Kaleidoscopio "Tem Que Valer" (Mega Music-BR/Irma, 2004)
(Produced by Tchorta Boratto, Gui Boratto & Ramilson Maia)
This Sao Paulo-based band combines manic electronica beats with groovy Brazilian melodies -- and they do the "bossa'n'bass" sound better than most. Much of their strength is due to vocalist Janaina Lima, a nimble singer who tops off their mile-a-minute techno backdrops with her sleek, distinctly human vocals. She is joyful and dexterous, good at complex phrasing and riding atop the multi-rhythmic skittery-skee beats that left over from old-school '90s drum'n'bass. The unabashedly pop orientation of their work is the band's saving grace -- this is a good-time party band, with no bones about it, and the often-arid binomial aesthetic of electronica programming is undercut by their smiley-faced, hip-shaking, lets-get-sweaty happy vibe. Probably best taken in small doses, a tune or two thrown into some other, wider mix, but plenty of fun when used in moderation.
Kaleidoscopio "Voce Me Apareceu" (EP) (Irma, 2008)
The radio version and nine remixes of the song "Voce Me Apareceu".
Kananga "Kananga & Pagode" (CID, Date unknown)
Lightweight, inconsequential pop-pagode --a live record from the early 1990s, perhaps. Not as bad as some, but not very remarkable, either.
Karma "Karma" (RCA Victor, 1972)
A trippy hippie rock band formed by Jorge Amiden, a co-founder of the Brazilian prog powerhouse O Terco...
Karnak "Karnak" (Tinder, 1997)
An inventive, but cluttered, collision between rock'n'reggae-flavored Brazilian manguebeat and more global "world music" styles. Karnak improbably mixes Brazilian rock with Asian, Celtic, Hawaiian and Arabic styles, as well as the already-familiar African and Carribean highlife and soca styles that had suffused Bahian pop for decades now. Apparently, the band made quite a splash in the Brazilian scene (and I've heard they are amazing live), but this album still strikes me --even revisiting it years later -- as too densely constructed and too much a product of the studio, much like non-Brazilian bands such as Dissidenten or Zap Mama. It just doesn't have an organic, loose-enough feel. Or maybe it's just too noisy for my particular tastes. Other folks go ape over these guys, though, and anyone looking for something truly innovative and unique should at least give this disc a whirl. Plenty of guest stars on here, including Chico Science, Lulu Santos and others.
Karnak "Universo Umbigo" (Velas, 1999)
Karnak "Estamos Adorando Tokio" (Net Records, 2000)
A cluttered, hyperactive world beat album, mixing rock, salsa, funk, ska, and less-definable Brazilian elements. It's all too jittery and unsubtle for me to latch onto. In fact, I'd say it's pretty awful; definitely a disappointment considering the creative potential heard on earlier albums.
Karnak "Os Piratas Do Karnak: 2 CDs Ao Vivo" (Tratore, 2003)
Kassin +2 "Futurismo" (Luaka Bop, 2008)
(Produced by Alexandre Kassin... +2)
This is the third (and possibly best) album by a trio of Brazil's most playful and innovative artists, avant-popsters Alexandre Kassin, Domenico Lancellotti and Moreno Veloso -- collectively known as the "+2". Each has has taken a turn "headlining" one album, and now it's Kassin's... Each of the +2-ers has made a mark for themselves working with various artists in the contemporary Brazilian pop scene, but Kassin may be cutting the largest swath, producing records for a wide variety of younger artists, including work with Bebel Gilberto, Thalma de Freitas and the Orquestra Imperial (which is more or less an expanded version of the +2 band...) and playing backup for Caetano Veloso and others. Here on his own "solo" album, Kassin fully explores the smooth, swank, easygoing Latin-pop-lounge vibe he's worked on elsewhere, and the results are simply yummy. Soft-salsa, samba, funk, dub, surf, rock and electronica all merge together with the delicious, all-encompassing ease that typifies the best of Brazilian pop. There's are wide variety of textures and tones, and all of it sounds alluring and fresh. One of the most subtle and subtly challenging Brazilian pop albums of recent vintage, the sound of a younger generation branching out and finding a global audience. Well worth checking out! (Note - the extended version features three bonus tracks co-produced with Sean O'Hagan (of The High Llamas) and John McEntire (of Tortoise). This trio of hipster lovefests are quite satisfying; they are also sung in English, giving them a distinctly separate, but not distracting feel from the rest of the album. )
Kassin +2 "Futurismo (Expanded Version)" (Luaka Bop, 2007)
With three extra tracks...!
