Welcome to the Slipcue.Com page for new Brazilian music. This page includes reviews of new albums, recently released reissue records, and links to profiles of select record labels and artists.
Eduardo Araujo "A Onda E Boogaloo" (Odeon, 1969)
Wow... this is pretty cool. Singer Eduardo Araujo strikes me as an artist who was kind of constantly in search of a "new sound" to latch onto. He was one of the early jovem guarda '60s teenie-bopper rockers, and got a little wiggier in the '70s... This 1969 pop-soul album is a transitional record, but one that shows he could have done quite well pursuing a career in Brazilian soul music... He had a much stronger sense of American-style phrasing and a stronger band than many of the self-styled "Black Rio" artists such as Cassiano and Hylton who took up the mantle in the 1970s. His secret weapon was Brazilian funk pioneer Tim Maia, who was about to bust out on his own as a solo artist on the Philips label. Maia wrote punchy new arrangements for the numerous cover tunes on here, which range from Smokey Robinson's "Same Old Song" to Arthur Conley's "Funky Street," and for whatever reason this album avoids most of the clumsiness or self-consciousness that many similar imitations of American pop frequently suffer from. Together, Araujo and Maia really "got" the magical mix of rock and soul sensibility that late '60s soul singers such as Sam & Dave or Wilson Pickett created up North. This is an unusually strong album for the style... definitely recommended!
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 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!
Bat Makumba "Bat Makumba" (Bat Makumba, 2003)
A super-impressive set of Brazilian/latin dance funk tunes, written and recorded by a trio out of San Francisco, CA. Although the band is known for live shows in which they do sizzling cover versions of '60s/'70s tropicalia oldies, this album is comprised entirely of original tunes written by the band... though you'd be hard pressed to tell this apart from contemporary Brazilian manguebeat artists such as Nacao Zumbi or Lenine. The spirits of Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and Os Mutantes hover supportively overhead as the Bat Makumba crew work their way through a dizzying array of rhythms, moods and styles, opening with the catchy forro-funk of "Trabalha" to the calming MPB balladry of "Resolucao", soft electronica of "Cantiga" and rowdy, good-time salsa rhythms of "Quiero (Cuba Rum, Cachaca Brasil)." On "Morro De Saudade (Enredo 415)," the band collaborates with the esteemed Velha Guarda da Mangueira, a group of musicians associated with Rio's famously bouyant Mangueira samba school. All in all, this disc by Bat Makumba is quite a feat: if any band from the EU stands a chance of having their music covered by someone back in Brasil, I imagine it would be these guys! Heck, they're even named after a Gilberto Gil song... what more could you want? Highly recommended.
Maria Bethania "Maricotinha Ao Vivo" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
Bethania's first album for the fledgling Brazilian indie label, Biscoito Fino, leans on one of her great strong points, her phenomenal ability as a live performer. This lavishly packaged 2-CD set features a sweeping array of material by songwriters as diverse as MPB standardbearers Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque and Djavan to old-fashioned samba and bossa songsmiths including Dorival Caymmi, Ze Keti and Carlos Lyra. Younger artists like rockers Chico Cesar, Lenine and Adriana Calcanhoto are also represented, along with numerous lesser-known composers. Bethania's longtime guitarist Jaime Alem leads the band and helps sculpt the sound... Bethania's fans will certainly not be disappointed.
Maria Bethania "Canticos Preces Suplicas A Senhora Dos Jardins Do Ceu" (Biscoito Fino, 2003)
A gentle and reverential set of songs dedicated to the Virgin Mary, all seen through a Brazilian filter. The repertoire includes religious standards such as Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria" and J.S. Bach's "Magnificat," as well as numerous songs in the public domain, some given new arrangements by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and others in Bethania's personal sphere. I hadn't anticipated being as drawn in by this album as I ultimately was -- there's something quite compact and focussed about the project that stands in contrast to her usual sexual/romantic/spiritual explorations. Plus, how often do you get to hear Bethania singing above a large church choir (as she does on two brief tracks. Nice record (with classy graphic design, as well, by the way...) recommended!
