Apollo Nove "Res Inexplicada Volans" (Crammed Disc, 2006)
Richly layered Brazilian pop-electronica, crafted by producer/multi-instrumentalist Apollo Nove, one of Sao Paulo's newest pop pioneers... Fans of the late mixmaster Suba, Marcelo D2 or Fernanda Porto will find a kindred spirit here. Some of the tracks are a bit facile (particularly the English-language opener, "Mr. Right Now," which is embarassingly dopey...) but other tracks are quite nice, including a pair of tunes featuring vocals by samba-soulster Seu Jorge... Throughout, the album has lovely sonic shading and rich acoustic textures -- the feel of the sound is lovely, even if the soul-electronic format might not be to everyone's taste. Anyway, if you're looking for new frontiers in Brazilian music, this is certainly an album to check out.
Apolo 11 "Apolo 11 Com Maria Creuza" (JS Discos, 1969)
A fascinating historical curio, featuring singer Maria Creuza before her emergence as a solo artist, working here with songwriter Antonio Carlos Marques, who went on to become half of the duo Antonio Carlos & Jocafi... Not only that, but Tutty Moreno, later a key player on the Brazilian jazz scene, is sitting in on drums! Despite the trippy, Space Age artwork, this is a fairly conservative set of bossa balladry, hardly the sort of perky pop-samba crossovers that Antonio Carlos later became known for, and a fairly sedate set, for all concerned. It's nice, but it sounds old-fashioned and out of date, considering the dynamism of the tropicalia scene at the time. Still, it's certainly worth checking out, particularly if you're a Creuza fan.
Jorge Aragao - see artist discography
Ara Ketu - see artist discography
Guilherme Arantes "Guilherme Arantes" (Som Livre, 1976)
Guilherme Arantes "Ronda Noturna" (Som Livre, 1977)
Guilherme Arantes "A Cara E A Coragem" (Warner, 1978)
Guilherme Arantes "Guilherme Arantes" (Warner, 1979)
Guilherme Arantes "Coracao Paulista" (Warner, 1980)
Guilherme Arantes "Guilherme Arantes" (Warner, 1982)
Guilherme Arantes "Ligacao" (Som Livre, 1983)
Guilherme Arantes "Amanha" (Sony, 1996)
Guilherme Arantes "16 Sucessos" (Sony, 1997)
A best-of of this early rock-MPB composer. The liner notes don't say when these tracks were recorded, but from the production style, it was clearly in the early-to-mid '80s. Mostly pretty tacky, wimpy-sounding synth pop, of the Michael Jackson/A-Ha/Wham variety. I suspect that Arantes has some earlier work that's better, but this disc in particular lacks punch.
Guilherme Arantes "Serie Bis" (EMI, 2000)
Yeesh... maybe not. This 2-CD set is packed with ultra-tacky material from the early 1990s, stuff that evokes memories of Bread, Paul Davis, Supertramp and other, even less vigorous soft-pop artists. Placing this in a Brazilian pop context, I suppose you could say Arantes picks up where Lo Borges and Beto Guedes left off; in theory you could place some of this in the "prog" spectrum, but that's a pretty charitable interpretation. Really, there's not much on here that I'd ever need to hear again. Sappy and strained... and eminently avoidable.
Eduardo Araujo "O Bom" (Odeon, 1967)
Although his later work (as described below) places Araujo among some of the most creative Brazilian pop experimentalists of the late 1960s, this rock'n'roll debut did little to lift him above the hordes of mid-'60s jovem guarda teenybop-rockers. Produced by JG veteran Tony Campello (sort of the Frankie Avalon of jovem guarda...) this disc has an energetic edge, but it doesn't quite quite have the perky, dorky charm of the genre's best recordings -- it's almost a punky, hard-edged rock record, but falls just short of being garage-y or cool... Worth checking out, but I was disappointed, coming to this album after being wowed by A Onda E Boogaloo, a chunky, powerful funk-fest that came out a couple of years later.
Eduardo Araujo "O Bom, v.2" (Odeon, 1967)
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 work, 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!
