Chico Feitoso "Chico Fim De Noite" (Forma, 1965)
A swinging little bossa album with some wild, intricate arrangements, courtesy of the innovative Forma label vibe, as interpreted by Oscar Castro-Neves and his band. Feitoso is best known as a composer, popular with the MPB elite, but this is his one and only solo album in a long musical career. At first blush, I was put off by his deep, Barry White-ish vocals, but a closer listen reveals him as a masterful singer, with great tonal control, subtle phrasing and inherent charisma. This is quite a good record from this era, and sorely in need of reissue. Highly recommended.
Abel Ferreira "Brasil, Sax E Clarineta" (Discos Marcus Pereira/EMI-Brasil, 1976/2003)
Beautiful, soulful, gently textured readings of old choro tunes written for the saxophone and clarinet, including several songs written by Ferreira himself. An early master of the style, reedman Ferreira brings a richness and sensitivity to these songs that really makes this album stand out... The guitarist known as Dino 7 Cordas accompanies him, with contributions by Raul de Barros and Orlando Silveira. Recommended! (Part of EMI's "Serie Choro - Grandes Solistas.")
Abel Ferreira "20 Selecionadas" (2007)
Abel Ferreira "Chorando Baixinho" (2007)
Manfredo Fest - see artist discography
The Fevers - see artist discography
Fino Collectivito "Fino Collectivito" (Dubas, 2007)
Flenks "Flenks" (Visom, 2000)
A jittery set of hyperactive rock instrumentals by a trio of musicians who have worked extensively as backup for MPB stars such as Caetano Veloso and the late Cassia Eller. Sort of a discomforting mix between Steve Vai and the Meters, with just a smidge of Brazilianness in the margins. Not my cup of tea.
Ademilde Fonseca "A La Miranda" (Odeon, 1958)
The first full-length LP from this fabled chorinho singer... Fonseca got her start years earlier, performing with choro bandleader Benedito Lacerda and releasing several hit singles in the early 1940s, during the tail end of the samba-cancao era. Here she pays tribute to the great Carmen Miranda (who had died a few years before this record was made, in the far-away United States...) Here Fonseca sings classic samba-cancao songs with the same upbeat lilt as Miranda, including many Miranda-esque tounge-twisters and chatty asides. It's not as wild or as magical as the original recordings, but it's still classy and fun, even with the slightly fusty orchestrations... Worth checking out.
Ademilde Fonseca "Choros Famosos" (Philips, 1960)
An unusual album, in that choro music is primarily an all-instrumental form (when it includes vocals, it's called "chorinho...") This album, released well after her professional heyday, opens with an uptempo remake of her first big single from 1942 (a zingy cover of Carmen Miranda's old hit, "Tico Tico Na Fuba") and then Fonseca dips into more sedate material, alternating romantic ballads with the perkier chorinhos... The faster songs keep the traditional choro instruments -- flute, guitar, bandolim, some brass -- but the ballads include bigger, goopier orchestrations. So, it's sort of hit or miss. But the nice stuff is really nice -- a groovy blast from the past from a long-forgotten and quite endearing performer.
Ademilde Fonseca "A Rainha Do Chorinho" (Top Tape, 1977)
(Produced by Jorge Countinho)
Revisiting her classic catalog with an all-star cast of '70s session players, Fonseca musters up some of her old power and pep, although on most the album, her age is evident: she's still a nimble singer and able to bounce around in the melodies the way she used to, but her voice is itself not as supple or sweet as it once was. A nice nostalgia piece, but the old recordings are better, even with all the great new acoustic backing. Includes one song, "Titulos De Nobreza (Ademilde No Choro)" that was written by Joao Bosco and Aldrir Blac especially for her; the opening track, Martinho da Vila's "Choro Chorao" is quite nice, as is the slower "Meu Sonho." Sadly, though, I didn't enjoy this album as much as I hoped. Performers include Abel Ferreira on clarinet, flautists Altamiro Carrilho and Copinha, Canhoto, Wilson Das Neves and others...
Ademilde Fonseca/Waldyr Azevedo/Jacob Do Bandolim "Ve Se Gostas" (Revivendo)
Prime choro tracks by three stars of the choro genre. These 1942-1955 recordings feature bandolim master Jacob Do Bandolim, cavaquinho whiz Waldyr Azevedo, and vocalist Ademilde Fonseca performing in separate recordings, and all in their prime. Fonseca's voice may be a little songbirdish at times, but every track on here is a delight... highly recommended!
Ademilde Fonseca "20 Selecionadas" (Eldorado, 2000)
Celso Fonseca "Minha Cara" (Warner, 1986)
Celso Fonseca "O Som Do Sim" (Natasha, 1993)
Celso Fonseca & Ronaldo Bastos "Sorte" (Dubas/Universal, 1994)
Singer-guitarist Celso Fonseca, who has worked with Gilberto Gil, Marisa Monte and others of Brazil's brightest MPB stars, strongly recalls Caetano Veloso's mellower moments. This album, co-produced with songwriter/producer Ronaldo Bastos, is a stripped-down acoustic set which at first feels a little sparse and unsteady, but gains resonance and depth with every repeat listening. As good as any of Fonseca's later efforts, and well worth tracking down. The pronounced stylistic debt to Veloso is a little embarassing, but it still sounds so good, it's hard to get upset about it. Highly recommended.