Celso Fonseca "Natural" (Six Degrees, 2003)
Absolutely gorgeous acoustic guitar work, with flawlessly tasteful production and soft bossa vocals, music on a par with Joao Gilberto or Caetano Veloso's softer moments. Fonseca is one of Rio's up-and-coming performers, and here he takes things down several notches, to the quietest, most serene level imaginable. This is a lovely album that will really wow anyone looking for something mellow and moving, yet not saccharine or formulaic. Highly recommended!
Gilberto Gil/Various Artists "Z: 300 Anos De Zumbi" (Pau Brasil/Blue Jackel, 2002)
A relaxed, somewhat frivolous set of incidental music taken from the stage production of a musical ballet honoring the legendary Brazilian slave rebel leader, Zumbi. Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown, Marlui Miranda and producer Rodolfo Stroeter collaborate on this light melange of Afro-Brazilian, African and world-pop styles. Typically, this sort of production has at least one "real" pop song in it somewhere, but not so on this album. Didn't do much for me, but folks looking for something nonlinear and soundtrack-y might enjoy this... It also may grow on you with extras listenings.
Olivia Hime "Mar De Algodao: As Marinhas De Caymmi" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
A tribute to the songwriting of popular samba composer Dorival Caymmi, whose attachment to and reverence for the sea was legendary. This album is conceived as a series of song-cycles: the sea in the morning, the sea by day, the sea at night. In some places the baroque arrangements are fairly unconventional; in others Hime displays a markedly formalist MPB approach -- very ornate, refined and sugary sweet. Her own, rather understated vocals are close in temprament to Caymmi's own plainspoken singing style. Rodolfo Stroeter produced and engineered the album; Olivia and Francis Hime wrote the arrangements, with Tutty Moreno, Sergio Santos and others performing throughout.
Olivia Hime "Serenate De Uma Mulher: Olivia Hime Canta Chiquinha Gonzaga" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
An elegant MPB update of the classic compositions of one of Brazilian music's most important female artists, choro pioneer Chiquinha Gonzaga, who was one of the most prolific songwriters of the first third of the 20th Century. This disc only has a dozen of Gonzaga's compositions -- a scant sampling of the hundreds of possible candidates -- but the performances are uniformly pleasant, and folks unfamiliar with Gonzaga's legacy will appreciate the window into her work. Nice album, with tasteful arrangements and lovely vocals.
Nara Leao "Nara Leao (Box Set)" (Polygram, 2002)
Wow. If you're a Nara Leao fan (or a potential fan) you might want to consider picking up this amazing 15-CD box set, which collects Leao's first fourteen albums (reviewed below), along with an additional CD's worth of rarities. Each disc also includes a rare track or two, such as Nara singing in Spanish or French, and reproductions of the original liner notes, along with new production notes. These records have been nearly impossible to find for decades, and their re-release is a wonderful blessing for fans of Leao and modern Brazilian pop. Great sound quality, handsome packging, and amazingly, thoroughly beautiful music. The albums reissued include: "Nara" (1964), "Opinao De Lara" (1964), "O Show Do Opinao - Ao Vivo" (1965), "O Canto Livre De Nara" (1965), "5 Na Bossa" (with Edu Lobo/Tamba Trio, 1965), "Nara Pede Passagem" (1966), "Manha De Liberdade" (1966). "Vento De Maio" (1967), "Nara" (1967), "Nara Leao" (from 1968), "Coisas Do Mundo" (1969), "10 Anos Depois" (1971), "Nara" (1971), "Meu Primeiro Amor" (1975), and the "Raridades" disc, which inlcudes some of the tracks from the 1972 show album, "Quando O Carnaval Chegar." This is an unbelievable treasure trove, filled with once-elusive material that stands the test of time. Beautiful stuff.
Smokey & Miho "Smokey & Miho" (Afro-Sambas, 2002)
Smokey & Miho "Tempo De Amor" (Afro-Sambas, 2002)
The smooth, versatile rock guitarist Smokey Hormel (known for his work with Tom Waits, Beck, and others) and vocalist Miho Hatori (of Cibo Matto fame) teamed up out of their mutual appreciation for Baden Powell and Vinicius De Moraes' 1966 album, Os Afro Sambas, a bossa classic that remains mysteriously hard to find, even in this golden age of collector reissues. The Smokey & Miho band formed in 2001 to recreate the entire album in a series of live performances; their first 5-song EP, Smokey & Miho, built on the mellow, lounge-y bossa vibe (but was mostly made up of original Hatori-Hormel material, along with a cover of an obscure Angolan pop song by Euclides F. Pereira). On their follow-up EP, they stick to the old stuff, covering four songs off the original Afro Sambas album, as well as a fifth vintage Powell/De Moraes composition, "Consolacao." The entire Tempo De Amor EP is a delight -- Hatori's vocals recapture the feel of the original harmonies by the all-female Quarteto Em Cy, while Hormel's fluid guitar work is able to build apon Powell's haunting music, bringing a new modern warmth to the spooky source material. Fans of classic Brazilian bossa nova should love this affectionate homage. Highly recommended!
