Jon Hendricks "Salud! Joao Gilberto" (Reprise, 1961)
Amid the flood of American and European bossa nova bandwagon albums of the early 1960s, this disc by the baritone lead of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross is kind of a standout. Hendricks concocted his own versions of these bossa standards, working on the lyric translations with Laurindo Almeida, while commissioning new arrangements by some of the Reprise label faithful. This disc is notable for the restraint Hendricks shows while trying to recapture Joao Gilberto's super-cool softness; although he brings his scat singing hepness to bear, Hendricks doesn't indulge in any of the flashy vocal displays he helped pioneer. It's also interesting to note how this low-key approach, with Hendricks coming close to Al Hibbler's low, sedate rumbling, perfectly anticipates the same style that Frank Sinatra would use when he tackled the same material a few years later. Sometimes the English translations and Hendricks's delivery sound a bit tounge-tied and halting, although I suspect that this was in part intentional. Worth checking out -- definitely a cut above many of its jazz-bossa contemporaries.
Luiz Henrique "Barra Limpa" (Verve, 1967)
A sweet, sometimes goofy, album produced up the States well after the first flush of Braz-Jazz crossovers. Even though this was recorded under the auspices of Verve, it's a pretty straightforward set of bossa flavored acoustic troubadouring, with most songs sung in English with the same guilelessly awkward accent that Caetano Veloso sometimes employs... Most of the songs are written by Henrique, although he also does a quirky, thoroughly enjoyable, version of Jorge Ben's "Mas Que Nada." The sidemen are mostly North American, although accordionist Sivuca also plays thoughout. Apparently, this has recently been reissued on CD... it's not earthshakingly great, but it is very pleasant and sweet, and might be fun for you to check out.
Luiz Henrique & Walter Wanderley "Popcorn" (Verve, 1967)
Los Hermanos "Los Hermanos" (Abril, 1999)
These Rio rockers started out with a harder edge, but eventually settled into a pleasantly softer mode which helps set them apart from many of their more aggressive BRock brethren... This is their first album, which came out a couple of years after the band first got together. It features their breakthrough hit, "Anna Julia," a fab power-pop tune written by the lead singer Marcelo Camelo, with jangly, insistent guitars and an irresistible chorus. The rest of the album features songs with nice guitars, but a driving, unvaried ska rhythm (showing the band's origins in the Brazilian punk scene). It's still interesting, particularly for folks looking for signs of life in Brazil's tiny indie scene, but the ska elements can be monotonous. Worth checking out, and "Anna Julia" is a real gem!
Los Hermanos "Bloco Do Eu Sozinho" (Abril, 2001)
I thought this was a fairly disappointing album... After hitting the pop charts with the perky, power-poppy "Anna Julia," Los Hermanos really played it safe with this generic alt-rock outing, full of crunchy, grungy, fuzzy electric guitar riffs, straight out of the Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins playbooks. This isn't a bad record, really, but considering how much I like the two albums on either side of it, it does seeem a bit flat and unoriginal. If you liked the other records, by all means check this one out, too... but check the others out first if you really want to give these guys a fair shake.
Los Hermanos "Ventura" (BMG-Brasil, 2003)
An exceptional indiepop album from Rio-based band, with gentle, consistently engaging guitars that frame the relaxed, velvet vocals of songwriter Marcelo Camelo. His laidback style has an air of Ron Sexsmith to it; the horns that drift in and out of various songs might bring to mind that whole Belle & Sebastian-inspired, twee-indie chamber music trend. Kassin (known as a bandmate of Moreno Veloso) produced this album, and it bears the subtle stamp of his rock-meets-electronica aesthetic. Although the record may be a little too long (fifteen songs, which by the end of the album start to sound a lot alike), it's still a lot of fun and very, very listenable. Here, at last, is a Brazilian indie band that can really hold its own next to any artist up in USA or the UK... Plus the lyrics are all in Portuguese... (yay!!) This disc is highly recommended, particularly for indiepop fans looking for an accessible entrypoint into modern Brazilian rock.
Los Hermanos "Quatro" (BMG-Brasil, 2005)
Los Hermanos "Perfil" (Som Livre, 2006)
A best-of set...
Francis Hime "Francis Hime" (Odeon, 1973)
Soundtrack enthusiasts will love this one... Not that this album actually is a soundtrack, mind you, just that it's got that sort of sound. Overly lush electronic keyboards set a nice tone at the start, a bit reminiscent in tone of Milton Nascimento's groundbreaking work on Odeon at the same time, yet Hime's melodic crescendi lack subtlety, particularly as the strings and horns kick in (arranged courtesy of Maestro Gaya...) There's clearly an Edu Lobo-ish aspiration to pick up where Jobim left off, but again, the album lacks a certain restraint and elegance... It's just too punchy, too consistently and too often. Hime's whispery vocals are nice, though... This is worth checking out if you want to give Hime a fair shake, it's certainly less florid and overblown than his later, synthier efforts.
