Cesar Mariano & CIA - Sao Paulo, Brasil (1977)

A fantastic bit of funky fusion from Brazil — Keyboardist Cesar Mariano leads the group through a set of tight choppy electric tunes that easily rank with the best work on American 70s labels, like CTI or Kudu, but with some excellent additional touches that take the work to a whole new level!
Electric keyboards mix with acoustic bass and piano – for a groove that's both funky, but also touched with strong elements of Brazilian jazz. Includes the cool funky track "Metropole", the break cut "Fabrica", and the mellow groover "Imigrantes" – as well as the tunes "Metro", "Litoral", and the uniquely growing number "Futebol De Bar".

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Mandrake Som - O...,Amigo (1977)

One of Brazil's finest percussionist, Mandrake Som, released this rare Italian-only album in 1977. It is a perfect follow-up to his previous bossa-jazz killer 'Sombossa', bringing even further the fusion between brazilian percussion-heavy music and jazz.
All in all it is a real groovy gem that deserves to be better known, and it includes great covers of 'Mulher Rendeira' or the timeless 'Dindi', plus original compositions such as the title track, 'Estrada do Sol' or 'Disparada'.

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Viva Brasil - Viva Brasil (1980)

A killer album of breezy bossa-fied jazz from the West Coast! Viva Brasil worked for many years as part of the underground Brazilian scene in San Francisco - home to smaller combos similar to themseves, and bigger names who often recorded on Fantasy Records.
There's a full album's worth of great cuts here, all with the cool breezy west coast Brazilian feel that was the group's trademark style, including the massive club track "Skindo-Le-Le".
Whilst partly electric, the core sound is like a floating acoustic one with jazzy influences, often with Ruben Moura's vocals to the fore. Joe Henderson guest stars on the track "Iemanja", and the LP includes the tracks "O Bode", Jocafi's evergreen "Voce Abusou", Bosco and Blanc's brilliant "Ronco Da Cuica" and "Menina Danada".

Enjoy it!
Greg

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Leny Andrade - Estamos Ai (1965)

Beautiful bossa – and one of Leny Andrade's best albums! The record was recorded way back in 1965, when Leny was starting her career, years before she went onto become one of Brazil's most famous jazz singers. She's working here with Deodato, who did a beautiful set of jazzy arrangements that work perfectly with Leny's rich voice – warm and airy, with a sweetly skipping quality throughout!

The whole thing's really jazzy and wonderful – without any of the heavier styles of Leny's later work – and titles include "Tema Feliz", "Samba De Rei", "A Resposta", "Banzo", "Cliché", "Samba Em Paris", and "Coisa Nuvem".

Enjoy it!

Greg

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Moacir Santos - Saudade (1974)

Some sunny sounds for these dreary winter days with this killer album of brazilian jazz-funk! This is one of the rare Blue Note gems from Brazilian arranger/composer Moacir Santos – an album of incredible warmth and charm, with a sound that's hardly been duplicated again!

Santos is usually best known for his early bossa arrangements in the 60s, but here he's working in the US – hitting a sweet LA groove that mixes his earlier Brazilian styles with breezy touches from 70s jazz – done in a great mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that sparkles tremendously throughout! The rhythms alone are worth the price of admission – complicated, compelling, but always grooving straight ahead – far different than both the usual sound of Brazilian jazz and Blue Note at the time, and a unique hybrid that's certainly one of Santos' finest moments on record. A few tracks feature vocals as well, done in a nicely reserved mode that fits in perfectly with the instrumentation of the tunes – and titles include a wonderful version of the song "Kathy", recorded previously as an instrumental by Horace Silver – plus "Off & On", "Amphibious", "Early Morning Love", "Suk Cha", "The City Of LA", and "Haply-Happy".

Enjoy it!

Greg

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