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2024 WORLD TOUR - #2 Brazil

2024 WORLD TOUR - #2 Brazil

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Amaro Freitas - Sankofa

Sankofa

by Amaro Freitas

Released 25 June 2021

Far Out Recordings

****-

From the slums of Recife in Brazil’s North-East to international jazz icon, Amaro Freitas has worked tirelessly to become the artist he is today. Gaining international attention for “an approach to the keyboard so unique that it’s startling” (Downbeat), his debut and sophomore albums Sangue Negro (2016) and Rasif (2018) arrived on a wave of instant acclaim.

His new album Sankofa - a spiritual quest into the forgotten stories, ancient philosophies and inspirational figures of Black Brazil - is his most stunning and sincere work to date.

But for Amaro Freitas, work isn’t just playing the piano, his art delves far deeper than music theory and practice. Explaining the impetus behind Sankofa, Amaro elucidates the imperative behind his music:“I worked to try to understand my ancestors, my place, my history, as a black man. Brazil didn’t tell us the truth about Brazil. The history of black people before slavery is rich with ancient philosophies. By understanding the history and the strength of our people, one can start to understand where our desires, dreams and wishes come from.”

Sankofa is an Adinkra symbol depicting a backward-facing bird. After stumbling upon the symbol on a robe at an African fair in Harlem, New York - perhaps auspicious considering it’s the home of some of the great jazz pianists like Monk and Tatum, it sparked a curiosity in Amaro. He soon came to understand what it represents, and it became the foundational concept for his new album: “The symbol of the mystical bird, which flies with its head back, teaches us the possibility of going back to our roots, in order to realize our potential to move forward. With this album I want to bring a memory of who we are and pay homage to neighborhoods, names, characters, places, words and symbols that come from our ancestors. I want to celebrate where we come from.”

With the help of Jean Elton (bass) and Hugo Medeiros (drums), who have formed the Amaro Freitas Trio since the very beginning, Amaro employs intricate rhythmic patterns and time-signature variations as if reimagining the ancient designs of his ancestors, and every track is imbued with a message or a story Amaro is compelled to tell.

Source: Bandcamp

Arthur Verocai - Timeless

Timeless

by Arthur Verocai

Released 15 March 2022

Mochilla

****-

"Folk-jazz composer/arranger Arthur Verocai was born in Rio de Janeiro. He has created challenging arrangements and compositions for Brazilian artists Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins, Leny Andrade and Gal Costa.

In 1972 Verocai recorded a self-titled solo LP. It is a stunningly innovative effort. It puts Verocai into a rarified field with the heavy string oriented music of Charles Stepney, David Axelrod and Frank Zappa.

Released in a period marked by the Brazilian military government, the album fared poorly. Following its re-issue in 2003 the album has become a highly influential oft sampled classic (see Ludacris, MF Doom and Little Brother).

The performance of this seminal 1972 record in its entirety brought the capacity Luckmann crowd to a stand still. According to Verocai, 'he had never played the record, alive or dead!' His delight at the opportunity to play this music 37 years later can be seen on the DVD. The music has been mixed by Verocai himself in Rio. History turned on its head and musical justice served." 

Source: Forced Exposure

Omar Sosa, Tigana Santana - Iroko

Iroko

by Omar Sosa, Tigana Santana

Released 20 January 2023

Selo Sesc (dist. Tratore)

****-

IROKO is a sublime musical cascade. The flash that bounced off the walls of a music studio in São Paulo, Brazil in 2022 when African-Brazilian vocalist and guitarist Tiganá Santana and African-Cuban pianist Omar Sosa worked together to chisel a gem, while the world was still in the grip of a raging pandemic. The exquisite album they crafted exemplifies the magic that arises when artists shove aside their creative egos and humbly listen to each other, their shared vision becoming a flash of creative genius.
Sosa and Santana are two innovative spirits of the contemporary music scene who have lots in common. They structure complex compositions with ears attuned to their respective sub-Saharan African cosmovisions (Santería, Cuba, and Candomblé, Brazil). Both textually and emotionally, they speak to the same ancient Yoruba divinities, and are able to create a dialogue of Africa with itself, from various points of departure, ports of entry and across the seas. A dialogue that is futuristic and cosmic by design, yet contemporary in its appeal, backed by an array of sub-Saharan instruments that add melodic urgency to the speech.

IROKO is a beautifully crafted and moving album, a real treat for the soul. An Africa-to-Africa dialogue overseas, about the Many Rivers to Cross and the Beautiful Jungles to enter, along the road to the true Self.

Read more... Jazz Del La Pena

Gal Costa - Nenhuma Dor

Nenhuma Dor

by Gal Costa

Released 12 February 2021

Boscoito Fino

*****

It is necessary, oh sweet girlfriend, to continue steadfastly on the road that leads to no pain. Originally released in 1967 and now re-recorded by Gal Costa in a duet with Zeca Veloso, the verses of the Piauí poet Torquato Neto (1944 - 1972) inspired the title of the Bahian singer's new work.

With cover signed by artist Omar Salomão, the album Nenhuma Dor ("No Pain") organizes the ten singles that Gal has released in pairs on digital platforms since November 2020.

In ten tracks, Gal performs duets with Brazilians Rodrigo Amarante, Seu Jorge, Silva, Criolo, Rubel, Tim Bernardes and Zé Ibarra - in addition to the aforementioned Zeca Veloso, son of Caetano Veloso. With the Portuguese António Zambujo and the Uruguayan Jorge Drexler.

