• Music

    Fabiano Do Nascimento – Mundo Solo

    December 2, 2023 - By 

    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.…

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

    November 22, 2023 - By 

    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…

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    Hermeto Pascoal – Hermeto

    February 11, 2023 - By 

    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…

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    Kalí Rodriguez-Peña – Mélange

    March 12, 2022 - By 

    Kalí Rodriguez-Peña is a Cuban-American trumpeter who is one of the leading lights of New York’s modern salsa scene.  Salsa isn’t a genre that normally gets caught by my radar, but recently I’ve had the chance to explore the works of artists like Johnny Colón, Hector Lavoe and Willie Colón, so finding non-commercial salsa has been a real treat. The album is dark for Cuban music, and I love the energy it emits.  It’s far more smoky and the music references Rodriguez-Peña’s heroes like Miles Davis and Freddie Hubbard.  Brilliant.  

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    Gui Duvignau – Baden

    February 4, 2022 - By 

    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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    Alex Malheiros – Tempos Futuros

    October 13, 2021 - By 

    The London-based record label Far Out Recordings is killing me a little these days!  I was honored to receive tracks from Alex Malheiros’ new album, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be picking it up on disc, but I loathe having to wait too long such treasures to come out.  Still, an album of this magnitude is worth the wait, trust me.  November 21st will come quickly, judging by how fast 2021 has blown by. For those of you who know something about Brazilian jazz, especially of the fusion variety, Alex Malheiros is not going to need any introduction.  For those…

  • Music

    Marcos Resende & Index – Marcos Resende & Index

    January 28, 2021 - By 

    This album is a sort of ‘holy grail’ for Brazilian jazz.  From Marcos Resende’s Bandcamp site: Beyond their highly sought after 1978 album Festa Para Um Novo Rei – home to the mystical jazz-funk classic ‘Vidigal’ and released on Philips’ iconic Musica Popular Brasileira Contemporanea series (MPBC) – little is known about Marcos Resende & Index, even to aficionados of rare Brazilian music. Far Out Recordings is immensely proud to present their previously unreleased self-titled debut album from 1976, contributing a crucial missing work from the glory days of progressive Brazilian instrumental music. A prodigious child, Marcos Resende learned to…