Celso Fonseca & Ronaldo Bastos "Paradiso" (Dubas/Universal, 1997)
A more ornate album, with a full band behind Fonseca's gentle vocals. The Veloso comparisons are helped by the presence of Caetano's cellist and bandleader, Jaques Morelenbaum, but while Caetano takes his music into arch, artistic directions, Fonseca opts for a mellower, more subdued sound, and includes a strong strain of Miles Davis-style "cool jazz" on several songs. Another great record... the guy can do no wrong, as far as I can tell.
Celso Fonseca & Ronaldo Bastos "Juventude/Slow Motion Bossa Nova" (Universal, 2001)
Another lovely album, although it has a 1970s-ish fusion sheen than some may find off-putting. Most of the musicians are lesser-known, younger artists, although Daniel Jobim adds some star power, playing piano on a couple of tracks. This album is quite listenable, although I confess I prefer when Fonseca plays in slightly more stripped-down style. Definitely worth checking out, though, if you're looking for something mellow, classy and new.
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!
Celso Fonseca "Rive Gauche Rio" (Crammed Disc/Six Degrees, 2005)
Another lovely, acoustic-based nova bossa nova set by Celso Fonseca. On first listen, this new record seemed a bit simple and plain in comparison to the lusher, more densely produced albums he'd recorded earlier with Ronaldo Bastos, but as the disc stayed in my stereo for the better part of a week, it sounded more and more sublime. Recapturing the subtlety and restraint of the original bossa nova movement, Fonseca weaves a spell of beauty and soft, melodic grace. He still sounds quite a bit like Caetano Veloso, but that's really nothing to complain about. This is a record you can listen to time and time again, and which should delight you for years to come. Recommended!
Celso Fonseca & Ronaldo Bastos "Polaroides" (2007)
A best-of set drawing from the albums Paradiso, Sorte and Juventude.
Celso Fonseca "Feriado" (2007)
Celso Fonseca "Ao Vivo" (EMI-Brasil, 2007)
Celso Fonseca "Voz E Violao" (Universal)
Celso Fonseca & Marcos Valle "Pagina Central" (Biscoito Fino, 2009)
Claudio Fontana "Serie Bis: Jovem Guarda" (EMI, 2000)
Gastao Formenti "Serie Bis - Cantores Do Radio" (EMI-Brasil, 2000)
Some of the most antique recordings in this outstanding series of pre-bossa nova "radio singers". Nearly half the tracks on this 2-CD set are from the 1920s, and most of the others are of 'Thirties vintage. Although there's some samba influence, these tracks tilt towards acoustic ballads and romantic interpretations along the lines of Cuba's Antonio Machin and Miguel Matamoros rather than dance tunes. It's a nice slice of old-world Brazilian pop that's unfamiliar to modern ears... nice stuff! Highly recommended!
Gastao Formenti "Noite De Encanto" (Revivendo, 2007)
14 Bis - see artist discography
Neyde Fraga & Walter Wanderley "Balancando Com Walter Wanderley" (Philips, 1964)
(Produced by Alfredo Borba)
A fun set from singer Neyde Fraga (whose career spanned back to the early 1950s: anyone know if her pre-LP stuff is available anywhere?) backed here by organist Walter Wanderley and a large-ish band that sometimes widens the sound from the normal Wanderley style. Fraga is a very appealing singer, performing here with a lightness, lilt and intimacy that's quite different from her later, brasher big band work on Continental. I suppose that shows her range: in either mode, she sounds great. Wanderley's presence is definitely felt as well; his trademark dit-dit-dit organ riffs thread through all the songs, but mostly he tones it down and plays it cool. Definitely worth checking out.
Neyde Fraga "Mais Balanco" (Continental, 1965)
A swinging set, featuring lively, inventive, upbeat, big band-y dance tunes with some serious jazz chops throughout. Not sure who was in the band, but the bandleaders and arrangers are Erlon Chaves and Francisco de Moraes, and they really deliver the goods. So does Ms. Fraga -- in terms of timbre and tonality she might not have the greatest voice, but her phrasing is superb and she is a very playful and nimble performer. Teresa Brewer and Anita O'Day come to mind... The arrangements are a gas, too, particularly on some of the more inventive tracks, such as "Onda Quebrando" and "Posto Seis," which have great, fluttering flute riffs. Definitely worth tracking down!
Guilherme Franco "Capoeira: Legendary Music Of Brazil" (Lyrichord, 1998)
A cool instrumental album featuring the eerie and hypnotic sounds of Brazil's unique martial arts form, capoeira dancing. Franco, a solid percussionist with a strong jazz pedigree (who also spent a couple of years in Jorge Ben's band), is the inventor of the double berimbau, which is the main lead instrument on this album. Perhaps a bit more boing boing boing-ing than the average bear is looking for, but nonetheless this is a compelling album, and well worth checking out. Excellent percussion, and a very traditional (non-fusion) sound throughout. Recommended.