This album was ... born as a quarantine project. It never intended to sound like a career record, as they said. It doesn't want to change what you think about this or that classic song. Nor does it intend to define Gal's next artistic steps or any of those involved. Not even winning best of the year awards. It just wants to echo, louder and farther, that voice of the memory of affection that gives us the unshakable lap and the strength to continue on the road.

No pain, if possible.

Source: Biscoito Fino (Google Translation)

ÀIYÉ - TRANSES

TRANSES

by ÀIYÉ

Released 20 April 2023

Balaclava Records

****-

Larissa Conforto used to be the drummer of Ventre, one of Brazil’s most intriguing contemporary rock bands. A few years ago though, she decided to go solo.

Under the nickname ÀIYÉ, she released her debut EP “Gratitrevas“ in 2020 full of electronic layers and her beautiful vocals on the top, yet with some intricate percussions at the bottom.

After that collection, the Rio de Janeiro artist wasn’t really active until this year, which brought singles “Onda” and “Diablo XV”, and now finally a full-length album called “TRANSES”, which brings 13 songs, or maybe one should say – 13 transes.

 

ÀIYÉ finds it hard to count her inspirations and feels a mixture things, but she not just accepts but fully embraces that, as demonstrated on the album cover of “Transes”.

She even switches at some point from Portuguese to Spanish.

There are a few highlights on the album that will steal your heart on the first listen, and you wouldn’t be surprised to hear them on the radio, like the aforementioned singles.

However, over time you might discover that more quiet and contemplative tracks are the heart of “Transes”.

Source: Beehype

Tim Bernades - Mil Coisas Invisivels

Mil Coisas Invisivels

by Tim Bernades

Released 14 June 2022

Psychic Hotline

****-

A Latin Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and producer, Bernardes has also collaborated with Fleet Foxes, Tom Zé, David Byrne, Gal Costa, Devendra Banhart, Shintaro Sakamoto, and more.

Bernardes has emerged as one of Brazil’s most profound musical talents of his generation, a contemporary artist with deep roots in Brazil’s verdant musical heritage. And finally, his long-awaited second album, the enveloping and expansive Mil Coisas Invisíveis (A Thousand Invisible Things) will be released this summer.

Four years after his standout 2017 debut, "Recomeçar", "Mil Coisas Invisiveis" invites us back into Bernardes and his singular world of sound: warm, intimate, emotionally resonant, healing.

The album was primarily written while touring with his acclaimed tropicalia-indie group, O Terno.

At the start of 2020, the new decade brought about a sense of change in Bernardes as he took a step back from touring and band life to focus on these new songs. The resulting work connects the cosmic dots from Tropicalia and samba to contemporary indie and folk; it’s a generous and intimate moment, meditations of metaphysical transformation in the face of grave uncertainty

Read more... Bandcamp

Filipe Catto, Belezas São Coisas Acesas por Dentro

Belezas São Coisas Acesas por Dentro (Beauty is Ignited on the Inside)

by Filipe Catto

Released 26 September 2023

Filipe Catto (dist. Tratore)

****-

Drawn toward the showy and decadent feel of cabaret, Catto might seem like an unlikely candidate to honor the legacy of Gal Costa, but that assumption proves gloriously wrong. Unlike her fellow tropicalistas, Costa retained elements of bossa nova’s Vegas-y lounge aura. Early in her career she managed to turn those aesthetics inside out on albums that both celebrated and undermined those commitments. If she eventually became what she originally deconstructed, the impact of her early albums remains. What makes this tribute so effective is how Catto captures those two sides of Costa’s legacy while making music that sounds like nothing Costa herself made.

Imagine Costa as a Velvet Underground fan - so, a Brazilian Bettie Seveert (a Dutch indie rock band) - but with the big, go-for-it riffs of arena rock latched to those alt. sounds. Channeling and and transmuting her spirit, Catto sounds eerily like Costa without simply mimicking her. thereby bringing out something in Costa that isn’t immediately present, but is obvious when heard.

The ten tracks from across Costa’s career are assembled into a package that’s arguably stronger than any single album she released. Play loud.

Celebrate Costa.

Admire Catto’s impressive achievement

Read more... Brazil Beat Blog

Ricardo Dias Gomes - Muito Sol

Muito Sol (Lots of Sun)

by Ricardo Dias Gomes

Released 9 June 2023

Hive Mind Records

****-

Ricardo Dias Gomes is a multi-instrumentalist composer who contributed ten years with Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso and many projects in Brazil, New York and Portugal.

This record is not a typical jazz record. The first impression it makes is of something fresh and unique. It invites one to listen to combinations of rhythms, textures and sounds and instrumentation not typically used together.

The title track starts the record with a pulsing bass line plus floating synthesizer; the vocal starts softly, like a modern Gilberto Gil, in a language you may or may not understand - but that does not matter, it is the overall feel that is important. Halfway through the drums kick in and some electric guitar which turns very fuzzy and suddenly it is all sounding like a jazz-rock fusion band.

Next up, "Morrerei Por Isso" starts with an acoustic guitar and mellow rhythmic percussion and again the soft voice. What sounds like a clavinet plays a melody and then a sax joins in. The sax solo melts off into the ether as the track ends.

Every song on this recording is unique and interesting. It is a melding of traditional Brazilian folk and jazz with rock and synth-driven atmospheric music.

At one moment it sounds like it is the late 1960s and one is listening to something like "The Girl From Ipanema" and the next moment it becomes Radiohead, in a great way. It is all somewhat reminiscent of a more folk-pop (Argentinian) artist, Juana Molina.

Overall the record is dreamy, melodic, rhythmic and atmospheric, with some more intense segments that add depth and texture. 