Eduardo Araujo "Eduardo Araujo" (Odeon, 1971)
Eduardo Araujo "Eduardo Araujo" (RCA, 1972)
Eduardo Araujo "Eduardo Araujo" (RCA, 1973)
Eduardo Araujo "Pelos Caminhos Do Rock" (RCA-Brasil, 1975)
An odd, offkilter mix of soul music, Santana-esque salsa-tinged hard rock and jittery stadium rock ala Rita Lee. It's easy to piece out the influence of Brazilian soulsters such as Tim Maia... Araujo even gets all worked up and shouts his way through several songs. Not the most blistering stuff ever, but interesting in the context of Brazilian rock and soul at the time... (A recent CD reissue, perversely, couples this with an incredibly wimpy pop album by Os Incriveis... I scanned the credits and couldn't see any connection, so go figure.)
Eduardo Araujo "Sou Filho Desde Chao" (Beverly, 1976)
Eduardo Araujo "Serie Bis: Jovem Guarda" (EMI, 2000)
A 2-CD retrospective covering Araujo's early JG work...
Severino Araujo - see artist discography
Argemiro Patrocinio -- see letter "P"
Marcos Ariel - see artist discography
Armandinho - see artist discography
Armandinho "Armandinho" (Universal, 2004)
FYI - this is a different guy... A pop-reggae singer, not the cavaquinho whiz who is listed above...
Armandinho "Ao Vivo" (Universal, 2007)
Again, this is the reggae dude.
Armandinho "Casinha" (Atracao, 2007)
Reggae dude.
Armandinho "Armandinho" (Atracao, 2008)
Also, the reggae dude...
Arranco "Samba De Cartola" (Dubas, 1993/2001)
It's a little strange to hear the driving, old-school sambas of escola legend Cartola refashioned into slower MPB ballads... Not that it hasn't been done before, or that Cartola's music didn't already have a romantic elegance to it, but it's the cumulative effect of hearing an entire album's worth of radical retoolings that makes a big impact. I imagine for some, more pop-oriented listeners, this disc way come as a welcome modernization or even as a revelation... For me, though, it's too slushy and stylized, and the vocal harmonies come just a bit too close to the sleek drabness of the Quarteto Em Cy... This has its moments, but on balance, it was a record that I could easily live without.
Arranco De Varsovia "Na Cadencia Do Samba" (Dubas, 2005)
Arranco De Varsovia "Samba E Progresso" (2008)
As Meninas "Xibom Bombom" (Universal/Polydor, 1999)
Perky, anthemic, frothy axe pop from this (sort of) all-female band... Yeah, there are also a bunch of guys playing along in the studio, but as well as sing and look cute, the gals play guitar, bass, sax and surdo, so they're pretty legit. Spice Girl-y carnaval music, following in the footsteps of Margareth Menezes and Daniella Mercury... not classic, immortal art, but cute and fun. The title track is irresistible.
As Meninas "As Meninas" (Universal/Polydor, 2000)
More irrepressibly perky samba-pop from this cutesy gal band, including the hit, "Tapa Aqui, Descobre Ali." Although this album is packed with plenty of shameless commercial affectations and fluffy, by-the-numbers studio riffs, it's still pretty fun. It also seems slightly more rootsy than Xibom Bombom, but really, either album would get the point across. Worth checking out.
As Meninas "Bom Dia" (2000)
As Meninas "Loucas Por Voce" (Universal, 2001)
As Meninas "Ao Vivo" (Abril, 2003)
Badi Assad - see artist discography
Astor & Luiz Eca "Cada Qual Melhor" (Odeon, 1961)
(Artistic director: Ismael Correa)
Pianist Luiz Eca, paired up with bandleader/trombonist Astor Silva, puts his chops on display, running through what I imagine must have been his standard nightclub set at the time. The opening tracks display a remarkable dynamism and innovation -- Eca really digs into the ivories on "E Luxo So" and "Yesterdays." The set swiftly devolves into tedium, though, with by-the-numbers, slightly bossa-fied versions of American standards such as " 'S Wonderful," "Cheek To Cheek" and "Moonglow," as well as Brazilian chestnuts like Ary Barroso's "Aquarela Do Brasil" and a few more contemporary tunes. Like I said, it's clearly a nightclub set, put on wax inside a studio setting... Eca stands out on a few tunes, but Astor's mellow, well-rounded brass arrangements are unremarkable and unmoving. A very professional record, but nothing to get too excited about.
