For anyone born after, say, 1963, Brazilian-flavored jazz is a sublimnal part of the musical landscape -- a cliche, even. But back in the early '60s, bossa nova was a revelation for North American and European audiences, and it caught on like wildfire. Inevitably there were dozens, if not hundreds, of tacky "bossa nova" knockoffs, but at the center of the craze are many very fine albums. Here's a short, somewhat randomly assembled, list of recommendations. This list includes albums by both Brazilian artists and jazz musicians outside of Brazil whose work combines jazz and Brazilian elements; these reviews are mostly of older, more "classic" albums, though I suppose as time goes on, I'll add comments on more recent records. Anyway, I hope this is useful... Dig in!!

Cannonball Adderley "Cannonball's Bossa Nova" (Riverside, 1962)

Cannonball Adderley & Sergio Mendes "Quiet Nights" (Capitol, 1963)

Antonio Adolfo "Viralata" (Artenazal/Kuarup, 1979)
A groovy '70s fusionfest, very reminiscent of Tom Scott and LA Express, folks of that ilk, with Adolfo on piano and keyboards and saxophonist Ze Carlos adding a few funky toots into the mix. Adolfo moved to the United States for several years in the early 'Seventies, and when he came back, became a leading exponent of independent jazz in Brazil... and here's the proof. This isn't really my bag, but if you go for the retro sound, this might ranks as a hidden nugget.

Paulo Alencar "The Best Of Bossa Nova Jazz" (Castle Pie, 2001)
I'm normally pretty resistant to '60s pop kitsch, but these swanky pop-jazz recordings are pretty swinging, especially the backbeat-heavy "Ziriguidum," which is as perky and cheerful a loungecore classic as you could ever hope for. Alencar was a Rio native who moved to LA and did session work with Neil Diamond and others, and made a few albums for stateside labels such as Atco and Kapp. This CD appears to be a near-exact reissue of a 1963 Atco album, Jazza Nova, with two extra songs of indeterminate origin... There are a few tepid tracks, but mostly it's fun stuff, a notch or two above the standard-issue bossa-jazz ensembles of the time. The downside of this British import is there are no liner notes -- none -- making it kinda difficult to find out when these recordings are from, or who played on these "all-star" sessions. (In particular, who was the adorable female vocalist on "Ziriguidum"?) Still, it's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're looking for fun early '60s fare.

Laurindo Almeida & Bud Shank "Brazilliance v.1" (Pacific Jazz, 1953)
Hailed as the first great Braz-Jazz crossover, this anticipated many of the relaxed, timeless qualities of Joao Gilberto's original bossa nova recordings, although ultimately it lacked the fluidity of either the early bossa or the seminal '60s Braz-Jazz crossovers. Almeida's guitar playing is gorgeous, though heavily classical-derived, and Shank's cool jazz sax work is appealing, but he had nowhere near the depth of tone and maturity of style that Stan Getz would bring to the table a decade later. Part of it is circumstance: this was a bold and innovative record for the time, yet the West Coast scene was still developing at the the time, and hadn't quite hit on the Brubeckian standards of super-cool that we now look back on so fondly. Part of it, too, is the difficulty of what they were trying to achieve -- no one had tried to meld jazz, choro and samba to this extent before, and while Almeida brought some choice material to the sessions (Pixinguinha, Ary Barroso, Radanes Gnattali... even Luiz Gonzaga), it was inevitable that the character of the compositions would be overshadowed by the disparate tendencies of players. On the whole, this is a very pleasant, very North American, very West Coast-y album, with a "Brazilian-ness" that may need to be prized out through a bit of active listening.

Laurindo Almeida & Bud Shank "Brazilliance v.2" (Pacific Jazz)

Marcos Amorim Trio "Cris On The Farm" (Adventure Music, 2003)
A mellow set of jazz/acoustic guitar work, which ranges from moments of Pat Metheny-ish echo to bouncier, Baden Powell-esque romps and quieter, more exploratatory moods. It's pretty nice. Amorim is joined by bassist Ney Conceicao and the ever-ubiquitous Robertinho Silva on percussion... A quiet, compact trio that lets the guitar stay front and center.

Marcos Amorim "Sete Capelas" (Adventure Music, 2006)
As a rule, I'm not a big fan of modern soft jazz, but this is quite a lovely record. Brazilian guitarist Marcos Amorim is consistently inventive and engaging on this pretty-sounding, melodically based album, crafting mellow space-out music that never lapses into pure gooeyness or by-the-numbers smooth jazz conventions. Only toward the end of the disc do a few songs get too gooey for me, but on the whole this was a very nice record to have on... Mainstream jazz fans, New Agers and new acoustic listeners will all find something to love about this album; possibly neo-folkies will as well. Worth checking out!