Read more... All About Jazz

Maíra Freitas & Jazz das Minas - Ayé Òrun

Ayé Òrun

by Maíra Freitas & Jazz das Minas

Released 2 June 2023

Danada Producoes

****-

On her third album, pianist/singer Freitas gathers an all-woman jazz orchestra and enlists an assortment of allies, mostly female, to celebrate motherhood. But think musical theater rather than jazz, and that includes all the vices such a label entails: bombast, lack of subtlety or intimacy, an unnecessary neatness. Which makes it all the more impressive she manages to make something of it. Rhythms help escape the straightlaced bore of Broadway. So does the deep immersion in Brazilian blackness. As a result the show never feels merely showy. Instead if comes across as ebullient and moving and, despite the veneer of musical theater, smart.

Read more... Brazil Beat Blog

Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 4 Azymuth

Jazz Is Dead 004

by Azymuth / Ali Shaheed Muhammed / Adrian Younge

Released 6 November 2020

Jazz Is Dead

*****

The fourth volume of Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad's Jazz Is Dead series logically spotlights Brazilian jazz masters Azymuth after colleague Marcos Valle's turn on JID003. At the same time, this convergence enables bassist Alex Malheiros, drummer Ivan Conti, and keyboardist Kiko Continentino to continue their every-few-years studio release schedule. "Apocalíptico" highlighted the series preview compilation Jazz Is Dead 001, and here it's focal, a torrential groove that starts with a buzzing bass warning and increases in power until it abates quickly at the 9:30 mark. Although none of the other seven compositions -- all eight are credited to the trio and producers/arrangers Younge and Muhammad -- is as dark or dramatic as "Apocalíptico," it forecast this set's tougher physicality in relation to Azymuth's deep back catalog. That's not to say it's any less inviting. In a sneaky way, it also has the same subtly spirit-lifting effect as a lengthy conversation with a longtime friend. Malheiros, Conti, and Continentino sound at home in Younge's Linear Labs workshop of vintage gear, no matter how many elements -- churning rhythm guitar, brass, reeds, additional percussion -- enhance their intuitive interaction. That shines through everything, whether it's the gentler "Sumaré" and "Friendship Samba" (the latter with a joyful skip that recalls the Light as a Feather gem "Partido Alto"), or more driving numbers such as "Pulando Corda" and "Ao Redor Do Samba." Like Younge and Muhammad's other sessions, this sounds familiar and fresh at once, in this case a happenstance 2020 approximation of a mid-'70s Azymuth date if made in collaboration with Fonce and Larry Mizell (à la the Brazilian-flavored moments of Bobbi Humphrey's Fancy Dancer, Roger Glenn's Reachin', and Gary Bartz's Music Is My Sanctuary). "Samba doido" meets "sky high."

Source: AllMusic

Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad - Jazz Is Dead 3 Marcos Vale

Jazz Is Dead 003

by Marcos Valle / Ali Shaheed Muhammed / Adrian Younge

Released 28 August 2020

Jazz Is Dead

*****

This third volume is a collab with legendary Brazilian composer, singer, and producer Marcos Valle. He lived in L.A. during the 1970s, working as an engineer, producer, sideman, and songwriter, composing with Chicago's Robert Lamm and R&B maestro Leon Ware, but he never recorded his own music. (Valle's last American recording was Samba '68, arranged by Eumir Deodato.) Muhammad and Younge did a deep dive into Valle's catalog for musical guidance and creative inspiration, then invited him to Linear Labs Studio.

Known for intense focus, Valle listened intently to his collaborator's ideas and embellished them, often in the moment. The musicians cut eight sparkling, airy new songs in less than a week. While the spontaneity in these sessions references various musical projects Valle has engaged over the decades, the approach is modern, organic, and warmly visceral. Check out the lithe opener "Queira Bem." Valle's signature vocal phrasing caresses the lyric just above a shimmering Rhodes piano, jazzy guitar, and slightly funky bass lines. A flute slips around the sung lines as percussion and snare breaks fill out the mix. Valle's spouse, vocalist Patricia Alvi, adds harmony vocals to several tracks, but her featured duet on "Viajando Por Aí" is the set's finest entry. Samba rhythms and syncopated jazz horn charts, which meet in-the-cut funky bass and electric piano and organ, introduce a sexy soul bossa delivered flawlessly by the singers. The set's final two tracks, "Our Train" and "A Gente Volta Amanhã," directly reference Fly Cruzeiro, a 1972 electric jazz-samba session Valle cut with Azymuth, which was recently reissued by Far Out. (Interestingly, the fusion trio are the subjects of the upcoming JID004.) The former track is an instrumental samba. Its stacked organs, vamping guitars, and simmering percussion are filtered through a syncopated, percussive Rhodes piano, zigzagging synths, and punchy, if gently restrained, brass extensions in the coda. The latter is a vocal tune that juxtaposes swirling psychedelic pop, jazz, and bossa. The breezy instrumental arrangement centers on a flute, framed by reeds and brass. Underneath are a heavily reverbed wah-wah guitar, bumping synths, a Hammond B-3, and an electric piano that dart around abundant polyrhythms. Valle's slightly weathered voice shows faint traces of age but rises to his accompaniment; though it almost gets swallowed, the sultry flute rescues him with a restatement of the theme. The only nick against Marcos Valle JID003 is, at less than 30 minutes, its brevity. That said, what these musicians accomplished in less than a week is remarkable, so much so that it leaves the listener wanting much more. Here's hoping for a sequel

Source: AllMusic

Sergio Mendes - In The Key of Joy

In The Key of Joy

by Sergio Mendes

Released 28 February 2020

Allophone Media / Concord Records

*****

In The Key Of Joy is the first new album from Sergio Mendes in 5 years. It features an array of guests artists that join him in creating an album with the forward leaning sound that has come to define his music. Guest artists include Common, Cali y El Dandee, Buddy, Hermeto Pascoal, Roge, Guinga, Sheléa, Sugar Joans, Gracinha Leporace and Joe Pizzulo.