Lucienne Franco "Lucienne -- A Notivel" (Barclay, 1959)
(Produced by Altamiro Carrilho)
Popular in the 1950s, before the advent of the bossa nova, singer Lucienne Franco was apparently a protege of samba composer Ary Barroso and guitarist Luiz Bonfa (each of whom contribute songs to this album.) This set is very much in the syrupy, romantic tradition of the pre-bossa "radio singers," with a heavy influence from the South American bolero, with Franco's husky voice well-suited to the style. It's a little too corny and operatic for my tastes, but listeners with deeper interests in pop vocals nostalgia might really dig it. Features arrangements from bandleader Severino Filho, as well as a couple of his compositions, and a couple credited to producer Altamiro Carrilho.
Moacyr Franco "Contrastes" (Copacabana, 1962)
(Produced by Nazareno De Brito, arrangements by Pachequinho)
The first album by singer and humorist Moacyr Franco... Deliriously over-the-top, cornball pop-romantic vocals, mixing some old-fashioned samba-cancao with other Latin dance styles, boleros and just plain kitsch. Lots of surging string arrangements and big, Mario Lanza-esque vocals, as well as some swingin', upbeat cha-cha-cha-ish mambo material, blurring the lines with the chugga-chugga-chugga of old-school samba music. Franco was a pretty competent performer, even if this is probably too antiquated and square-sounding for most modern listeners. Worth checking out, though, if you're into pre-bossa MPB.
Moacyr Franco "Moacyr Franco" (Copacabana, 1963)
(Produced by Nazareno De Brito, arrangements by Pachequinho)
Still more corny pop-romantic vocals, with heavy, almost oppressively syrupy string arrangements dominating the first side of the album. On Side Two, however, the album opens up with more stylistic variety, dipping into muscular big band sounds and various frantic novelty-song approaches, including the Mexican harps on "Que Sera De Ti" and the faux-Japanese shrillness of "Kata Ai." It's silly and strained, but kind of fun in a weird way. Mostly this would have to qualify as mere kitsch, but Franco was obviously putting his all into it, so that's gotta count for something...
Moacyr Franco "Para Sempre" (EMI, 2004)
Walter Franco "Ou Nao" (1973)
Bizarraloid, weirdo stuff, with a similar vibe to Tom Ze and Lula Cortes... This is primarily acoustic, but pushing hard against the boundaries. The first half of the record is freeform, deconstructionist folk-rock, and only midway through, on the forro-flavored "Xaxados E Perdidos," does a more recognizable, Brazilian-tinged musicality come into play (bit even then, the bouncy accordion is interrupted in the middle of the song, and replaced by near-silence until bursting back again...) This is artsy difficult-listening, played on a world music stage, purposefully abstract and inaccessible, certainly not for everyone, but probably of interest to the receptive few.
Walter Franco "Revolver" (1975)
Walter Franco "Respire Fundo" (1978)
Walter Franco "Vela Aberta" (Columbia-Epic, 1980)
(Produced by Romeu Giosa & Carlos A. De Sousa)
Impassioned, proggy pop-rock with some catchy riffs and a Latin/Brazilian undertone... This is a little overblown, but certainly easier on the ears than Franco's early work. Sergio Hinds (of O Terco fame) plays lead guitar, and certainly some of his proggy leanings are on display... Some tracks, like the thumping "Canalha," even lapse into Spinal Tappy grandiosity -- it's still relatively difficult music, but kind of cool if you're into proggy-hard rock kitsch.
Walter Franco "Walter Franco" (1982)
Walter Franco "Tutano" (YB Music, 2001)
As Freneticas - see artist discography
Funk Como Le Gusta "Roda De Funk" (ST2, 2000)
Fans of Venezuela's Los Amigos Invisibles may find kindred spirits in this Sao Paulo-based funk outfit... Funk Como Le Gusta specializes in horn-heavy groove tunes that are reminiscent of War and Tower of Power back in the day... There are also homegrown touches as on the Tim Maia-styled soul crooning of "Olhos Coloridos" and the cumbia flavored "Funk De Bamba," as well as a dash of ska and axe flavoring. A little smooth for my tastes, but worth checking out. Soul and funk fans will probably love this!
Funk Como Le Gusta "FCLG" (ST2, 2005)
Funk Como Le Gusta "Remixes" (ST2, 2005)
With DJ Patife, DL Cuca and Cosmonautics.
Funk Como Le Gusta "Special Edition (Box Set)" (ST2, 2005)
A box set with three albums: Roda De Funk, FCLG and Funk Como Le Gusta Remix.
Funk Como Le Gusta "Ao Vivo" (DVD) (ST2, 2007)
The Funky Funny Four "Let's Dance: 16 World Top Hits" (Young Records, 1971)
A cheapie-label bubblegum rock cover band, doing English-language versions of songs such as "Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep," "Put Your Hand In The Hand" and "It Don't Come Easy." Improbably, the "band" featured some prog-psych heavyweights, including Liminha and Dinho, at the time the bassist and drummer for Os Mutantes, as well as guitarist Lanny Gordin. Who knew?