Leny Andrade - see artist discography

Nelson Angelo "Caterete" (Adventure Music, 2003)
Veteran '70s fusioneer Nelson Angelo stays very, very true to his roots, which is to say that this record, despite some pretty-sounding lyrical passages, is wa-a-a-a-ayyyy too noodly for me. However, if you like noodly, soft jazz with a bossa nova twist, you might really enjoy this album. It got on my nerves really quickly, though.

Severino Araujo "...E Sua Orquestra Tabajara: Warner 25 Anos" (Warner-Brasil, 2001)
Bandleader/composer/arranger Severino Araujo started his career in the 1930s, playing in regional bands and composing choro music... By the 1940s he fell under the sway of American big band music, and became a pioneer of the Brazilian jazz hybrid known as gafieira, bringing bright, punchy swing arrangements to the samba-cancao scene, and later, into the early bossa nova sound. This is a great set of rockin' instrumentals, including several original Araujo compositions and radical reinterpretations of classics by Ary Barroso, Dorival Caymmi and Tom Jobim... The liner notes place these recordings as from 1969-84, but I think most tracks are actually from the band's late 1950s/early '60s tenure on the Continental label, which was later acquired by Warner. Regardless, it's really fun stuff! Highly recommended.

Jorge Autuori Trio "Ovalo" (RCA, 1969)
Most "classic" Brazilian jazz from the 1960s leaves me pretty cold, but this is a noteworthy record. The "jazz trio" scene of the early part of the decade permitted great mediocrity and endlessly clattersome performances, all the more remarkable since many of these musicians were also key players in the breathtaking subtlety of the bossa nova sound. Anyway, this is drummer Jorge Autouri's third album and his first for the RCA label, and on it he covers some of the coolest, slickest new music to be found, including songs by Jorge Ben, Roberto Carlos, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, as well as medleys of classic samba cancao songs from decades gone by. It's not surprising that he also performs a string of songs written by Martinho Da Vila, since Da Vila's longtime producer, samba-jazz swinger Rildo Hora plays the guitar on this album. Now, to be honest, like most of the Brazilian jazz of the era, I don't think this album is really all that great -- the playing still seems rushed and heavy-handed -- but it's certainly a notch or two above many similar albums. Autuori invests more emotion and nuance into the style than many of his contemporaries, and occasionally hits a moment of grace... The one standout track turns out to be the album's only original composition, a sweet tune called "Canto Azul," which was cowritten with bassist Edson Bastos... It's on this brief, incandescent number that pianist Edson Frederico finally slows down and plays expressively, and the haunting notes that close the album out make you turn your head and wonder: why didn't they play like that on the rest of the record??

Azimuth "Azimuth" (Som Livre, 1975)
Yeesh. This is downright embarassing to listen to... Softcore, disco-tinged, '70s prog-fusion with soporific LA-Muzak aspirations... I suppose there are still those who, with the proper recreational drugs in their systems, still giggle with delight as they curl up with this kind of sleazy listening piping in through their headphones... But as a grouchy clean & sober type, I simply find it tacky & dated. Authentic, to be sure, but tacky nonetheless.

Azymuth "Partido Novo" (Far Out, 2002)
Their classic sound -- smooth, funky fusion, perhaps a little too slick for its own good -- replicated and updated for the electronica age. For the most part, though, this doesn't seem that innovative or techno-ed out, simply the same sort of smooth jazz stuff they did in the '70s. If you were a fan then, you probably won't find much to complain about on here. But if the whole LA Transfer/Tom Scott style never really rang your bell, then don't worry too much about tracking this disc down.

Milton Banana - see artist profile

Banda Mantiqueira "Aldeia" (Blue Jackel, 1996)
A smooth Braz-jazz album, heavy on the brass section. This all-instrumental album takes a few nods at choro legend, Pixinguinha, as well as towards the smooth bossa nova sounds of the early '60s... This all by way of a peppy Doc Severinsen style latter-day big band style. This was a little too smooth for me, but it's not overly glitzy by any means, and may be something you'd like, if you're looking for something in a mellow jazz mode.

Banda Mantiqueira "Bixiga" (Blue Jackel/Pau Brasil, 2002)
Pretty cool! Anyone intrigued by the mix of Brazilian and big band motifs on Banda Mantiqueira's 1996 album, Aldeia, will be delighted by this latter-day gafieira outing, in which the swanky jazz elements are punched up and perfected. This is the kind of dynamic crosscultural mix that Stan Kenton and his peers were searching for in their mid-'50s explorations of Cuban and Latin-American melodies... pretty engaging and seldom overplayed, and less mellow than earlier Mantiqueira recordings. Nice lingering hints of the Dixieland-ish choro style of dimly-remembered Brazilian artists such as Sinho and Pixinguinga. Includes radically reimagined arrangements of songs by Joao Bosco and old-school sambista, Cartola. Definitely worth checking out!