The album accompanies the documentary by the same name, which is a joyful cinematic celebration of this singular musical artist who remains as vital and relevant today as when he exploded on the scene with his group, Brasil ’66. The documentary is set to premiere in Spring 2020.

The deluxe edition of the album features some of his greatest hits and serves as the official soundtrack to the documentary. It features classic songs by Sergio Mendes such as Mas Que Nada, Never Gonna Let You Go, Fanfarra - Cabua-Le-Le and many more.

Source: Concord Records

YOUN - BXD IN JAZZ

BXD IN JAZZ

by YOUN

Released 23 April 2021

Estudio Playground / JOINT

*****

Shuna and Gian Pedro have always made a living from music long before they formed YOÙN . Still in childhood, the duo had their first contact with the musical world in church groups and, from 2017, they began to perform on the Japeri line, between the Nova Iguaçu and Central do Brasil train stations, from where they enchanted the listening to cariocas every day.
Absorbing the sound of the streets and contemporary industry references, one of the great national revelations emerged directly from Baixada Fluminense. The duo gained notoriety by mixing different styles under their own guise, proposing a reinterpretation of R&B, trap and jazz with the Brazilian rhythm in which the group grew up.
“BXD IN JAZZ” is a celebration not only of YOÙN's journey so far, but also of the strength and future of national music, adapting to modernity and enriching it even more generation after generation.

The duo's debut album invites us into the private universe of Shuna and GP's influences, which introduce us to contemporary Brazil through the eyes, instruments and words of those who have always breathed art and honored it in their own versions.

Read more... Tracklist Brazil (Translation)

Gilsons - Pra Gente Acordar

Pra Gente Acordar

by Gilsons

Released 2 February 2022

Aire

****-

MPB, or simply, Brazilian Popular Music, is a fascinating and captivating musical genre, the more time and years pass the style is renewing itself, featuring new artists bringing their songs and records expressing their feelings, reflections and views of the world. One of those who have been doing this, since 2018, is the band Gilsons formed by José Gil, Francisco Gil and João Gil, respectively the son and grandchildren of master Gilberto Gil.

'Pra Gente Acordar', their radiant debut album captures the mix of musical genres and artistic references in the formation of their sound, which is very engaging. , where it doesn't matter if you listen on hot days or cold days, it will always bring a special sound.

The fact that its members are related to Gilberto Gil is not seen as a nuisance, but rather, an additional detail that shows how well they have a well-developed work that attracts fans and admirers from different generations of MPB, from the name of the group who associates the surname "Gil" with the word "Sons" to his dignified and excellent authorial repertoire the possibility of letting go in the face of love and the most diverse good things that life offers to people.

'Pra Gente Acordar' ... features cool and captivating lyrics, a sound that despite being simple, presents a sonic comfort and shows that the fact that they are related to Gilberto Gil highlights the great responsibility for being, until now, successful successors to this giant of Brazilian music. .

Read more... Teoria Cultural (Translation)

Bebel Gilberto - Joao

Joao

by Bebel Gilberto

Released 25 August 2023

[PIAS] Recordings

****-

Starting with releases such as 2000’s Tanto Tempo, hushed-baritone vocalist Bebel Gilberto sought to remake her bossa nova birthright—she being the daughter of guitarist-composer João Gilberto and the niece of singer Chico Buarque—as something cooler than the usual warmth of her family tree. 

Holding the heat and sand of the romantic genre to the light, Tanto Tempo brought a cold, caustic wind to chillwave takes on her Brazilian heritage, making her almost as much of an innovator as her dad was in his time.

Considering that the late “father of bossa nova” was her own father with whom she sang as a child, Bebel takes back her heritage in the fullest manner possible with her father’s hits and rarities, while retaining the spare, skeletal qualities of her best electronic-laced work.

With solidly soft and unhurried guitar arrangements from Guilherme Monteiro, tender-jazzy vocal moments such as “Ela é Carioca” and “Desafinado” remind the listener than Bebel is also the daughter of Miúcha, the São Paulo–raised siren of soulful samba who sang with the equally legendary Tom Jobim.

Yet true poetry and familial celebration comes through on “Como São Lindos os Yogues (Waltz Bebel),” a sing-songy composition written by João for his daughter. As tracks penned by the master were a rarity in his time, the pointed poignancy of his dedication to his daughter radiates through every teary phrase of Bebel’s rendition.

Read more... Flood Magazine

Daniel Santiago, Pedro Martins - Movement

Movement

by Daniel Santiago, Pedro Martins

Released 13 October 2023

Heartcore Records

****-

"Movement" is the second album for the duo formed by the well-established Brazilian guitarists Daniel Santiago and Pedro Martins. The former's reputation is built upon Brazilian traditional music, classic rock and contemporary jazz over a 20-odd year career. Martins is an emerging talent, still only 30 years old, and more progressive in his approach.

Such is their stature that, on their last solo records, heach of them were joined by Eric Clapton & Kurt Rosenwinkel (who produced "Movement") while Santiago attracted Joshua Redman and Martins drew Thundercat, JD Beck and others.

The musical language that Santiago and Martins share on Movement is as radical, complex, and poetic as it is technically ferocious and emotionally enlightening. at Heartcore Studios.

