was brought into the A&M fold by Alpert. Despite three Brasil '66-ish sounding covers of American hits ("Day by Day," "Up, Up, and Away," and "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"), Bossa Rio stick to tunes from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, and Milton Nascimento, keeping with their roots (as Mendes and Brasil '66 progressed, the American chart covers took over their albums). Lead vocalist Gracinha Laporace has a clear, gentle tone, perfect for their mellow versions of "Wave" and "Cancao do Sal (Sultry Song)." Organist Manfredo Fest puts the devil in the details, giving a giddy feel to "Nana" and "Today, Tomorrow," coaxing similar sounds out of his Hammond as, strangely enough, Soft Machine's Mike Ratledge. A wonderful album for fans of commercial bossa nova, now available on Japanese import CD only.

(by Ted Mills, All Music Guide)

Originally released in 1969, Gal Costa's second solo album is one of the finest releases to come out of Brazil's Tropicalia movement. Featuring songwriting and vocal help from Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa flows effortlessly between shredding psychedelia and smooth bossa nova. An essential record for anyone that appreciates the far reaches of Brazilian popular music. Includes the classic tracks "Baby" and "Nao Identificado."

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It is easy to see why Gal Costa is so well-received by the Brazilian masses when she has such delightful recordings as these under her belt. Added period charm lies in the numerous psych effects and fuzz guitars that pepper this release. Costa's young vocal work is so full and inviting -- it can be a bit of a surprise when she rears back and turns out a lackadaisical growl. The album begins with a Caetano Veloso song ("Nao Identificado") that starts with a whirr of psychedelic effects before launching into a beautifully arranged mid-paced ballad. The strings flutter and aid Costa's already warm and sensuous vocal work. Certain tracks, like "Sebastiana," sound like Costa recorded the vocals in the bottom of the well, but this is OK. This track also features Gilberto Gil at the end, engaging Costa in what sounds like some sort of heated, happy exchange. The centerpiece of the album is most certainly "Baby," written by Veloso (who also jumps in on the vocal duties). Costa's echoing vocal pours out the melody carefully while the strings glide and swirl along. This song was one of the few chosen for the influential Tropicalia: Panis et Circenses album. Equally marked by fuzz guitar freakouts as it is with dreamy bossa nova, this record is one of the jewels in the crown of Tropicalia, as well as pop music in general.

(by Jon Pruett, All Music Guide)

Gilberto Gil's second album is packed with some of the best songs of his career � jubilant pop extravaganzas like "Domingo No Parque," "Pega a Voga, Cabeludo," and "Frevo Rasgado" that were equally inspired by the irresistible, brassy bombast of Carnaval and intelligent rock & roll from America and Britain. Even more than the other tropicalistas, though, Gil blends his rock and native influences seamlessly, resulting in songs like "�le Falava Nisso Todo Dia" that chart an intriguing fusion of Brazilian and British Invasion (before he breaks into Portuguese for the first verse, the intro sounds exactly like a few early Rolling Stones productions). Gil's occasional backing band, the teenage tropicalia breakouts known as Os Mutantes, join in on the feel-good Brazilian pop anthem "Domingou." Enjoyable and never as experimental as his work would soon become, Gilberto Gil 1968 is one of the best tropicalia albums ever released.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

Having hit upon another smash formula -- cover versions of pop/rock hits backed by lavish strings, a simplified bossa nova rhythm, and the leader's piano comping -- Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 produced two more chart-busting singles, again turning to the Beatles for sustenance with the title track (number six) and Simon & Garfunkel for "Scarborough Fair" (number 16). But again, the bulk of the album was dominated by Brazilians, and by one in particular: the hugely gifted Edu Lobo, whose dramatic "Casa Forte" and infectious "Upa, Neguinho" were the best of his four songs. The tracks were longer now, the string-laden ballads (arranged by Dave Grusin) more lavish and moody, and Lani Hall emerged as the vocal star of the band, eclipsing her new partner, Karen Philipp (although Hall is upstaged on "Lapinha" by future Brasil '77 member Gracinha Leporace). Even though he had become thoroughly embedded in the consciousness of mainstream America, Mendes still managed to have it three ways, exposing first-class tunes from little-known Brazilian talent, garnering commercial hits, and also making some fine records. Cultural note: the striking foldout cover art, depicting Brasil '66 at sunset seated on top of a nude woman, somehow made it past the uptight censors of the day and no doubt boosted sales; it was Mendes' highest-charting album at number three.

(by Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide)

This is the compilation that helped to define the sound of Tropicalia, a Brazilian label whose artists made huge and influential strides in creating exotic pop that was as influenced by psychedelia as it was by samba, bossa nova, and more traditional South American genres. Tropic�lia not only includes tracks from the label's most important acts (Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa), but presents a large number of collaborations between these artists, many of which are simply amazing. Given the fact that many of the original Tropicalia releases have not been reissued or are not widely available, the compilation stands as a near-definitive package for the sound, and a great opportunity for anyone unfamiliar with the artists to experience an amazing and hugely important genre.

(by Nitsuh Abebe, All Music Guide)

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Urspr�nglich 1969 ver�ffentlicht, ist dieses Album eines der wichtigsten in der musikalischen sowie politischen Geschichte Brasiliens. Durch ihren im musikalischen Gewand verpackten politischen Protest gegen das damalige, brasilianische Regime fanden sich Gilberto Gil und Caetano veloso erst im Gef�ngnis und sp�ter im britischen Exil wieder.

Samba '68 is a vibrant set of Brazilian pop, indebted to bossa nova and samba but undeniably Americanized for a domestic audience. The result is a joyous album throughout that wears its dated sound quite well. Valle interprets eleven of his own songs, including Brazilian standards like "Chup Chup, I Got Away," "Batucada" and "So Nice (Summer Samba)," as well as new tracks like "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" and "The Answer." The vocal harmonies of his wife (the Anamaria of the song title) provide a beautiful counterpoint to Valle's voice on several tracks, making Samba '68 one of the best Brazilian crossovers of the 1960s.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

The poet/performer Vinicius de Moraes and the vocalist Odette Lara make a wonderful team, and though their voices aren't heard together as much as they should be here, Vinicius & Odette Lara is a warm, inviting collection. The dozen songs are all originals � by de Moraes and old friend Baden Powell, who also appears as a musician � and usually present Lara and de Moraes trading lines, or Lara taking the verses while de Moraes handles choruses. The breathtaking "Samba Preludio" is one of the few actual duets; after a preface featuring a mournful de Moraes over a sawing cello, Lara sings a few lines alone as well before the pair's voices intertwine (even while they sing different lines). Moacyr Santos' arrangements range from Brazilian bossa to string orchestra pop to anthemic soul-jazz, with plenty of trumpet and flute as well as a warm cocktail piano and the usual sewing machine bossa percussion. On "Deve se Amor," playful reeds and high-note trumpet accent a smooth, powerful vocal by Lara. It's a bit disconcerting to hear a Brazilian vocal album without recognizing at least one standard, but Vinicius & Odette Lara is a challenging, entertaining work of jazzy Brazilian pop.

(by John Bush, All Music Guide)

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It was a different century, a different world. In 1963, a poet and an actress could open a label (hat a responsibility!), singing song from a rand-new partnership, with arrangements from a complete stranger, and create a classic. The poet was Vinicius de Moraes, and the actress was Odette Lara, veterans of thousand musical nights. The new partnership was Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes, with born standards like Deixa, Astronauta and Berimbau. The arranger was none other than Moacir Santos. The Label was Elenco. Today we know that it couldn't have gone wrong.

(Ruy Castro, liner notes)