• Music

    Fabiano Do Nascimento – Mundo Solo

    The indubitable Far Out Records have produced what might be my favorite record of 2023, a guitar album by Brazilian guitarist and fellow Los Angeleno Fabiano do Nascimiento.  I’ll let the label’s crack promo team describe this absolute beauty of a record below: “Adopting Hermeto Pascoal’s concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one’s musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots. After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10.…

  • 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…

  • 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!

  • Music

    Azymuth – Carnival

    We received news from friends and from Far Out Records‘ press release that legendary drummer and a founding member of jazz-rock icons Azymuth, Ivan “Mamão” Conti, passed away yesterday at 76.  He had been prolific over the past few years, and his passing comes as quite a shock.  In honor of his passing, we bring you Azymuth at their finest.  Rest in peace, Mamão.

  • Music

    George Christian – Nothingness, ou​.​.​. O Vento

    Our friend George Christian has produced an album that is an icy minimal masterpiece.  The pieces, especially Track 1, O Vento, is perfectly named.  I literally felt a chill hearing the tune, replete with faraway vocals and a windy atmosphere, befitting the song’s title. From his Bandcamp site: “Thanks to my friend artist Iarly Patricio, I’ve had an epiphany of an album I could release having her charcoal carving picture as a cover. The cover art blends her picture of a face and an A.I. representation of a picture based upon the art of the painter William Turner. The music…

  • Music

    Grupo Um – Starting Point

    This release is an absolute mindblower of an album, documenting the debut of Grupo Um, one of Brazil’s most adventurous fusion bands.  From their Bandcamp site: “Starting Point was to mark the inception of one of Brazil’s most daring instrumental groups. Their debut now sits in the lofty echelon of otherworldly 70s Brazilian music, alongside the likes of Marcos Resende & Index’s self-titled debut, Cesar Mariano & Cia’s Sao Paulo Brasil, Azymuth’s debut and indeed Hermeto Pascoal’s Viajando Com O Som. But just like all of those titles, which were either shelved or largely ignored at the time, Grupo Um…

  • Music

    Hermeto Pascoal – Hermeto

    Our dear friends at Far Our Recordings deliver the first solo album of Brazilian jazz legend Hermeto Pascoal.  From the label’s Bandcamp site: “Far Out Recordings proudly presents Hermeto Pascoal’s remarkable self-titled debut album. Recorded in 1970 at A&R studios in New York, the album features certified North American titans including Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, Joe Farrel and Googie Coppola, and Brazilian stars Airto Moreira and Flora Purim (who also produced the album). While it was Hermeto’s first album released under his own name, he had spent the decade or so prior making a name for himself in Brazil and…