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.
Gerson King Combo "Gerson King Combo" (Polydor, 1977)
No foolin'... This is one of the few old Brazilian funk albums that actually lives up to the hype. It's awesome. Too bad it's so damn hard to track down a copy!! Anyway, Gerson King Combo (which is his full stage name; long story...) was once part of Wilson Simonal's band, and was a major force on the Rio soul scene. He had a seriously hot band, which owed a huge debt to fellow Polydor label-mate, James Brown. Up in the States, Brown's disciples such as Bootsy Collins took JB's hard-driving rhythms and transfomed them into something even more modern and funkier... which is also what Combo did, down in the steamy nightclubs of the Black Rio scene. I'm not exactly sure why he took a fade after only two albums, but it's a shame, since this disc really was first-rate. Hopefully the folks at Universal Music will get a clue and rush this one out into print for a US and European audience. It'd sell like wildfire.
Gerson King Combo "Gerson King Combo, Vol. II" (Polydor, 1978)
A disappointing followup to his brilliant debut. Here, GKC is under the spell of Barry White, rather than JB and Bootsy. But he doesn't quite have the silken sleaziness to carry off the whole "hey, babeh..." routine. The album is indulgent, but not deliriously, deliciously indulgent, as were the Parliament/Funkadelic albums that, perhaps, he was hoping to emulate. Funk fans will probably want to check this out anyway (especially since it's finally back in print), but I found it rather tedious.
Gerson King Combo "Mensageiro Da Paz" (WEA, 2002)
Onias Comenda & Edinho Marundele "Eu, Bahia" (Philips/Fontana, 1972)
An interesting album of berimbau and Orixa-related percussion by two players I've never heard of before. Each artist takes one side of the LP -- Marundele (whose real name was apparently Edson Emerete de Sant'Anna) is the drummer, and his side is dynamic and intense, running through rhythms from Angola and their Brazilian permutations. Similarly, berimbau master Onias Camardelli plays capoeira music from Angola and Bahia, as well as improvisations of his own creation. Some of it is spooky and haunting, some of it seems kind of static and same-y. I don't think the average fan of Brazilian pop would get much out of this, but for cultural scholars and capoeira students, this album would be a goldmine.
Conjunto Rosa De Ouro "Rosa De Ouro v.1" (EMI-Odeon, 1965)
Conjunto Rosa De Ouro "Rosa De Ouro v.2" (EMI-Odeon, 1967)
Conjunto Rosa De Ouro "Raizes Do Samba" (EMI Brasil, 2000)
As part of their excellent "Raizes do Samba" reissue series, EMI has collected both these old albums on one CD. An all-star ensemble including Da Viola, Clementina De Jesus, Elton Medeiros, Jair do Cavaquinho and Nelson Sargento... so how could you go wrong? These acoustic sambas are intensely rhythmic, though light on percussion, and heavy on vocals and guitars. When recorded in the mid-'60s, this music was a deliberate throwback; what's modernized about it is the smoothness of performance and production. Mighty nice stuff.
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 contemporary 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.)
Gerson Conrad & Zeze Motta "Gerson Conrad & Zeze Motta" (Som Livre, 1975)
Gerson Conrad "Rosto Marcado" (Warner Arquivos, 1981)
A solo album by one of the founding members of the once-great Brazilian glam/tropicalia bands, Secos & Molhados, which also featured singer Ney Matogrosso. This is pretty slick, AOR-ish stuff, and it falls prey to many of the stylistic shortcomings of the time -- slow, fusion-y arrangements, soft-funk basslines, tinkly keyboards, and an overall strained wimpiness. There is a vocal similarity to Caetano Veloso, though -- Conrad was from Sao Paulo, but he has a soft, Bahian delivery. Anyway, this is pretty cheesy, though also inoffensive and listenable... nothing to struggle too hard to track down, unless you're really, really into the ornate pop stylings of the late '70s/early '80s MPB scene.
