Sidney Miller "Sidney Miller" (Elenco, 1967)
A beautiful, understated album by this nearly forgotten bossa nova composer, who died tragically young in 1980. Nara Leao and Gal Costa were among his faithful champions and greatest interpreters, but there's something particularly appealing about hearing Miller singing his own songs. This is a fine set of a dozen original tunes, delivered at a relaxed pace, with a peppy, toot-toodlin' orchestra behind him. It sounds very similar to early Chico Buarque albums, though perhaps a little less forceful, and a bit more natural. At any rate, it's mighty fine stuff, well worth checking out... Plus it's packed with tunes you may recognize from several classic MPB albums of the '70s.
Sidney Miller "Brasil, Do Guarani Ao Guarana" (Elenco, 1968)
Sidney Miller "Linguas De Fogo" (Som Livre, 1974)
Miltinho "No Palco!" (InterCD, 2000)
Bleh. Tepid, cheesy romantic vocals by a '60s samba cancao old-timer with a half-asleep backup band. This guy may have had better moments in his youth, but this 1985 session is not worth picking up. If I find something better by Miltinho, I'll let you know.
Carmen Miranda - see artist discography
Marlui Miranda "Olho D'Agua" (Warner/Continental, 1979)
Marlui Miranda is certainly one of the most challenging Brazilian artists of the post-tropicalia era... Here is where her devotion to indigenous, Amazonian music is first made manifest, on a perplexingly dense, wildly creative, and sometimes quite irritating album. Bassist Zeca Assumpcao joins Miranda and album producer/multi-instrumentalist Egberto Gismonti for a bewildering mix of native Brazilian styles and slick jazz fusion. You can definitely hear a lot of Gismonti's influence in this album, although these performances are a lot livelier than many of his own albums. To be sure, this may not be for everyone, but it's certainly an innovative tour-de-force, worth checking out if you're looking for something completely different. Folks familiar with her later albums, Ihu and Ihu II, (reviewed below) will find this disc of a piece with those albums.
Marlui Miranda "Ihu: Todos Os Sons" (Blue Jackel/Pau Brasil, 1995)
Marlui Miranda "Ihu II" (Blue Jackel/Pau Brasil, 1997)
A challenging figure on the world music landscape, Miranda's Ihu albums draw on the musical and oral traditions of Brazil's 200-plus native tribes. As she herself puts it, the project is "artistic, not ethnographic" -- she's sort of like a Brazilian Meredith Monk, crafting highly unusual vocal landscapes, presenting music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures, but all within a modern artistic framework. Gilberto Gil and Rodolfo Stroecher pitch in, and Miranda's vocal chorus hits harmonies which would make both Le Voix Mysterie Bulgares and the Monks of Santo Domingo stand around a while, just scratching their heads in wonder. The first album is the more sonorous; many listeners may find Ihu II much starker and less accessible.
Wilson Miranda "Tempo Novo" (RCA, 1965)
Corny, bombastic pop vocals of the 'Fifties-style old school... Apparently, Miranda was originally a jovem guarda-style rocker, but he mellowed out pretty quickly, and by '65 was ready for an album of schmaltzy samba cancao and brassy bossa nova covers, ala Nelson Goncalves or Tito Madi. Somehow, though he doesn't summon quite enough corniness to make this feel fun or kitschy... Antonio Adolfo, Erlon Chaves and Chico Moraes split the arrangements, with Adolfo fronting the 3D Trio on one track... The very last song, Ze Keti's "Bo-Do," has a little more bounce to it, but the album itself isn't much to write home about. It just sounds a bit irritating, mostly.
Dom Mita "O Som Do Black Rio" (Transmita/Whatmusic, 2001)
A Black Rio revivalist album, this features soul singer and percussionist Dom Mita along with a slew of his old pals, including members of Banda Black Rio and vocalist Carlos Dafe (who guests on one song). The album is dedicated to the late Brazilian funk pioneer Tim Maia, and is definitely true to his spirit. There's an odd, familiar mix of disco-ish production and legitimately funky rhythms -- this modern disc is well-produced and tightly arranged. It might not be your bag, but if it is, I'm sure you'll be pretty happy with it.
Miucha - see artist discography
Jun Miyake "Innocent Bossa In The Mirror" (Tropical Music, 2002)
A sparse, entirely beautiful novo bossa nova album from an "outsider" with cross-cultural leanings. Japanese art-song multi-instrumentalist Jun Miyake had never tackled Brazilian music before this album, but with the help of modernists Arto Lindsay and Vinicius Cantuaria, Miyake casts a delicate spell that recalls the magical glory days of Joao Gilberto, Carlos Lyra and the other early greats. As on his own albums, Lindsay wrote and sings original Portuguese lyrics, while Cantuaria provides the gentlest, most compelling guitar accompaniment imaginable. Miyake's piano work recalls the haunting echo-iness of Erik Satie, and while each track tends towards a prolonged exploration of a single theme -- a song with odd percussion, another with flugelhorn as a bossa nova lead instrument -- the overall effect is magical and serene. Recommended!