Francis Hime "Passaredo" (Som Livre, 1977)
Francis Hime "Se Porem Fosse Portando" (Som Livre, 1978)
Francis Hime "Francis" (Som Livre, 1980)
Francis Hime "Sonho De Moco" (Som Livre, 1981)
Francis Hime "Pau Brasil" (Som Livre, 1982)
Francis Hime "Essas Parcerias" (Elenco/Opus, 1984)
(Reissued on Hime's label, Biscoito Fino. See below.)
Francis Hime "Clareando" (Som Livre, 1985)
Francis Hime "Choro Rasgado" (Universal, 1997)
Francis Hime/Various Artists "Album Musical" (Warner Brothers, 1997)
An all-star songbook featuring eighteen songs co-composed by Hime, along with Chico Buarque, Ruy Guerra and others. Guest performers include Hime's wife, Olivia, as well as Maria Bethania, Joao Bosco, Chico Buarque, Paulinho Da Viola, Djavan, Gilberto Gil, Daniella Mercury, Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso and many others. Whew! Talk about a lineup of heavy-hitters!
Francis Hime/Various Artists "Sinfonia De Rio De Janeiro De San Sabastiao" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
This peppy, operatic MPB musical features a libretto by Paulo Cesar Pinheiro and Geraldo Carneiro, with music by Francis Hime and strong performances by Ze Renato, Sergio Santos, Leila Pinheiro, Lenine and Hime's wife, Olivia. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this high-concept album -- the direction and arrangements are quite crisp and clear-cut, smoothly achieving the glitzy, sweeping grandeur aimed at in similar efforts of the 1970s (particularly by Elis Regina), but rarely with such elegance or economy. For fans of MPB's old-fashioned pop-cabaret crossovers, this is an album worth tracking down and checking out. Recommended!
Francis Hime "Choro Rasgado" (Biscoito Fino, 2002)
A delightful update of the classic choro style, which emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th Centuries as a Brazilian parallel to New Orleans Dixieland and jazz. Here, classic choro themes are smoothed out and given a sleek, modern, MPB gloss, but still quite pleasant. Hime seldom overplays his hand, and this is a lovely record from start to finish, glitzy at times, but not overly so. The songs are all Hime originals, but have a perky bounce that will be appreciated by fans of classic choro tunes by Jacob do Bandolim or Pixinguinha. Recommended!
Francis Hime "Brasil Lua Cheia" (Biscoito Fino, 2004)
Francis Hime "Essas Parcerias" (Biscoito Fino, 2005)
Francis Hime "Arquitectura Da Flor" (Biscoito Fino, 2006)
Francis Hime "Ao Vivo" (Biscoito Fino, 2007)
Olivia Hime "Olivia Hime" (RGE, 1981)
Olivia Hime "Segredo Do Meu Coracao" (Columbia-Opus, 1982)
Olivia Hime "Mascara" (Columbia-Opus, 1983)
Olivia Hime "O Fio De Meada" (Columbia-Opus, 1985)
Olivia Hime/Various Artists "Estrela Da Vida Inteira Manuel Bandeira" (Continental, 1987/Biscoito Fino, 2001)
Perhaps her most ornate album, this set includes versions written by an all-star cast of the Brazilian pop elite: Gilberto Gil, Milton Nascimento, Ivan Lins, Dorival Caymmi and others. The approach is strictly sleek, lush, sophisticated, high-gloss, jazzy MPB, the kind of music listeners either love or hate. It's not my favorite style, but folks who go for this will certainly enjoy this album; Hime's voice sound particularly lovely amid these lavish arrangements.
Olivia Hime "Cancao Transparente" (Paradoxx, 1997/Biscoito Fino, 2004)
Olivia Hime "Serenate De Uma Mulher: Olivia Hime Canta Chiquinha Gonzaga" (Rioarte, 1998/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.
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 "Alta Madrugada" (Biscoito Fino, 2004)
Olivia Hime "Palavras Da Guerra" (Biscoito Fino, 2007)
Rildo Hora E O Clube Dos 7 "Samba Made In Brazil" (Copacabana, 1964)
A fun early album by harmonica virtuouso Rildo Hora, who later made his name as a samba producer in the 1970s and '80s, working with Martinho Da Vila and a host of other top-flight artists. Recorded during the "jazz trio" boom of the bossa nova years, this is a simple, bouncy set of jazzy instrumentals, with Hora toot-tootling the lead with his gaita (harmonica), employed as a lead instrument in bouncy bossa-samba mix, in much the same way Walter Wanderley used the electric organ. Generally speaking, I find the harmonica a questionable lead instrument for jazz and pop production, but hey... each to their own. This is certainly one of Hora's best solo albums... it's lively and engaging without trying too hard to impress us with its musical depth. And, in a funny way, it's actually a little better than most of the bossa trio albums of the time, which usually were led by markedly unsubtle piano players... At least with the harmonica, you know right away not to take it too seriously... If nothing else, this disc is an interesting footnote in the long career of one of Brazil's best-known studio wizards...