Baby Consuelo "As Melhores" (Columbia, 2002)
A best-of collection of late-vintage hits and not-so-much-hits by this former member of the innovative 1970s psychedelic/prog band, Novos Baianos. Although better than a lot of BRock, for the most part this disc is pitiably bad -- frenetic hard rock and shrill, cluttered, new wavey synthpop similar to that of Rita Lee or Cazuza. A few tunes flirt with more subtle presentation, but not many. I'd guess these tracks date mainly from the late '80s to early '90s, they have that MTV-ish feel to them. Sometimes the clumsiness is charming, but honestly, I'd be embarrassed to have someone catch me listening to this at home. Worth checking out, though, if you're tracking down the career paths of '70s rockers.
Copa 7 "O Som Do Copa 7" (Top Tape, 1979)
One of the sleeker bands from the "Black Rio" soul movement, Copa 7 were looser than the better-known Banda Black Rio and funkier than most of the soul singers that dominated the '70s scene. They were also more identifiably building from a samba background, but layering it with tight horn and keyboard arrangements, similar to Earth Wind and Fire. The Copa 7 took their name from an earlier jazz band led by J.T. Meirelles, although as far as I know there were no direct links between the two groups. Either way, this is a pretty cool record! [Recently reissued by What Music in the UK.]
Copa 7 "O Som Do Copa 7, v.2" (Top Tape, 1980)
A fine follow-up to their first album, maybe a bit tougher and more muscular, but still drenched in solid, funky rhythms and sharp, American-style funk and R&B. These guys really were several steps ahead of most of their competition. [Reissued by What Music.] Recommended!
Cordel Do Fogo Encantado "Cordel Do Fogo Encantado" (Rec Beat, 2001)
Experimental Brazilian rock, seemingly equally influenced by manguebeat artists such as Nacao Zumbi and the dadaist tropicalismo of Tom Ze. Heavy on the percussion, this disc drifts and ambles, avoiding rock guitar cliches and has a certain fresh playfulness to it, with spaced-out, Allan Ginsburg-ish poetic lyrics. It's a bit meandering, not melodically that satisfying, or filled with overt pop hooks, but it's still interesting to know that there is this sort of searching, difficult-listening avant-ish pop being made in Brazil. Producer Nana Vasconcelos's guiding hand is easily felt on this far-ranging set; he also plays percussion on most tracks. Kinda sounds like Quinteto Violado after a particularly long night, with a slight hangover, but still up for some more fun.
Cordel Do Fogo Encantado "O Palhaco Do Circus Sem Futuro" (Rec Beat, 2002)
More of the same; an unusual sonic excursion, certainly different than most Brazilian pop, and worth checking out, if you want to go a little on the wild side. Their first album might be slightly better, but either disc will hit you about the same.
Cordel Do Fogo Encantado "MTV Apresenta..." (Trama, 2005)
Nando Cordel "Folia Brasileira" (RCA, 1987)
A poppy hybrid of forro and other styles... Mostly this is alright; the accordions are good throughout (including some nice work by Dominguinhos), but the electric guitar work is fairly standard-issue, and some of the stylistic choices are questionable, particularly the bland, big-drum machine samba-reggae. Still, not bad for the style or the times. I don't know anything about this guy, but this seems okay to me. Besides, anyone who can get Martinho DaVila to guest on their album has to have something on the ball.
Nando Cordel "Grandes Sucessos" (BMG-RCA, 1998)
Really pretty horrid. As this best-of set (covering 1989-91) shows, Cordel's brand of northeastern-tinged pop became increasingly formulaic and boring; the accordions shifted to the background while a particularly annoying and uninventive synthesizer took over. I mean, I don't have anything against keyboards and synths per se, it's just that if you're going to use them, maybe you could do something more interesting than this... It's just the same, flat wheee-whush-whahh on every song. And the songs themselves aren't terribly interesting or dynamic either. Very skippable.