Marisa Monte/Arnaldo Antunes/Carlinhos Brown "Tribalistas" (Phonomotor/EMI, 2002) [Import]
Marisa Monte/Arnaldo Antunes/Carlinhos Brown "Tribalistas" (Capitol/Metro Blue, 2002)
A lovely, subtle and profoundly life-affirming album... one of my favorites of the year! The band's name and all-star cast are an apparent tribute to the Veloso-Gil-Bethania-Costa mid-1970s supergroup, Doce Barbaros (The Sweet Barbarians), but in this case the musicians, neo-tropicalistas Arnaldo Antunes,Carlinhos Brown and Marisa Monte, go for tender restraint, rather than wild excess. It's a remarkably gentle, dreamy set, with an alluring blend of voices and styles. Each of these musicians has been instrumental in deepening the stylistic vocabulary of modern Brazilian pop, and the three have worked together on various projects and albums over the years. This album, however, is a marvel of collaborative creativity, with label owner Monte the album's guiding force and charismatic center, poet Antunes offering cerebral and ironic counterpoint, and soul-samba percussionist Brown mediating between the two, bringing his pure musicality in to balance them both. The songs feature all three artists flowing effortlessly in overlapping parts, with an intuitive connection that is quite marvelous to hear. (You can see it, too: if you can track down the DVD that accompanies this album, their creative process will astound you...) Old-school axe star Margareth Menezes also guests on one song, the catchy and irresistible "Passe Em Casa," one of many beautiful tunes that will echo in your mind for days on end. All in all, this is a very beautiful, inventive and multi-textured record... HIGHLY recommended.
New Compilations
Various Artists "O DOUTOR DO BAIAO: HUMBERTO TEXEIRA" (Biscoito Fino, 2003)
A splendid live tribute to composer Humberto Texeira, one of the great founders of modern Northeastern pop... Texeira's legacy tends to be overshadowed by his connection to forro star Luiz Gonzaga, but this fine concert album brings his work to the foreground, with rich, heartfelt renditions of his old baiao compositions from the middle the 20th Century. It's an all-star cast, packed with MPB royalty: Maria Bethania, Chico Buarque, Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil on call for the '70s old guard, Lenine and Rita Ribeiro representing the younger generation, Elba Ramalho and Fagner as Texeira's nordestinho stylistic stepchildren. High marks go to Caetano Veloso for his soft, piercing rendition of "Baiao De Dois," although one of the most surprising artists on here is alt-rocker Lenine, who gives a similarly gentle, exploratory performance. This entire album is quite nice, actually, highlighting the fun, playful, bouncy aspects of Texeira's work, while liberating it from the manic, hyperactive feel of the original, old-school baiao recordings of the 1940s and '50s. This disc does for Texeira's legacy what the BAIAO DE VIRAMUNDO collection did for Gonzaga in 2000: it shows the elasticity and enduring appeal of these gloriously catchy old pop tunes. Recommended!
Eduardo Araujo "A Onda E Boogaloo" (Odeon, 1969)
Bat Makumba "Bat Makumba" (
Maria Bethania "Maricotinha Ao Vivo" (
Celso Fonseca "Natural" (Six Degrees, 2003)
Olivia Hime "Mar De Algodao: As Marinhas De Caymmi" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
Smokey & Miho "Smokey & Miho" (Afro-Sambas, 2002)
Marisa Monte/Arnaldo Antunes/Carlinhos Brown "Tribalistas" (Phonomotor/EMI, 2002) [Import]
Various Artists "O DOUTOR DO BAIAO: HUMBERTO TEXEIRA" (Biscoito Fino, 2003)