Read more... Tracklist Brazil (Translation)

Daniel Santiago - Song for Tomorrow

Song for Tomorrow

by Daniel Santiago

Released 9 April 2021

Heartcore Records

****-

Imbued with Brazilian spirit, the attitude and power of classic rock, and the ingenuitive disposition of modern improvised music, Song for Tomorrow is a bold artistic statement from a musician widely respected and known for his virtuosity and creative identity. 

Produced by jazz legend Kurt Rosenwinkel, Santiago’s new album is one of the most ambitious and innovative releases of 2021; Song for Tomorrow – thirteen original compositions feature guest performances from Eric Clapton, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Pedro Martins, Aaron Parks, and others. A record well suited to the ears of indie-rockers, world music listeners, and just about anyone else.

Read more... Heartcore Records

Pedro Martins - Radio Misterio

Radio Misterio

by Pedro Martins

Released 31 May 2023

Heartcore Records

****-

True to its title, Rádio Mistério (translated in English as Mystery Radio) traverses a huge amount of musical ground. The range of Martins’ musical antennae is vast, and his fluency with the music of his youth is undeniable. He explores their intersections with an open ear and a flair for the virtuosic alongside guest appearances from some of the most gifted musicians in the world: guitarist Eric Clapton and Kurt Rosenwinkel ... singer & producer Thundercat ... bassist Daryl Johns ... drummer JD Beck...  pianist Chris Fishman ... drummer Omar Hakim and others.

The recording of Rádio Mistério happened in pieces over the last few years. Sections of Rádio Mistério were recorded on tape, others in digital studio environments, others still at Canadian indie-rock impresario Mac DeMarco’s studio in Los Angeles.

Martins says “Mac’s music, attitude, and sounds have been influential to me. He’s a voice of a generation that goes against the obvious and dares people to be different.”

DeMarco’s occasionally lo-fi aesthetic has helped Martins “get back in touch with an essence of music that I needed.”

On Rádio Mistério, Martins’ journeys to rediscover a more authentic relationship to his own music, and the results are simply staggering. His ear for arrangement and production allows him to situate guest performers in seemingly disparate musical contexts with authenticity, and the star-studded guest list on this album is a testament to his growing renown as a bandleader, composer and producer.

Read more... Bass Magazine

Fabiano do Nascimento with Arthur Verocai and Vittor Santos’ Orquestra - Lendas

Lendas

by Fabiano do Nascimento with Arthur Verocai and Vittor Santos’ Orquestra

Released 19 January 2023

Now-Again Records

****-

Fabiano do Nascimento is a Rio de Janeiro-born, LA-based guitarist, composer, arranger and producer with an ever-expansive sound, borrowing from the traditions of afro-samba and choro while echoing elements of modern jazz, pop, experimental & electronica

Like his previous albums "Prelúdio" (2020) and "Ykytu" (2021), Lendas features do Nascimento’s compositions, this time with orchestral arrangements by Vittor Santos and also special participation by Arthur Verocai.

Vittor Santos is a composer, arranger, trombonist and music producer from Rio de Janeiro, who has worked in Brazilian music for over thirty years. 

It was only natural to invite the highest regarded, now legendary, 1970s Brasilian arranger, Arthur Verocai, to contribute. Verocai, who had worked with Do Nascimento on his forays in Los Angeles, was pleased to participate. In this way, the circle of old and new, so crucial in Do Nascimento’s work, comes together and flows outwards.

“Lendas” translates from Portuguese as "legends,” but the literal translation itself doesn’t describe this album.

With Lendas, Do Nascimento recalls memories from places that no longer exist; from fever dreams in the Amazon; from parts of the world we might never see or engage, but can imagine through music. 

Read more... Bandcamp

Fabiano de Nascimento, Sam Gendel - The Room

The Room

by Fabiano de Nascimento, Sam Gendel

Released 26 January 2024

Real World Records

****-

Though The Room is the first recorded collaboration between saxophonist Sam Gendel and Brazilian guitarist (and Los Angeles resident) Fabiano Do Nascimento, it is hardly their first meeting. A decade ago, the guitarist's jazz band Triorganico played a gig at a restaurant owned by Gendel's cousin; he was present and they asked him to sit in. Afterwards, a bond and friendship were formed and the pair played together whenever possible, though it was only a handful of times. The Room was recorded over two days at Pacific Palisades studios in Los Angeles.

The intimacy on offer between them is remarkable, but is overshadowed by the seemingly effortless, almost telepathic creativity, musical virtuosity, and technical precision in all ten pieces. Given the pedigree of these musicians, it's safe to say that jazz provides the ground for their meeting, but it doesn't stay there. . For a duo album, The Room, for all its graceful gentleness, is virtuosic. Their level of composition is simply enough to provide listeners with something to hold onto, while the improvising and interplay, though sometimes subtle and always deliberate, is sophisticated, creative, and sometimes even breathtaking.

Read more... AllMusic

John Roseboro - Johnny

Johnny

by John Roseboro

Released 5 April 2023

Public Confession Art House

****-

Although he is not Brazilian, we have included the Haitian-American, Brooklyn based, singer-songwriter and visual artist John Resboro's album "Johnny" in this collection, as it extends the post-bossa musical vocabulary in a similar direction to Pedro Martins' collaboration with Thundercat or Fabiano do Nascimento with Sam Gendel. At the end of 2021, John Roseboro had no home, no car, no family, and zero dollars zero cents in the bank. After a bad relationship and an even worse break up, he moved to New York City because “here you only need chutzpah.”