(Lord) Astor "E Dancar" (Odeon/Imperial, 1961)
Astor E Sua Orchestra "Samba! So Samba!" (Columbia, 1963)
A swinging, uptempo set with samba-cancao classics and (then) newly-minted bossa hits, all done in the same juggernaut-style big band samba style. It's a little too rigid and unemotive for me; too much of a music machine. But if you like Perez Prado's more pop-oriented albums, and would be interested in hearing something similar from a Brazilian angle, this album might wow you. Good musicianship, just sort of mechanically delivered.
Carlos Augusto "Serie Bis - Cantores Do Radio" (EMI-Brasil, 2000)
A syrupy singer specializing in the classic Latin American bolero, Carlos Augusto eschewed the hometown rhythm of the samba in favor of the lush romanticism of the ballroom sound. These Portuguese-language dance tunes seem to have been written mainly by Brazilians, although the style is definitely an import from el mundo espanol. Still, his vocals aren't overly corny, and the early '60s arrangements are also forceful but demure. A nice example of Brazil's participation in the wider Latin America culture.
Carlos Augusto "A Cara Do Recife"
Jorge Autuori Trio "Jorge Autuori Trio, v.1" (Rosemblit/Whatmusic)
Jorge Autuori Trio "Jorge Autuori Trio, v.2" (Rosemblit/Whatmusic)
Jorge Autuori Trio "Ovalo" (RCA, 1969)
(Produced by Rildo Hora & Romeo Nunes)
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??
Ave Sangria "Ave Sangria" (Continental, 1975)
Another fascinating obscuro-oldie from the heady days of Brazil's freakiest, hippie-esque pop era... Apparently this Northeastern band had a reputation as sort of a glam act - wearing lipstick, etc., but what sticks out on the record itself is the mix of nordestino styles -- acoustic music with prominent bandolim and regional percussion, similar to what Quinteto Violado was doing at the same time -- and freaky acid rock, with fuzzy, noodly electric lead guitar and flights of crunchy distortion. Folks who like Lula Cortes should dig this too -- apparently the band had been taken under the wing of Cortes' Satwa collaborator, Lailson; Mutantes fans will also like the band's far-flung, schizophrenic start-and-stop meter shifting and stream-of-consciousness lyrical style. Definitely worth checking out!
Mariana Aydar "Kavita 1" (Universal)
Mariana Aydar "Brasil, Sons e Sabores" (YB Music, 2007)
Mariana Aydar "Peixes Passaros Pessoas" (Universal-Zoom, 2009)
Luiz Ayrao - see artist discography
Nelson Ayres "Mantiqueria" (Som De Gente, 1981)
Nelson Ayres "Perto Do Coracao" (Atracao, 2004)
Anastacia Azevedo "Lumere Lumera" (Piranha, 1999)
Anastacia Azevedo "Amanaiara" (Piranha, 2004)
An aggressive, kinetic mix of Northeastern music and various brands of rock, funk and reggae from a Cearan expatriate now living in Berlin... The forro aspects drop out of the picture after the first few tunes, and a thumping rock sensibility takes over... The prominence of a sharp-sounding snare drum undercuts comparisons to the funky manguebeat scene, and nudges this more towards a plain rock sound, with lots of filigreed keyboards and harmony vocals. I wouldn't exactly say this sounds cluttered, but it is a little more forceful and angular than I like my Brazilian pop, a feeling that is heightened by Azevedo's piercing vocal style. This didn't really wow me, but I could see its appeal for folks eager for a more modernized style; maybe if it were a little softer around the edges, I could get more into it.
Geraldo Azevedo - see artist discography
Waldir Azevedo - see artist discography
Azymuth - see artist discography