Joao Roberto Kelly & Luiz Reis "Samba Em Quatro Maos" (RCA, 1964)
A brisk, bouncy set of poppy samba duets with an informal, almost goofball vibe that suggests a long stint as a nightclub act. Both Kelly and Reis were pianists and composers; Reis seems to have written mostly with Haroldo Barbosa, while Kelly composed alone. Regardless, this is a fun, lively album, with a sprightly feel, totally independent of the artistic weightiness of the bossa nova and MPB scenes. Fun rhythm section, too, with a strong Cuban feel to the percussion. Definitely worth checking out.
Joao Roberto Kelly "Um Piano Sobe O Morro" (Tapecar, 1973)
A lively, perky set, showcasing Kelly's brisk, playful piano alongside a group called Os Pagodeiros Nota 10, which featured solid '70s-style samba percussion and a keening vocal chorus. It's surprisingly rootsy and very much of a piece with the pagode scene of the time, with dips into less animated pop-ballads material. Overall, a nice one!
Joao Roberto Kelly "Joao Roberto Kelly" (EMI-Odeon, 1974)
Samba composer Joao Roberto Kelly became a media star in the 1970s, hosting a musical variety show called "Rio De Samba," while continuing to write his own material. This is a very '70s-ish pop album, more disco-y AOR than samba-cancao. There's a lot of tinkly electric keyboard throughout, providing the main accompaniment to this low-key, mainstream pop album, along with some saccharine string arrangements. The standout track is a topical novelty song, "Hippie De Boutique," which has funny lyrics and a bouncy, goofball arrangement. Otherwise, this is a fairly negligible record, kinda cheesy and watered-down. It's okay, nothing super-special, though.
Joao Roberto Kelly/Various Artists "...Apresenta Rio Da Samba" (1977)
A souvenir album of the Rio Da Samba TV variety show, hosted by samba composer Joao Roberto Kelly... Judging from the cover art, the show featured a fair amount of booty-shaking; from the set list, it seems to have had a lot of talent on it as well. Guest performers include Luiz Ayrao, Paulinho da Viola, Clementina de Jesus, Joao Nogueira and others... An impressive lineup!
Joao Roberto Kelly "Joao Roberto Kelly" (Copacabana, 1980)
A nice, mellow, pop-samba set, very straightforward and pleasant. Although there are some modern production touches, mostly this is quite nice, and richly traditional. All but two of the songs are Kelly's own original compositions, and he croons them with a perfect, velvet ease, his modest, reedy voice wrapped around the lyrics, caressing each phrase lovingly before letting it go... Not the most dazzling or magical record of its kind, but essentially a nice, low-key album. I like it, although mostly just the first half of the record -- Side Two has a lot of slower songs, and these ballads do get kind of drippy.
Ze Keti "Sucesos De Ze Keti" (Eldorado/Inter Records, 2000)
A fabulous reissue of a 1967 album, made at the height of songwriter Ze Keti's popularity. A member of the Portela samba school, Keti started writing hits for various "radio singers" as early as the late 1940s. It was during the politicized phase of the bossa nova era, however, that Keti really made his mark, writing songs for and performing in the popular 1964 show, Opinao. These '60s recordings have a strong similarity to Chico Buarque's early work -- he's not the greatest vocalist, but his refashioning of the samba canacao form, with brusque percussion and a shrill keening female chorus, has a real appeal. The emphasis is on the songwriting, and the songwriting is very good. Many of these songs are better known through interpretations by Zelia Barbosa and Nara Leao, but Zeti's own version have a great appeal. If you can find this one, it's definitely recommended.
Kid Abelha "Seu Espiao" (Elektra, 1984)
Kid Abelha "Educacao Sentimental" (Elektra, 1985)
Kid Abelha "Ao Vivo" (Elektra, 1986)
Kid Abelha "Tomate" (WEA, 1987)
Unapologetically pop and mainstream, and nice. Totally contemporary, this has a definite, New Wave-y '80s sound, but in a surprisingly good way. Paula Toller has a very nice voice, and that goes a long way to gloss over the less challenging aspects of their music. Not much here really grabbed my imagination, but I could listen to the whole disc from start to finish and be reasonably engaged -- nothing awful or cringeworthy, which is a nice change of pace for this style of Brazilian pop.