Cor Do Som "A Cor Do Som" (BMG Brasil, 1987)
Wrechedly bad Caribbean-flavored pop from the tattered remnants of the old Novos Baianos band. This is their last album after a decade-long run... and it's embarassingly cheesy. Gilberto Gil guests on one track, although, as you'll recall, this wasn't exactly the peak of his career, either. You can skip this one.
Os Coroas No Choro "Os Coroas No Choro" (RGE, 1985)
The bouncy instrumental style of choro legend, Pixinguinha, brought into the modern age. Nary a synthesizer or string section to be heard here; just the lilt of the cavaquinho and guitar. Okay, so after about five songs in a row, this may start to sound repetitive, but it's such a great sound, it's really hard to complain... Sweet stuff.
Coro De Camara Villa-Lobos "Todas As Ondas Do Radio" (Eldorado/CPC-UMES, 2000)
One of the more unusual Brazilian artifacts you'll come across... As near as I can figure, this is a liver performance by a nostalgia oriented, glee club-type organization whose goal was to recreate the experience of listening to Brazilian regional radio back in its heyday of the 1940s and '50s. There's a wide variety of styles, ranging from regional music (mostly from the Northeast) and old-fashioned samba-cancoes to tonier material such as Brazilianified versions of Bach vocal works, and a few modern MPB tunes. (Oddly enough, there are no Villa-Lobos compositions included in the repertoire... which was kind of a disappointment!) Anyway, I kept my copy just for its novelty value, but I'm not sure it wold have much appeal to the casual listener... It is an odd little record, though!
Coro Dos Compositores Da Portela "Minha Portela Querida -- Sambas De Terreiro: 1972" (Odeon, 1972)
A splendid set of Carnaval compositions from the Portela samba school's 1972 lineup. Paulinho Da Viola, Candeia, Monarco and Garoto are among the better known soloists in this set; other artists include Wilson Bombeiro, Casquinha, Carlos Elias, Joaozinho da Pecadora and Norival Reis. It's a lot like the annual souvenir albums that come out from the Carnaval competitions, except with much better sound quality and a sense of unity and joyfulness that's quite a delight. Lively and engaging, and a lot of fun!
Alaide Costa - see artist discography
Carmen Costa "Serie Bis - Cantores Do Radio" (EMI-Brasil, 2000)
A soft-edged sambista whose career spans back to the late 1930s, when she worked as Francisco Alves' housekeeper, and eventually found her way onto his radio programs and into a career as a solo singer in the 1940s. Costa was one of the earliest interpreters of the great forro composer, Luiz Gonzaga, whose work she first recorded in 1942. The recordings on this 2-CD set are mostly of later vintage, from the mid-1950s, but they still capture Costa's gentleness and winsome charm. A little slushy, but worth checking out!
Carmen Costa "Embaixatriz Do Samba" (Copacabana, 1964)
Carmen Costa "Ziriguidum No Sambao" (RCA, 1971)
By the time Costa made these zippy little recordings, the bossa scene had long since peaked, the tropicalistas had reared their heads and been scattered to the winds, and the Brazilian music scene was tilting towards the baroque arrangements of the fusion-oriented MPB scene. In Carmen's world, though, it was almost as if none of it had ever happened -- this is a collection of pop-sambas of the old-fashioned variety, songs from obscure composers, mainly dating back to the 1950s and early '60s, during the famed "radio singer" years. Costa was a relic from that era, and like many of her contemporaries, she found herself framed mainly as a nostalgia act, backed by musicians who seemed to rush the material and clatter through the songs. This is worth checking out just for the historical value, but it lacks much of the subtle touch these songs required, and that Costa clearly excelled at, back in her heyday. Nice also, for its revival of songwriters whose names were buried under the musical avalanche of the bossa nova crowd.
Gal Costa - see artist discography
Yamandu Costa "Yamandu Costa" (Sony-Eldorado, 2002)
Reissued by Trama Records in 2006.
Yamandu Costa "Ao Vivo" (Abgi, 2004)
Live recording of a 2003 concert...
Yamandu Costa & Paulo Moura "Negro Del Blanco" (Biscoito Fino, 2004)