At the same time, John would release a successful debut, drawing attention from fellow artists, labels, and the internet, allowing him to tour across the US and Europe. Still, seeking stability, Roseboro averaged a song a month, a sonic diary exploring his relationships with God and women.

“Johnny” is that diary. The lush post-bossa instrumentation and effortless poetry cover universal themes showing a range of expertise and execution. Dancing and crying at the same time; hurting and healing at the same time.

Thehas been making a name for himself in the indie scene, redefining and innovating the genre up and down the coasts. Building off of the likes of Gilberto and Jobim, Roseboro’s post-bossa style carries other similarities to the greats in that his music focuses on personal and social justice,

"Johnny" shows an artist determined to move culture forward with no end in sight. 

Read more... Bandcamp

cabezadenego, Mbe, Leyblack – MIMOSA

MIMOSA

by cabezadenego, Mbe, Leyblack

Released 23 November 2023

QTV

****-

MIMOSA is a project by multi-artist from Minas Gerais (a state in South Eastern Brazil), Luiz Felipe Lucas aka cabezadenego, alongside Mbé and Leyblack, beat makers and producers from Rio de Janeiro.

Mimosa is a manifesto album about the power of Afro-Brazilian rhythms: from terreiro to samba, including hip hop, drum’n’ bass and the various aspects of Brazilian funk.

The album was created during a residency of the three artists at the Etopia Centro de Arte e Tecnologia in Zaragoza/Spain and is released by QTV Selo.

Read more... Bandcamp

Maria Mendes, Metropole Orktet, John Beasley - Saudade, Colour of Love (Live)

Saudade, Colour of Love (Live)

by Maria Mendes, Metropole Orktet, John Beasley

Released 7 October 2022

Challenge Records

****-

Fado music is undeniable for the Portuguese people and for all of those who seek for nostalgic love in the past and present. And so is saudade – a Portuguese word that doesn’t translate to any other language in the world.

Fado and saudade are forever bound. They both express the melancholic longing for the past and the hopes it becomes present once again. They also express the belief in destiny as a fortunate and fatalistic power that you cannot escape from.

 I believe in music as an unlimited language that can defy stylistic boundaries and can trigger (in us musicians, and you, the listener) surprise and enchantment. This music is about how I feel Fado and how I love it, free of definitions, free of limitations. This is no Fado album. This is no traditional Jazz music. This is an adventure that is real and can be felt by everyone. As is love.

Read more... Challenge Records

Duo Gisbranco, Bianca Gismonti, Claudia Castelo Branco - Passaros - Homenagem a Chico Cesa

Passaros - Homenagem a Chico Cesa

by Duo Gisbranco, Bianca Gismonti, Claudia Castelo Branco

Released 26 March 2021

Challenge Records

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Two of the most talented pianists, singers and composers of our music, Bianca Gismonti and Claudia Castelo Branco form Duo Gisbranco which, since 2005, has released several albums of the highest quality.

In 2021, the duo gives us the beautiful “Pássaros ao Vivo”, an album with partnerships and compositions by Chico César: there are six poems by Chico set to music by Bianca and Claudia (previously released on the CD 'Pássaros'), three songs with new arrangements for Chico's songs and an arrangement of instrumental music (which was recorded on the CD “Flor de Abril”), in addition to a song featuring the honoree.

Read more... Ambrosia

Gabriel Santiago - Upright

Upright

by Gabriel Santiago

Released 19 February 2021

Gabriel Santiago

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Gabriel Santiago is a versatile Brazilian musician, famous for his mastery of the acoustic and electric guitar. He has released 14 albums and performed in concerts and festivals around the world. His music fuses classical, jazz and Brazilian. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Esperanza Spalding and Pat Metheny. Santiago holds a doctorate in music composition from the University of Texas at Austin and has won several awards, including the Eleanor A. Stribling Prize for Excellence in Jazz Studies. His music is described as fresh and influenced by Brazilian music, jazz and concert music.

Read more... Bandcamp

Marcelo Coelho - Tenor Solo

Tenor Solo

by Marcelo Coelho

Released 7 November 2023

Celio Barros

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"Tenor Solo" is Brazilian saxophone player Gabriel Coehlo's sixth album since 2007, and his second in 2023 (along with "Soprano Adventure: The Nature Movements").

Both albums are exercises in musical minimalism and improvisation - "Soprano Adventure" features only saxophone. Notes for "Tenor Solo" credit "loop harp" by fellow musician Celio Barros, but this and some light percussion is seldom heard.

Despite this spare instrumentation, Coelho's variety and musicality shines through to elevate both albums.

Read more... Bandcamp

Marcelo Coelho - Soprano Adventure, The Nature Movements

Soprano Adventure: The Nature Movements

by Marcelo Coelho

Released 24 January 2023

Celio Barros

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"Soprano Adventure: The Nature Movements" is the first of two albums in 2023 (along with "Tenor Solo") by Brazilian saxophone player Gabriel Coehlo's and his fifth album since 2007.

While this album is instrumentally minimalist, Coelho's musical choices and improvisation create evocative soundscapes based on the the theme of nature and its various elements as given in the track names, including - the mockery of the wind,  sky between leaves, flocks of birds, up river, wild night, the rabbit in the whale,  misty forest, light, emu's choking, nothing like a dark cave, at the taste of the wind, twilight and summer breeze.

Links to videos of the recording of each track are provided on the album's Bandcamp page.

 

Read more... Bandcamp

Rubinho Jacobina - Amor Universal

Amor Universalr

by Rubinho Jacobina

Released 16 June 2023

Brasil Discos

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Amor Universal is the third album by composer, singer and instrumentalist Rubinho Jacobina. The album produced by Bem Gil, Marcelo Callado and Gustavo Benjão, mixed by Moreno Veloso, was recorded live in the studio. The repertoire is made up of love songs, hence the name “Amor Universal”.