Cyro Baptista & Derek Bailey "Cyro" (Incus, 1982)
The first recording by Brazilian percussionist Cyro Baptista finds him paired with English avant-guitarist Derek Bailey in a brisk set of oddball, disjointedly angular free jazz/difficult listening improvisations. This kind of exploratory wanking around doesn't do much for me, personally, but in the moments where they actually slide into intuitive grooves, their musicality comes more to the fore, and there are some impressive passages. Bailey is kind of a rhythmic, physical player, so the match-up with a percussionist such as Baptista -- who comes from a country where drumming takes on a melodic hue -- is somewhat inspired. Avantniks will probably like this more than Brazilianites, but it's still worth checking out of you're a Baptista fan.

Bebeto "Bebeto" (Whatmusic, 2005)
A lost album from Bebeto, the bassist for the bossa-jazz band, Tamba Trio. (Not to be confused with the samba-funk singer-songwriter, whose records are listed above...) See also: Tamba Trio, Luiz Eca.

Bossa Tres "Bossa Tres" (Ubatuqui, 2000)
A good overview of this bossa-jazz trio's work from 1963-64, at the tail end of bossa's glory years. Pianist Luis Carlos Vinhas was a stalwart of the scene -- particularly as leader of the house band of the famed Bottles nightclub. These recordings are primarily a showcase for his playing; it's bouncy, breezy material somewhat along the lines of Vince Guaraldi's recordings on fantasy, with dips into North American pop instrumentals such as Clifford Brown's "Blues Walk" and Gigi Gryce's "Minority"... This is a great collection if you want to check out one of those much-revered early Brazilian jazz combos... Still, if the truth be told, although these guys were pretty swinging, they don't seem particularly nuanced -- after a handful of songs you've probably got the gist of what they had to offer. Worth checking into, but not completely earth-shaking.

Brasil & Company "Brasil & Company" (Cathexis, 2000)
Vocalist Vera Mara and guitarist Paul Meyers front this jazz-oriented New Jersey ensemble. Mara ably fills the role of samba-jazz chantuese, particularly on a sprightly version of the Carmen Miranda hit, "Tico-Tico No Fuba". Other songs include a pair of relatively obscure Jobim tunes, several luso-tinged jazz tunes by the likes of Wayne Shorter and Hermeto Pascoal, and a cover of Pixinguinha's instrumental classic, "1x0". Fairly lite overall, but a much stronger album than I expected on an independent jazz release. (You can contact the band directly through Jazz Corners.)

The Brazil All-Stars "Rio Strut" (Fantasy, 2002)
A fairly slick collaborative effort featuring a host of Brazil's jazz-pop fusion elite... Joao Donato, Dom Um Romao and Eumir Deodato preside as the grand old men of this lavish project; a dozen other artists pitch in, including the songbirdish Ithamara Koorax, Claudio Roditi, Thuiago de Mello, Dino Rangel and others. For the most part this album is too glossy and fusion-y for my tastes, but there are several lovely ballads tucked away amid the many songs with larger arrangements. These moments of grace were enough to keep my attention...

Dave Brubeck "Bossa Nova USA" (Columbia, 1963)
Dave Brubeck and his "West Coast Jazz" compatriots were credited (incorrectly, some say...) with having inspired the "cool" sound of Brazilian bossa nova... It's a shame, then, that Brubeck's own late entry into the jazz-bossa nova craze was so far off base. It's an adequate Brubeck album, but it isn't particularly Brazilian. For one thing, most of the tracks are his own original compositions --one wonders, though, if his version of "The Trolley Song" inspired Joao Gilberto's own early-'70s version... Not great bossa, but an okay Brubeck album.

Charlie Byrd & Stan Getz "Jazz Samba" (Verve, 1962)
A landmark. Mainstream United States' first dose of bossa nova, as interpreted by guitarist Byrd and cool-jazz saxophonist Getz, this disc went to the top of the American pop charts, largely on the strength of the single version of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado." Although Byrd was the driving force behind this album, Getz stole his thunder in 1963 when the Getz/Gilberto album came out, and made bossa nova a household word. (As his jazz contemporaries were fond of saying, "Whatever Stan wants, Stan gets...") Afterwards, Byrd made many more bossa-themed albums, but none got the same level of acclaim. Very sweet and well worth checking out.

Charlie Byrd "Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros" (Riverside, 1962)
Byrd stayed briefly ahead of the bossa nova bandwagon with this excellent follow-up to the Jazz Samba album. Cool, clean, stately yet energetic, this contains some of the crispest, most lively renditions of early bossa standards, and while the album didn't touch the same sublime heights as the Joao Gilberto (then again, who could?) it was certainly closer than most American artists would ever get... Byrd had a real sensitivity for this material; he really "got" the authentic bossa vibe more than most of his jazz contemporaries at the time... If you haven't checked him out until now, here's a fine opportunity.