Rildo Hora "A Vez E A Hora De Rildo Hora" (RCA, 1971)
An odd effort by harmonica virtuouso Rildo Hora, in which he tries his hand at singing himself, mixing vocal numbers with instrumental tunes, crooning, playing guitar and tootling on the gaita (harmonica). I'm generally not a fan of the harmonica as a lead instrument, but for those of you out there who are, this album will be a real treat. Otherwise, this disc can be seen as a musical and historical curio, both as an unusual-sounding pop-samba album, and as an interesting footnote to the career of one of Brazil's most influential studio producers. I wasn't wild about it, but I'm glad I checked it out.
Rildo Hora "Em Ritmo De Danca" (Som)
Rildo Hora "Rildo Hora E Sergio Cabral" (RCA, 1980)
Rildo Hora & Sivuca "Sanfona E Realejo" (Warner/East-West, 1987)
Energetic all-instrumental collaborations between avant accordionist Sivuca and samba-jazz producer/harmonica master Rildo Hora. The music is pretty cheesy -- the kind of jazz I really can't stand, but on the fast passages, Hora really kicks ass on the harmonica. I mean, seriously, he is technically quite amazing. It's kinda icky music, but your jaw will drop when you hear what this guy can do on the harp.
Rildo Hora "O Tocador Do Realejo" (RCA, 1987)
Rildo Hora "Realejo Forrozeiro: Rildo Hora Interpreta Luiz Gonzaga" (Paulus, 1988)
Rildo Hora & Romero Lubambo "Autonomia" (Visom, 1990)
Rildo Hora "Espraiado" (Caju/Milestone, 1992)
Yuck. Horrible easy listening jazz, featuring Hora working through a set of MPB and bossa nova cover tunes, and several of his own original compositions. I really like most of the other Caju label albums, but this is really scary, tacky stuff. Listen at your own peril.
Rildo Hora "Romance" (Visom, 2003)
Rildo Hora "Ano Novo" (Rob, 2003)
Rildo Hora "Virtuoso" (Visom, 1996)
A best-of set...
Lu Horta "Lu Horta" (Lado Leste, 2004)
An ambitious, multilayered, modern elaboration on the syncretic rock experimentation of the tropicalia scene, and its various spiritual grandchildren. Sao Paulo's Lu Horta wrote about half the songs on htis solo debut; the other selections underline her connection to many of Brazil's most innovative rock-oriented musicians -- one song each by Arnaldo Antunes, Vincente Barreto, Chico Cesar, Pericles Cavalcanti and -- naturally -- Caetano Veloso. Antunes and Cesar even give her shout-outs in the liner notes. There may be a few too many tinny-sounding rock guitars warbling wildly throughout this disc to suit my tastes, but this is still pretty creative stuff, and Ms. Horta is definitely an artist to keep an eye on. (For more info, check out her website at www.luhorta.com.br )
Toninho Horta - see artist discography
Hyldon "Na Rua, Na Chuva, Na Fazenda" (Polydor, 1975)
One of Brazil's highly-regarded, but generally overrated old soul artists... This is one of his best albums, pretty nice, fairly spacy stuff, as much acoustic-fusion noodling as soft-soul... But a nice album nonetheless... Hyldon Sousa was on the scene for several years before he put out his own solo stuff, mostly contributing as a songwriter for other people's albums. This is a sweet record, sort of what you hoped Djavan would sound like, if he hadn't gotten so Sting-ed out. Worth checking out.
Hyldon "Deus, A Natureza, E A Musica" (Polydor, 1976)
Hyldon "Nossa Historia De Amor" (CBS, 1977)
Hyldon's artistic successes at Polydor don't seem to have extended over to his later gig on CBS... The high regard which Hyldon is now held in seems a bit odd, considering how thin his sound actually seems. To begin with, he doesn't have the greatest voice, and the arrangements are as much acoustic folk-rock as they are Philly soul... He does get funky on a couple of numbers, but on the whole this is not a very rhythmic album. That being said, this disc does kind of grow on you after a few listens - his songs are kind of catchy - and it's definitely worth checking out. Guest artists include fellow soulsters Ed Lincoln and Tony Bizarro; Waltel Branco leads the string and orchestral arrangements, light as they are, and forro whiz-kid Dominguinhos plays accordian on one track.
Hyldon "O Vendedor Do Sonhos" (Trama, 2003)
Hyldon "Deus, A Natureza E A Musica" (Trama, 2004)