Featuring several female partnerships including Ava Rocha, Iara Rennó, Chiara Chivello, Camila Costa, Paloma Rocha and Virginie Boutaud, the work moves through different styles revealing an eclecticism with a tropicalist influence. Among the various special guests we have the singers Amora Pera (Grelo Duro), Nina Becker (Sambarilove), Ana Lomelino (A Vida é Bela), the late samba singer Eduardo Galotti (Gene Alston) and the singer Sabina Sciubba with a solo voice in “ Listening to Voices” (a track that also features Vincent Segal and Moreno Veloso on cellos).

Read more... Brasil Discos

Jonathan Ferr - Liberdade

Liberdade

by Jonathan Ferr

Released 27 January 2023

SLAP

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Born and raised in Madureira – the suburban neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro considered the birthplace of samba and charme dance – Jonathan Ferr is the embodiment of breaking paradigms, an artist who has defied expectations and established himself as one of the pioneers of urban Jazz in Brazil. Mixing elements of Hip Hop, R&B, and references to Brazilian culture, Ferr is a multifaceted musician, whose colorful and Afro-futuristic aesthetic shines through in the music videos he creates himself.

Following Trilogia do Amor (2019) and Cura (2020), the musician’s third album, Liberdade (2023), features special collaborations with artists from the new generation of Brazilian urban music such as Coruja Bc1, Zudzilla, Lossio, Jesuton, Melly, luna Falcao, Blackalquimista, Tassie Reis, Devaneio beatz, Stefaine, Luedji Luna, Rashid, AVUA, Tuyo, and Kaê Guajajara. Jonathan has performed at some of the world’s top jazz festivals and venues.

 

Read more... Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Pabllo Vittar - After

After

by Pabllo Vittar

Released 27 July 2023

Metaderos

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Pabllo Vittar (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈpablu viˈtaʁ], born Phabullo Rodrigues da Silva) is a Brazilian drag queen and singer.

Vittar is Brazil’s hottest pop export; with a brand of dance anthems that mix her soaring soprano voice with thumping electro-beats undercut by Carioca funk and a dash of regional romance-style, forrá. It’s a delicious combination that has made her globally desired, working with artists including Major Lazer, Rina Sawayama and Charlie XCX.

But she’s more than a pretty face and a club-ready banger: she’s an activist committed to fighting homophobia. Vittar’s emergence as one of Brazil’s biggest pop stars has been vital in promoting tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community in a country where homophobic attitudes remain rampant, at times with fatal consequences. Vittar vocally criticised the far-right government of openly homophobic Jair Bolsonaro, and used her starpower to platform and collaborate with fellow queer Brazilian stars. 

This year, she’s already released two superb albums: ‘Noitada’ and remix album ‘AFTER’, each packed with hugely danceable, high-paced party anthems. ““Noitada” is a night out at the club, and “AFTER” is an after party with my friends and I”, she told Clash Magazine. 

Read more... CLASH

Badsista - Gueto Elegance

Gueto Elegance

by Badsista

Released 26 November 2021

Badsista

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In his first album, “Gueto Elegance” (2021), Badsista explores several influences that span his career – from his beginnings in rock to becoming a consolidated name in the national and global electronic music scene. Something that becomes clear not only when listening, but in the construction of the album's show, where the music producer brings a wave that hits hard in the sound, audiovisual and scenographic aesthetics, in other words, nothing is there by chance.
From the projection that Badsista achieved, it is easy to see that the album carries a provocation: “Let’s be who we want to be and fuck it”.

There is no room for hang-ups, fears and insecurities. Each track pulls you to discover universes that complement each other and that are part of who the producer is, but all without forcing it.

Music has an almost divine role, nothing is more important, but if it seems so, you can forget: “VSNF” (see if it doesn’t suck). \

Read more... NOIZE

Elza Soares - No Tempo da Intolerancia

No Tempo da Intolerancia

by Elza Soares

Released 23 June 2023

Deck

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'No Tempo da Intolerância', the posthumous album by Elza Soares, issued a year and a half after Elza's death, on the day she would have turned 93 years old.

Elza, a millennial singer, known as a samba singer all her life, redefined her career from the second decade of the 2000s onwards, when she tackled issues that were on the agenda of the new generation: racism, violence against women and social inequality The albums A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (2015), Deus É Mulher (2018) and Planeta Fome (2019) are from this phase.

What was not possible to predict is that the best of Elza from the 21st century would be saved for No Tempo da Intolerância.

Recorded in 2021, the album features ten new songs - eight of which are sung by Elza. It's Rio, black music and swing, characteristics that marked the singer's career. In the lyrics, testimonies of what she saw and experienced.

Read more... Terra

Marcelo D2 - IBORU

IBORU

by Marcelo D2

Released 14 June 2023

Pupila Dilatada

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Marcelo D2 delves into the roots of Brazilian popular culture and celebrates samba schools on the new album “IBORU”

The rapper's 9th studio work features 16 tracks and the album title, freely translated from Yoruba, means “may our supplications be heard”.

Two years ago, it is worth remembering, D2 started with Ifá, a religion of African origin, and the religious practice clearly influenced his art. The album delves into the traditions of terreiro samba and features guest appearances by artists such as Zeca Pagodinho , Xande de Pilares , Alcione , Mumuzinho , B Negão , Mateus Aleluia and the band Metá Metá , as well as incorporating samples from the late Romildo and Monarco , composers of traditional schools in Rio de Janeiro such as Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel and Portela.