Kid Abelha "Kid" (WEA, 1989)
Kid Abelha "Tudo E Permitido" (WEA, 1991)
Kid Abelha "Ie Ie Ie" (Warner Music, 1993)
Kid Abelha "Meio Desligado" (Warner Music, 1994)
Kid Abelha "Meu Mundo Gira Em Torno De Voce" (Warner Music, 1996)
Kid Abelha "Autolove" (Warner Music, 1998)
Kid Abelha "Colecao" (Warner Music, 2000)
Kid Abelha "Surf" (Universal, 2001)
Kid Abelha "Acustico MTV" (Universal, 2002)
Kid Abelha "Pega Vida" (Universal, 2005)
Kid Abelha "Greatest Hits '80s" (WEA, 1990)
Kid Abelha "Kid Abelha" (WEA Latina, 1997)
Their greatest hits... en espanol!
Kid Abelha "e-Collection" (WEA, 2000)
A 2-CD best-of set, half hits, half odds'n'ends...
Kleiton & Kledir "Millennium" (Universal/Mercury, 2000)
Early '80s pop from Kleiton and Kledir Ramil (brothers, presumably?)... It's perky and hook-filled, shamelessly overwrought and mechanically produced -- but there's certainly worse music to be found in Brazil's AOR-influenced "brega" canon. Lots of cow bells, hand-clappy drum machines, noodly electric guitar riffs, shimmering string arrangements and smiley-faced vocal choruses. Yikes!
Kleiton & Kledir "Kleiton & Kledir (1)" (Ariola, 1980)
Kleiton & Kledir "Kleiton & Kledir (2)" (Ariola, 1981)
Kleiton & Kledir "Kleiton & Kledir (3)" (Ariola, 1983)
Kleiton & Kledir "Kleiton & Kledir (4)" (Barclay, 1984)
Kleiton & Kledir "Kleiton & Kledir (5)" (Polygram, 1986)
Kleiton & Kledir "Classicos Do Sul" (Universal/Mercury, 1999)
Kleiton & Kledir "Novo Millennium" (Universal/Mercury, 2005)
Kleiton & Kledir "A Arte De Kleiton & Kledir " (Universal, 2006)
Ithamara Koorax "Ao Vivo" (JVC/Imagem, 1993)
Ithamara Koorax "Rio Vermelho/Red River" (Imagem, 1995)
Ithamara Koorax & Luiz Bonfa "Almost In Love" (Imagem, 1996)
Ithamara Koorax "Bossa Nova Meets Drum And Bass" (King, 1998)
Ithamara Koorax "Serenade In Blue" (Fantasy/Milestone, 2000)
Ithamara Koorax "Love Dance: The Ballad Album" (Fantasy/Jazz Station, 2003)
Songbirdish vocals with purposefully gooshy, goopy arrangements... A host of Brazilian and American heavyweight musicians play with Koorax on this one, including Luiz Bonfa, Marcos Valle, Mario Castro-Neves, John McLaughlin, Dom Um Romao and others. She sings in both English and Portuguese, tackling standards ranging from "April In Paris" to Tom Jobim's "Ligia." This album is definitely not for everyone -- I didn't really like it -- but if your tastes tilt towards jazz ballad singing, then this might be a delight.
Ithamara Koorax & Peter Scharli Trio "Obrigado Dom Um Romao" (TCB, 2008)
Ithamara Koorax & Juarez Moreira "Bim Bom: The Complete Joao Gilberto Songbook" (Motema, 2009)
(Produced by Arnaldo DeSouteiro)
Amazingly, no one has covered the Joao Gilberto songbook before... As far as his modest songwriting legacy goes, bossa nova legend Joao Gilberto only recorded twelve of his own compositions (mostly he was an interpreter of Antonio Carlos Jobim's work) and those twelve songs are spread out among his various albums. So, finally, we can consider him as a composer, with all of those light, wonderful tunes put together on one single album. Brazilian jazz vocalist Ithamara Koorax and guitarist Juarez Moreira collaborate on this disc; Moreira has a penchant for doing songbook albums, having previously covered Tom Jobim and Ary Barroso, and this record has a cohesive feel to it. It's a little too jazzy, and too formal, for my ears -- maybe I'm just too used to Gilberto's sublime, subtle originals, for me to be able to settle into these sleeker interpretations. It's like hearing covers of Beatles songs; the originals are magical, and it's hard to compete. Nonetheless, after hearing this album a few times, I warmed up to it -- Koorax is an appealing vocalist, and her heart is certainly in it. Jazz fans should be delighted.
Ithamara Koorax "The Best Of Ithamara Koorax" (2006)
