Grupo Batuque "Samba De Rua" (FarOut, 1997)
A funk- and rock-flavored percussion album recorded (in the studio) during Rio's 1997 Carnaval. Features the eminent Wilson Das Neves and a slew of younger players. I thought most of these tracks were pretty boring; many are monotonous riffs on one swinging beat or another, it's all very well and fine, but overall it's amazingly static. I suspect this album was made with club DJs in mind, folks looking for beats to sample, rather than for the casual listener... There is one song at the end ("Aoyama Sam") which features a full parade ensemble, along with cuica, surdo, and (thank god!) a vocal chorus... But mostly this album is really sparse and unmelodic. Not my cup of tea, but if you're into percussion per se, this album might be a real turn-on.

Grupo Batuque "Samba De Futebol" (FarOut, 1998)

Grupo Batuque "Africa Brazil" (FarOut, 2000)

Grupo Batuque "O Tempo Do Samba" (FarOut, 2005)

Grupo Batuque "Ole Ola - Futebol Bonito" (FarOut, 2006)

Grupo Fundo De Quintal "Samba E No Fundo De Quintal (v.1)" (RGE, 1980)
The first album by this samba-pagode supergroup, featuring Jorge Aragao and Almir Guineto...

Grupo Fundo De Quintal "Do Fundo Do Nosso Quintal" (RGE, 1987)
(Produced by Rildo Hora)
Pleasant, low-key pagode of the old school, with strummed cavaquinhos and a cheerful vocal chorus and gentle, pretty songs. A nice album, produced and arranged by Rildo Hora, with the band keeping things pretty simple and straightforward. Arlindo Cruz is still on board, and samba stars Beth Carvalho and Martinho Da Vila make guest appearances on, respectively, ""Pra Que Viver Assim" and the medley, "Mama Lala/Clube Maritimo Africano," which closes the album. Nice stuff.

Grupo Fundo De Quintal "A Batucada Dos Nossos Tantos" (RGE, 1993)
(Produced by Rildo Hora)
This later set by these pagode old-timers is pretty by-the-numbers, but fun nonetheless. It's not an incandescent or particularly magical performance, but the music is sweet and swinging, even when reduced to its simplest, most commercially reducible components. Easy on the ears, even if it won't change your life. Rildo Hora again produces and performs on the album, although many of the group's original heavyweight players -- Jorge Aragao, Arlindo Cruz, Almir Guineto -- have since moved on, and are absent on this recording.

Grupo Fundo De Quintal "Livre Pra Sonhar" (RGE, 1997)
(Produced by Rildo Hora)
This late in the game, the remnants of Fundo Do Quintal have gotten pretty poppy, both in the direction of the hyperactive, perky synth-samba that was called "pagode" in the 1990s, and in the slower, sappier pop ballad sense as well. It's basically soft, commercialized easy listening, but not too bad, really. This disc is listenable and only a little embarassing, with some milky chord changes and goopy keyboards, but mostly okay. Noteworthy additions: flautist Dirciu Leitte and guitarist Henrique Cazes are among the wide cast of supporting musicians...

Grupo Manifesto "Manifesto Musical" (Elenco, 1967)
One of the many politically-minded bossa nova groups that took their cues from theatrically oriented, second generation bossa songwriters such as Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo. Manifesto's sound was primarily choral, although there are some nice vocal solos on this album -- it's kind of like Quarteto em Cy without all the saccharine. A little stagey, but nice.

Vince Guaraldi - see Bossa Nova Jazz

Eduardo Gudin/Marcia/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro "O Importante E Que A Nossa Emocao Sobreviva" (EMI-Odeon, 1975)
Live performances from the long-running show, O Importante E Que A Nossa Emocao Sobreviva...

Eduardo Gudin/Marcia/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro "O Importante E Que A Nossa Emocao Sobreviva, v.2" (EMI-Odeon, 1976)
Live performances from the long-running show, O Importante E Que A Nossa Emocao Sobreviva...

