Tag: Bossa Nova

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Music

Marcos Valle – Túnel Acústico

It boggles the mind that Marcos Valle, who is close to having a sixty-year career making music, can still come up with sounds that are so fresh while referencing the past.  One can still hear bossa nova, a genre he helped make popular, sit inside a stew that includes funk, samba, disco and the ever-wonderful música popular Brasileiro (MPB).  Our friends at Far Out Recordings have published another gem, and it is truly worth it for you vinyl junkies to hunt for this one.  You will not be disappointed.

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Music

Marcos Valle & Leon Ware – Feels So Good

Thanks to Marcos Valle doing a bit of cleanup in his home, Far Out Recordings proudly present a 7-inch single of a track Marcos and the late Leon Ware worked on in Los Angeles during the 1980s.  Here’s the back story, courtesy of Marcos’ Bandcamp site:

“In 1979, together in an LA Studio, Valle and Ware recorded a demo which would remain unfinished for 44 years, as Valle recalls:

“This demo tape Leon and I recorded… I found the tape on a shelf in my house, it must have been there for over forty years! I showed it to Daniel [Maunick]. He really loved it and we decided to develop the song for my new album. The demo had the groove, most of the instrumentation and Leon’s vocal. But the lyrics weren’t finished…”

In 2024, with the help of Maunick’s studio wizardry, Valle restored and sampled the original demo track, adding Portuguese lyrics alongside Leon’s vocal hook, as well as extra keyboards and percussion.

Traversing time and space in a way that might not have been possible before the emergence of new technologies, Daniel Maunick utilised AI stem-separation to remove the placeholder vocal ad-libs, which Valle replaced with his new lyrics.

With the original music treated with the care and reverence it deserves, this stirring soul masterpiece, conceived over four decades prior, retains all the visceral sensuality and authenticity of the golden era from which it emerged.”

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Music

Airto & Flora – A Celebration: 60 Years – Sounds, Dreams & Other Stories

Those of you who know Brazilian jazz will need no introduction to this glorious pair, but for those who don’t, here’s a lovely introduction thanks to the good folks at Barely Breaking Even Records’ Bandcamp site:

“Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, the legendary King and Queen of Brazilian Jazz, have captivated audiences for over six decades with their vibrant albums and exhilarating live performances. With a dedicated global fan base including the UK’s jazz funk and jazz dance scene to Japan’s concert halls, the power couple continues to make waves in the industry – Flora’s ‘If You Will’ (2022) album was even nominated for a Grammy!

The duo met and came together musically in Sambalanço and the Sambrasa Trio. The mixture of Airto’s rural Brazilian background and percussion talents and Flora’s classical training and involvement in the underground Bossa Nova movement, created a unique blend of sounds that resonates across generations. They have not only collaborated with music legends like Miles Davis and Chick Corea but have also produced ground-breaking music alongside the likes of Hermeto Pascoal.

Despite facing numerous challenges, including Flora’s arrest and incarceration in 1974, the duo’s close connection with friends-musicians like Thelonius Monk and Cannonball Adderley, their persistence and absolute passion for music have propelled them to the pinnacle of success. They worked with renowned musicians like Wayne Shorter, Jaco Pastorius, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke and producers such as Orin Keepnews and Creed Taylor.

Having been a part of numerous prestigious ensembles, including Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nations ensemble, Airto and Flora’s journey is a testament to their innovation and devotion to their craft. This collection offers a glimpse of that incredible journey, showcasing their extraordinary talent and unique sound and it’s also the first comp scanning their 60 year careers.

Compiled by Straight No Chaser editor/publisher Paul Bradshaw & Totally Wired Radio presenter Roberta Cutolo.”

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Music

Pedro Mizutani – Aperana

Pedro Mizutani is 21 years old, but the Brazilian guitarist and singer has the voice to do justice to Bossa Nova.  Thank Nice Guys Records for discovering this budding talent.

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Music

Christophe Rieger/H.J. Ayala – Mexican Spleen

Longtime friend of the blog Hector Javier Ayala collaborates with saxophonist Christophe Rieger to produce a slow, languid jazz album which has reference points in spaghetti western soundtracks and bossa nova, as well a touch of music from Mexico.

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Music

Joyce Moreno – Visions of Dawn

I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing Joyce Moreno’s music in November of 2022, and it looks like the legends at Far Out Recordings have found yet another long lost masterpiece by the Brazilian queen of Brazilian acid-folk.  Does such a genre really exist?!  Take a listen to the track Jardim dos Deuses and you tell me!

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Music

Lalo Schifrin – Man On A Swing OST – Special Vinyl Edition

We have the joy of announcing another well-done reissue by our friends at Wewantsounds!  This release is an expanded reissue of Lalo Schifrin’s soundtrack to director Frank Perry’s 1974 thriller, “Man On A Swing.”

There are thirty tracks on this piece of vinyl, and you’ll hear everything from Schifrin’s typically sublime scoring, mixing jazz, Bossa Nova, and groove as well as library music.  The music is remastered from the original three-track masters and sounds incredibly punchy.

Track List:

Side 1
1. Maggie’s Theme 1 0.25
2. Juke Box Source 1.40
3. Evelyn Story 1.42
4. Beetle Search* 0.13
5. Rosehaven Motel 1.57
6. Trip to LA 1.43
7. Maggie’s Theme 2 0.27
8. Stressed Out/Choked Up 2.14
9. Janet’s Mazurka* 1.32
10. Maggie Retraced 1.52
11. Factory Vibe 1.22
12. A Wet Nothing 1.24
13. Suspense/Wills’ Trance pt. 1 1.58
14. Bell Signals 0.19
15. Taken Away 0.37
16. Radio Source 1.26

Side 2
1. FM Groove 0.42
2. Forest Finale 0.23
3. Penultima Trance 4.13
4. Parking Lot Shuffle 1.21
5. Dialatone 0.10
6. Wills’ Trance pt. 2/Wills’ Trance pt. 3 2.56
7. Wills’ Trance pt. 4 2.36
8. Gratitude 0.35
9. Empty Torch/Mailman/Phone Voice 2.39
10. On The Move 1.10
11. Wills’ Last Trance 1.16
12. End Credits 1.20
13. Radio Source Rhythm (Alt. Take)* 0.57
14. Juke Box Source (Alt. Take)* 0.31

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Music

Joyce Moreno – Feminina (produced arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman)

Joyce Moreno (known mononymously simply as Joyce in Brazil) is one of the country’s finest exports, bringing a sultry and joyful voice to bossa nova, Música Popular Brasileira and jazz. She’s been covered by artists like Annie Lennox, Gerry Mulligan and Omara Portuondo, but this piece, a one-track opus, is one her finest works. It is a collaboration with German arranger, pianist and composer Claus Ogerman, and it sizzles.

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Music

Gui Duvignau – Baden

Bassist and composer Gui Duvignau was born in France, but raised in Brazil.  In his latest album, he interprets some classic work by the legendary Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell, whose work left an indelible mark on the samba and bossa nova scene worldwide.

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Music Music Articles

[Article] How Bossa Nova Brought Frank Sinatra to This Sunset Blvd. Studio by Josh Kun

Edward Ruscha photographs of Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard, 1965-2010

This article at The Getty’s blog does a great job tying Frank Sinatra, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and the legendary recording studio they worked at here in Los Angeles.

Many thanks to my friend Andrés for pointing me to this and so many treasures over the years.