Oitos Batutas - see Pixinguinha

No Olho Da Rua "Hard Bossa" (Paulo Rego, 1999)
An adequate but unremarkable smooth jazz album, featuring saxophonist-composer Paulo Rego and pianist Roberto Alves. With the exception of two songs adapted from Villa-Lobos and Ary Barroso, all the songs are Rego originals. It's not a bad album, just not my cup of tea.

Olodum - See artist discography

Lisa Ono - see artist profile

Os Originais Do Samba "Os Originais Do Samba" (RCA, 1969)

Os Originais Do Samba "Esperanca" (RCA, 1970)

Os Originais Do Samba "O Samba E A Corda Os Originais A Cacamba" (RCA, 1972)
Their original percussive sound is muted on here, buried under a gauzy soft-pop mix... They seem to have been drifting towards the brega pop style, although compared to many of the former jovem guarda rockers who went pop in the 'Seventies, Os Originais still sound relatively vital and funky. They sing two Jorge Ben songs, and Ben contributes arrangements for one of them... Still, this is a much tamer record than their earlier efforts... Worth checking out, maybe, but it didn't really grab me.

Os Originais Do Samba "Sangue, Suor E Samba" (Copacabana, 1990)
Later, less enthralling recordings from these samba-soul forefathers... They've absorped various contemporary influences such as Bahian axe and the modernized version of pagode -- two musical styles that they helped pioneer. This disc isn't bad, exactly, it just isn't as arresting as the music they made when they were younger, or as vital as the younger modern bands they are trying to keep up with. It's okay... You could check it out and not feel totally cheated or anything, but you could also easily find stuff that's better.

Orlandivo "Orlandivo" (EMI-Odeon, 1977)

Orquestra De Camara Rio Strings "Fantasia Brasileira" (Biscoito Fino, 2003)
A fine modern classical performance, featuring work by four composers -- the prelude to "Bachianas Brasileiras No.4," by Heitor Villa-Lobos, who was sort of the Bela Bartok of Brasil, mixing folkloric and popular themes with dense, highbrow musiciality, opens the album, and it is a real winner, a cool, eliding progression that butts up against the atonal school. This is followed by a medley of songs by pop-classical keyboardist Wagner Tiso, who solos on the performance, and then a piece by Cesar Guerra-Piexe (who I've never heard of) and closes with a more galloping number by Francis Hime, a tune which seems to have more than a smidge of Copeland to it. I readily admit I am no expert in classical music, but I did like this recording, particularly what I took to be a notably accomplished take on Villa-Lobos's work. Nice stuff... recommended!

Orquestra Imperial "Valsas Eternas" (EMI-Odeon)
Orquestra Imperial "Valsas Eternas, v.2" (Fenix/EMI-Odeon, 1966)
Old-fashioned waltzes, tunes by Strauss and Tchaikowski, played by a Brazilian orchestra, but pretty much "straight," (i.e. without discernable Brazilianness). It's an odd record to have been reissued on CD but, actually, it's kind of nice, in a square but not-too-fusty way. 'Taint no samba, though. (Not to be confused with the pop-samba outfit of the same name, which made records forty years later...)

Orquestra Imperial "Carnaval So Ano Que Vem" (Som Livre, 2007)
(Produced by Berna Ceppas, Kassin & Mario Caldato, Jr.)
A far-flung cast of generation-next Brazilian upstarts propel this giddy, willfully cheesy mix of Brazilian pop and old-school Latin-dance schmaltz. It's unusual to hear Brazilians plying themselves so directly to Cuban-style salsa and son, but Orquestra Imperial seem to make it their mission, adapting it with Portuguese lyrics and numerous original compositions. The bandmembers include singer Thalma De Freitas, old-timer Wilson Das Neves, and all three of the guys from the "+2" project -- Domenico, Kassin, and Moreno Veloso -- along with their pal, guitarist Pedro Sa, who recently made his mark fronting an electric rock band backing Brazilian pop legend Caetano Veloso on his album Ce. I have to confess, although I was prepared to really enjoy this album, I wound up finding it hard to get into. The production is slick and fairly cheesy, and although that slickness is (partially) being used in an ironic way, the joke doesn't really carry. Some of the grooves are cool, but everything feels mediated and remote -- they're so busy being clever, cool and self-congratulatory, they never really seem to let their hair down and just enjoy the music, or to let the music take over, rather that the recording of the music. It seems heavy on concept and coyness, and light on either the genuine joyfulness or the cool reserve that has made many of the earlier albums (under their individual names) that have made these young artists so noteworthy. I bet these guys would be a blast to see live, though!

Orquestra Popular De Camara "Orquestra Popular De Camara" (Adventure Music, 1998/2004)
Benjamin Taubkin leads this eclectic ensemble through a smooth, soft-jazz set with rich layers of indigenous Amazonian traditions (courtesy of Nana Vasconcelos, who plays percussion), African motifs and a hefty dose of bossa nova... Vocalist Monica Salmaso was also part of this project, though her contributions are a bit muted, compared to her own solo albums. Overall, this is a bit too gooey and amorphous for me, though I'm sure for fans of super-mellow world-jazz, this disc would be a real treat.

Os Ostras "Operacao Submarina" (Top Cat/Abril, 1998)
Ska-tinged, surfy, power-pop indie-rock from Brazil? I am so there! The first song is a bouncy indie-pop tune that's kinda catchy... Unfortunately most of the rest of the songs are just straightforward surf-garage instrumentals, and while it's cool to know that there are bands in Brazil that play this style of music, it's not something you couldn't hear plenty of places elsewhere. Os Ostras play well, though: bet they were fun live, too!

Otto "Samba Pra Burro" (Trama Music, 1998)
First-rate Brazilian electronica, liberally mixing hip-hop beats and samba riffs into a richly-textured ambient backdrop, with the occasional drum-and-bass skittering-about. The best tracks on here are outstanding -- and where there's one record this good, more are sure to follow. Otto was once the percussionist for the band Mundo Livre s/a... Sounds pretty good, too, here on his first solo outing...

Otto "Condom Black" (Trama Music, 2001)
Otto gets a bit spacier and mellower on this disc, in some ways perhaps less "electronic", but still kinda cool. He even does a bit of more or less straight-up shoegazer electric guitar pop, and sings on hseveral songs. I can't say that this album leapt out at me the way the best tracks on Samba Pra Burro did, but it's certainly easy on the ears and worth checking out if you want something kinda mellow to listen to. (By the way, I know that Beto Lee, who pitches in on this album, is Rita Lee's son... does anyone know if Valmir Gil, who also plays on this album, is related to Gilberto?)

Otto "Sem Gravidade" (Trama Music, 2003)
Getting even looser and more indierock, Otto opens up with the giddy, guitar-y "Lavanda," followed by the dance-y "Tento Entender," which features guest vocals by Rita Lee (and her son Beto, on guitar....) The rest of the album slips into spacier, less poppy material, odd, off-kilter tunes that have a laidback, bossa-esque feel to them. By using less high-tech sound processing over the lyrics, Otto reveals the plainness of his own voice, giving this album a more personal, intimate feel. Another mellow record, certainly worth checking out.

Na Ozzetti "LoveLeeRita: Cancoes De Rita Lee Desde Os Mutantes" (Dabliu, 1996)
A tribute to Brazilian rocker Rita Lee... Ms. Ozzetti may be Rita Lee's number one fan -- this album of cover songs sure would be a strong indicator. But, like her idol, Ozzetti's music is plagued by goofy, mainstream pop production -- she's a little less over-the-top than Lee, but this stuff still doesn't float my boat.

Brazilian Music - Letter "P"

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