The record also features compositions by names from different generations of samba, including Moacyr Luz , Diogo Nogueira , Marcelinho Moreira , João Martins , Inácio Rios , Arlindinho and Marcio Alexandre . The joint work with historian and writer Luiz Antonio Simas on two songs further highlights Marcelo's quest to deepen his roots in Brazilian popular culture.

Read more... TMDQA!

Xande De Pilares - Xande Canta Caetano

Xande Canta Caetano

by Xande De Pilares

Released 4 August 2023

Gold Records / Una Producoes

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Xande de Pilares has never sung as well as on this album in which he interprets the songs of the legendary Brazilian (Bahian) composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist Caetano Veloso, who first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s, at the beginning of the Brazilian military dictatorship that took power in 1964, and has remained a constant creative influence and best-selling performing artist and composer ever since. Veloso has won nine Latin Grammy Awards and two Grammy Awards. 

In addition to the strength of the singing, there is sophistication in Pretinho da Serrinha's arrangements, and the recording is adorned by the playing of Hamilton de Holanda's mandolin

For ears free from aesthetic constraints, it will be easy to perceive the beauty that emanates from the album in which Xande de Pilares sings Caetano Veloso beyond samba and, yes, within samba. Because you can’t do it without samba.

Read more... Opiniao Em Pauta

Rodrigo Campos - Pagode Novo

Pagode Novo

by Rodrigo Campos

Released 1 March 2023

YB Music

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Never as showy as most of his Clube da Encruza mates, Campos has quietly built up as formidable an oeuvre as anyone in modern Brazilian music. Like the rest of the Clube, Campos’ new music is always about old music, too. Here he turns to the pagode* traditions that began in the late ’70s.

From the bubbling electronics of the lead track, you know he’s headed in a new direction as he pushes the dense, delicate beauty of this last three albums toward a livelier, broader sound, albeit with his cerebral trademark. About half these songs have a co-vocalist and many have one or two extra musicians, but this is very much a solo affair with Campos writing, singing and playing most of the instruments. Lyrics evoke more than describe people floating through existence, grabbing on to moments as life passes inextricably by. He knows his samba, like his life, will dissolve, but that doesn’t mean he can’t find fun, beauty and art along the way. I get the wish that Campos would have just pumped out variations of Bahia Fantástica, but the truth is his aesthetic wandering since Conversas Com Toshiro, while not as immediately engaging as his first three albums, has been deeply rewarding as Campos has resisted the treadmill that even creative life can become. Pagode Novo is the sound of a guy who’s not giving up regardless of whether he can make sense of this world or not.

(* Pagode, originally meant as a celebration with food, music, dance, and party developed as a subgenre of samba at the beginning of the 1980s, with the advent of the band Fundo de Quintal and the introduction of new instruments in the classical samba formation. Pagode lyricism also represented a kind of evolution toward the tradition of malicious and ironic samba lyrics, with a much heavier use of slang and underground terms).

Read more... Brazil Beat Blog

Adriana Calcanhotto - Errante

Errante (Wandering)

by Adriana Calcanhotto

Released 31 March 2023

Adriana Calcanhotto/BMG

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For decades, singer/songwriter Adriana Calcanhotto has been balanced between Brazilian musical traditions and a creative approach to modernity. Her early explorations of MPB endeared her to legions of fans and peers internationally.

Three years after releasing "", an album recorded in solitude during the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine, she delivers Errante, her Modern Recordings debut.

Its title translates as "wandering," a theme born out in these 11 self-composed songs. Her idea was to reflect on the notion of choosing to live in transit. Calcanhotto recently discovered her Jewish ancestry and claims to have realized her own "wandering" through the world as an ancestrally inherited trait that she explores through bossa nova, funk carioca, samba, and samba-canção. Calcanhotto assembled a lean, mean band for the date that includes Alberto Continentino on bass and piano, Davi Moraes on guitars, and Domenico Lancellotti on drums and percussion. Further assistance was provided by woodwinds, reeds, and brass.

Her sophisticated, poetic songs deftly express the tensions between the contrasting comforts of home and the uncertain restlessness of nomadic movement.

Read more... AllMusic

Patrícia Bastos - Voz da Taba

Voz da Taba

by Patrícia Bastos

Released 27 April 2023

Sony Music

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From the beginning of her career, the singer from Amapá, Patrícia Bastos has been breaking the boundaries of her state or country to make the world hear the voices of the forests, the quilombos, the batuque, and the marabaixo rhythms of Amapá, a state in northern Brazil bordered by Suriname, French Guiana and the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon Rainforest covers a great portion of its area,

Bastos' fifth album, “Voz da Taba,” produced by São Paulo native Dante Ozzetticompletes the trilogy formed by “Zulusa” (2013) and “Batom Bacaba” (2016), both produced by Dante Ozzetti. These albums are primarily composed of repertoire from Northern composers who work with the language of Amazonian rhythms, especially from Amapá, such as the Curiaú batuque and marabaixo. The lyrics portray the daily lives of riverside communities, quilombos, their history, and evolution, and also address the influence of indigenous peoples. Also, it reflects the journey experienced by Patrícia Bastos in her personal and artistic development.

“Whoever has never seen the Amazon / Will never understand the life of a people / With Brazilian soul and heart / Their riverine achievements / Their new rhythm.” These verses from “Jeito Tucuju,” a work by poet Joãozinho Gomes with music by Val Milhomem, encapsulate the sentiment and pride of being from Amapá.

Read more... Jazz De La Pena