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.

The Mosquitos "Mosquitos" (Bar None, 2003)
An absolute delight. Finding the perfect midway point between Brazilian cool and sugary indiepop twee, New York's Mosquitos feature vocals by Juju Stulbach, a Rio-born expatriate who combines the airy, insouciance of Astrud Gilberto with the flip, casual, DIY mellowness of the North American cutesy-pop crowd. There's a relaxed love of melody that suggests a debt to Yo La Tengo, as well as a simplicity and cleanness of line that brings The Bats to mind... Stulbach's Portuguese-language vocals are a highlight, with a fluidity and good-natured tone that should draw in any devotee of classic, roller-rinky Brazilian pop, as well as fans of BMX Bandits, Beat Happening and the whole Pacific Northwest lo-fi scene. Admittedly, the cutesy, naifish English-language lyrics of singer-guitarist Chris Root don't hold up as well to repeated listenings, but they put the record into the right context... In short, this is the perfect twee-pop album that native Brazilian indie bands have yet to create: it's lovely and dreamy, full of pretty sounds and foreign words... and I like it a lot!

The Mosquitos "Sunshine Barato" (Bar None, 2004)
This disc continues on the much same path as the first Mosquitos set, though perhaps with more of an indiepop inclination, but the Brazilianness is still there, too. Perhaps because they are now a known quantity, this disc is a little less striking than its predecessor, but it's still pretty cute and pretty cool. A fun splash in the sun, with lots of perky melodies and catchy, playful hooks.

Ravi "The Afro Brazilian Project" (Arc Music, 2003)
The British-based kora player known as "Ravi" went over to Brazil to enlist some fine musicians for this project, including saxophonist Paulo Moura and indigenous music diva Marlui Miranda. Their voices seem lost in the shuffle, however, as is most of the "Brazilian" side of this project -- for the most part an acid-jazzy, easy listening/world beat vibe is what predominates, laced with his easy-on-the-ears kora work. Too sugary and mellow for me, but others may enjoy.

Johan Christher Schutz "Passion" (Acousticolour, 2004)
Swedish singer-guitarist Johan Christher Schutz has a somewhat intense connection to the Brazilian bossa-nova sound, and an almost unreasonably sunny world view... This album combines persistent, gentle, accomplished acoustic guitar work with cheerful, naifish lyrics straight out of the twee-est twee segments of the indiepop scene. Schutz's vocals sound quite a bit like Arto Lindsay's, but shorn of the darker and more carnal elements of Lindsay's work. I confess, it took me a while to warm to this disc -- I had to put it down and come back to it later when I was in the right mood, and then I saw that it had an undeniable charm, once I set my urban American grumpiness aside and just let Schutz be Schutz. If you think an album with song titles like "Tousled Kitten Samba" might be for you, then this is certainly worth checking out!

Paul Simon "Rhythm Of The Saints" (Warner Brothers, 1990)
Following his landmark, African-tinged world beat album, Graceland, up was a tall order, but this disc, which combines Brazilian styles with the South African sounds he'd already explored, is if anything even a more engrossing album. The pop hooks are fewer, the feel is moodier, the fusion of styles is alluring. World music purists and pop cynics alike expressed distain for this album; some decried the "manipulation" of "native" styles, others lamented the hazy, indistinct songwriting and saw it as an indication of Simon's having lost his touch. I'd tilt towards saying that the decision to forgo strong, classically defined "pop" structure and to simply space out to the rhythms showed a willingness to explore the music, and to let his lyrics find their own level -- few phrases really leap out at you, but Simon's musings do kind of float to the surface in dribs and drabs, encouraging repeat listens. It's true that the regional musical feel is also somewhat subdued -- the arrangements tend to be pretty minimalist, bland even -- but is his willingness to produce an album that's more textural than hook-driven really such a crime? At any rate, Simon introduced the Afro-Brazilian percussion ensemble Olodum to the world at large on the opening track, and sings a duet with jazz mystic Milton Nascimento on the closer. Also notable is acoustic guitarist Rafael Rabello, playing on one track, Egberto Gismonti is in there as well, grooving along with the Brecker brothers -- and the continued association with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, et al shows that his work on Graceland wasn't merely crosscultural dilletantism that so many Berkeley-types made it out to be. Definitely worth checking out, even if it's a bit amorphous overall.

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!

Yeahwon "Yeahwon" (Artist Share, 2010)
(Produced by Sun Chung)
Yeahwon Shin is a Korean vocalist who got the Brazilian-music bug, and devoted herself to recording an entire album of bossa nova and MPB standards, sung in pretty convincing Portuguese, with guest performers that include Egberto Gismonti and Cyro Baptista. Yeahwon's voice is lovely, and her feel for the music is impressive... There is a fluidity that many great Brazilian singers have, an intangible "Brazilian-ness" that is almost impossible for outsiders to completely tap into, but she comes pretty darn close. Obviously a labor of love, this is an album that is sure to turn many ears... I'd love to hear her do some bossa nova with Korean lyrics as well!

Other Brazilian Styles
Main Brazil Index