Charlie Byrd "Brazilian Byrd" (Columbia, 1965)
As noted above, guitarist Charlie Byrd deserves a lot of the credit for helping bring the bossa nova to North American ears. However, this instrumental tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim may not hold up that well for the casual listener. Byrd's playing is hard to fault, but the arrangements around him are often pretty garish and overblown. The opening tracks are intrusively orchestrated, although things settle down a bit by the third track, "That Look You Wear," after which Byrd's sleek, expressive guitar work is less at odds with the band. In the long run, this album is way too cheesy for me, although many folks consider it a classic. I suppose it mainly depends on your affinity for or tolerance towards '60s brass'n'strings pop arrangements.

Ze Carlos "Passo A Passo" (Mixhouse, 2000)
These soft-jazz instrumentals, featuring guitarist Ze Carlos, are not my cup of tea. Not particularly "Brazilian" sounding, either. Folks more in the Pat Metheny/Kenny G swing of things might enjoy this, though.

Oscar Castro-Neves "Big Band Bossa Nova" (Audio Fidelity, 1962)
Nice album by one of the best jazz-oriented bandleaders of the early bossa era. Sure, maybe it's not as "big band" as it might have been, but this is still perky, fun material, and more engaging than most of the self-proclaimed jazz ensembles of the time...

Oscar Castro-Neves "Playful Heart" (Mack Avenue, 2003)
Several decades on down the line, and still going strong, this album features braz-jazz old-timer Castro-Neves along with the like of Toots Thielemans and Dave Grusin, in a light, breezy set, punctuated by Jobim songs, show tunes by Stephen Sondheim, a bit of bebop and Beatles, and a few original compositions. Generally, this is a bit on the soft side for me, but soft-jazz aficianados and Castro-Neves fans will enjoy it.

Luiz Chaves e Seu Conjunto "Projecao" (RGE, 1963)
Swank, nightclubby big band versions of recently-minted bossa nova standards. This is well-performed, though unoriginal -- still, it's a good example of how high-class Ellingtonian jazz motifs filtered into the Brazilian scene. Like Ellington, Chaves straddled the classical, jazz and pop worlds, although modern listeners may find his approach little more than competent and professional. The tinkly piano work by Hamilton Godoy is the most distracting element, otherwise this has some nice moments, in a "Harlem Nocturne" kinda way.

Os Cobras "O LP" (RCA, 1964)
An all-star Brazilian jazz band, featuring hot-shot players such as Milton Banana, Tenorio, Jr., Raul De Souza, Paulo Moura and J.T. Meireles. Like many of the Brazilian jazz albums that actually are jazz albums, this is more jazz than "Brazilian"... With the exception of a cover of Clifford Brown's "Blues Walk" (which was a favorite standard in Brazil), these songs are all homegrown compositions... yet they sound like straight-up hard jazz from the 'Fifties, early 'Sixties era. This album is notable both for the calibre of talent in the band, but also for the weight of their playing -- this still isn't my cup of tea, but I like it better than the tinkly, hyperactive cabaret style which predominated in the bossa nova years.

Conjunto Som 4 "Conjunto Som 4" (Continental, 1964)
A rather bland jazz session featuring Hermeto Pascoal and cohorts Edilson (drums), Azeitona (bass) and Papudinho (trumpet). Although the compositions are from contemprary Brazilian bossa songwriters (all the usual suspects), the sound is pure North American jazz, indistinguishable from their cool Stateside contemporaries, except for the inferior, unexciting performances. This album doesn't stack up well compared to Hermeto's infinitely more soulful Quarteto Novo sessions of a few years later. This is a dull, slow going, pale imitation of American jazz.

Conjunto 3D "Muito Na Onda" (Odeon, 1967)
This 1967 album features some of the earliest recorded work of samba superstar Beth Carvalho, who was the "girl" singer in this pop vocals/jazz band, which also featured pianist Antonio Adolfo. They're aiming for a swinging Sergio Mendes/Young Holt Trio-style hipness, and in many ways are more successful here than many of their contemporaries. Carvalho sounds either hampered or hesistant on many of the tunes; she's paired up with a couple of fairly unremarkable male vocalists... But on some songs she shines, particularly on "Patruira Samba" (the lone Adolfo composition on an album packed with North American pop and jazz standards such as "When The Saint's Go Marching In," Cole Porter's "Night And Day," Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," etc.) and on an early Gilberto Gil composition, "Roda," which is also a highlight of the album. The English-language material is uniformly unsuccessful, but there's still an adventurous air here that hits the mark on a few songs. Adolfo went to form the band Brazuca, which took this formula further (and abandoned the attraction to cover tunes...) while Carvalho, of course, went on to become one of the biggest stars of her generation... This is an interesting prelude and/or historical footnote to her career! (See also: Trio 3D.)

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