Eduardo Gudin "... & Noticias Dum Brasil" (Dabliu, 2000)
Pretty stuff, originally recorded in 1994. If you've ever heard the glitzy vocal gymnastics of Quarteto Em Cy, and thought, "Hmmmm... almost, but not quite..." then maybe you'd enjoy giving this album a try... Fluid and honeyed where Em Cy are merely chirpy and acrobatic, this vocal ensemble features early work by Monica Salmaso, along with a slew of lesser-known (but no less talented) performers. A little goopy, sure, but also stately and gentle, and nowhere near as irritating as the original bossa vocal groups were. Definitely worth checking out.

Eduardo Gudin/Marcia/Paulo Cesar Pinheiro "Tudo O Que Mais Nos Uniu" (Dabliu, 2000)
A reunion of the trio that recorded two albums worth of material from their long-running O Importante E Que A Nossa Emocao Sobreviva shows... This warm, stately bossa nova concert, recorded in 1996, features music that was composed by Gudin and Pinheiro between 1967 and 1976. Mostly it's quite lovely, occasionally on the syrupy side, but with sufficient rough edges and earthiness to satisfy our traditionalist impulses. Nice stuff with a heavy samba flavor.

Beto Guedes - see artist discography

Simone Guimaraes "Casa De Oceano" (Biscoito Fino, 2003)
A lush and, yes, somewhat oceanic set of MPB ballads by songwriter Simone Guimaraes... Her voice is comparatively fragile, and when guest stars such as Maria Bethania join her, Guimaraes quickly has to cede center stage. A duet with Milton Nascimento, on his classic "Milagre Dos Peixes," however, has a pleasant synergistic effect: the two soft voices slide around each other, each making room for the other, creating a subtle interplay that'll capture your ears and enchant you. A slew of talented musicians help sculpt the sound of this album, including Francis Hime, Guinga, and extensive collaboration from Bethania's own guitarist and bandleader, Jaime Alem. On the smooth side, but for fans of modern Brazilian ballads, a pretty nice disc.

Almir Guineto "Sorriso Novo" (RGE, 1985)
This is an exemplary album by one of the founders of the '70s pagode style of acoustic sambas. Multi-instrumentalist Guineto was a member of Os Originais Do Samba (a band credited with helping create the pagode style), and later founded the group Fundo de Quintal, which took the pagode sound into the 1980s and '90s. Here the music is guided by his vocals and playful work on the banjo, an instrument he introduced into Brazilian popular music... Recommended!

Almir Guineto "Olhos Da Vida" (RGE, 1988)
Guineto sounds kind of over-the-hill and raspy on this one, but the musical end is still pretty groovy. Plain, simple, sweet, old-school pagode, with brisk instrumental work and a warm vocal chorus. Not bad.

Almir Guineto "Almir Guineto" (Universal-Mercury, 1999)
A disappointing later album by this pagode pioneer. The musical trappings are all the same, but the spark is greatly lessened from Guineto's glory days. It's not a bad record but it's not as fun as his early work. Zeca Pagodinho guests on one track; Dudu Nobre, Arlindo Cruz, Henrique Cazes and Rildo Hora (who also produced the album) are all among the dozens of sambistas on the album. It's an all-star cast, but the album itself seemed a little lethargic.

Guinga "Suite Leopoldina" (Velas, 2000)
A mixed bag, which ranges from over-sugary contributions by the likes of Toots Thielemans to solid, soulful old-time baiaos and choros approached with the same deft classicism as heard on Paulo Moura's tribute to Pixinguinha... This tribute to the traditions of Rio also includes contributions from Chico Buarque, Ivan Lins and novo-rocker Lenine... Some songs I had to skip past -- such as soul singer Ed Motta's scatting on "Par Constante" -- but other tracks I thought were quite lovely. Definitely worth checking out.

Guinga "Cine Baronesa" (Velas, 2001)
His previous album struck a fair balance between goopy and engaging... This time around, it just plain goopy. Really, really goopy. Too ornate and flowery for my tastes.

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