Marcia Taborda "Choros Da Paulinho Da Viola" (Acari, 2001)

Taiguara "Taiguara!" (Philips, 1965)
The premiere album of this soft-edged MPB singer opens with a bang: "Samba De Copa Na Mao," written by Taiguara (along with about half the other songs), has an explosive, energetic quality, reminiscent of contemporaries such as Edu Lobo and Marcos Valle. His vocals are youthful, expansive and jubilant, the rhythms are playful and dynamic. Things settle down pretty quickly, though, as slower pop ballads start to predominate, prefiguring the more placid style that become his hallmark. As far as Taiguara's more vital, vibrant side goes, this early album, with arrangements by Luis Chaves, is one of your best bets. Worth checking out!

Taiguara "Hoje" (Odeon, 1969)
(Arrangements by Paulo Moura)
Fans of soft, romantic pop vocals and even Latin American boleros may find this an appealing album... Those of us looking for something with a little more bite may find it rather slow going. Taiguara gets a little wiggy and softcore psychedelic on a couple of tracks, but mostly this is pretty conservative and syrupy. Not my cup of tea.

Taiguara "Viagem" (Odeon, 1970)
I've been mystified by some of Taiguara's EMI best-ofs -- mostly because they are so appallingly insipid. This early album goes a little way towards explaining the credibility he retained later... There are some creative pop arrangements, admittedly derivative of North American/European soft-pop AM radio fodder (Timmy Thomas and the like)... But still, this had decidedly more vigor than, say, Wanderley Cardoso's vocals albums. There's a strong goofiness factor here which may make it appealling to fans of French pop and soundtrack kitsch. A couple of tracks feature backup by the mildly proggish band Som Imaginario (which spawned the career of keyboard wizard Wagner Tiso).

Taiguara "Meus Momentos" (EMI, 1994)
This best-of had very little on it to hold my attention... Mainly florid, but bland folk-pop, like a watered-down version of Bread, or something. I assume this has also been expanded into a 2-CD set, along with the other Meus Momentos collections, but I haven't felt impelled to track that version down.

Taiguara "Serie Bis" (EMI, 2000)
A 2-CD set that largely replicates the Meus Momentos collection listed above.

Tamba Trio - see artist discography

Sebastiao Tapajos "...E Sua Guitarra Cosmica" (Forma, 1968)
(Produced by Joao Mello; arrangements by Mario Castro-Neves)
An unusual album, with guitarist Sebastiao Tapajos playing both acoustic and electric, atop a series of ill-concieved, poppy easy listening arrangements. His playing is pretty good (well, better than me, at least...) but it doesn't really connect up with the perky muzak behind him. I'm just not into it. Sorry.

Sebastiao Tapajos "Violao & Amigos" (RCA-Victor, 1979)
Here's Tapajos performing with a slew of guest performers, most from the jazz world, including Mauricio Einhorn, Paulo Moura, Hermeto Pascoal, Chiquinho do Acordeon and others... The solo acoustic numbers are nice, often played with a flamenco/classical guitar tinge that brings to mind old stuff by Luiz Bonfa or even Andres Segovia. There's also a regional flair, as on his cover of "Asa Branca," and a bit of choro flashiness. This alternates with more ornate tracks, with full soft-jazz backing, which tend, sadly, to be a bit syrupy and overripe. All in all, not really my cup of tea, although there is plenty of high-quality, world-class guitar playing on here.

Sebastiao Tapajos & Jane Duboc "Da Minha Terra" (Jam Music, 1998)

Benjamin Taubkin "Trio +1" (Adventure Music, 2009)
(Produced by Benjamin Taubkin)
Fairly straightforward jazz, led by Brazilian pianist Benjamin Taubkin, along with Zeca Assumpcao (bass), Sergio Reze (drums and gongs) and their "plus one," trumpet player Joatan Nascimento, who contributes one of the album's original compositions. There are Brazilian elements, in some songs more than others, but mostly I'd say this is a contemplative, mainstream jazz album, with a penchant for longer tracks (three that clock in at 6-plus minutes and two that are twice that length...) It's okay, not really my bag, but mellow and good for the genre, without getting saccharine or gooey. Worth a spin if you like serious contemporary jazz that's a little on the sweet side.

Benjamin Taubkin "MPBaby: Chico Buarque" (MCD, 2008)

Benjamin Taubkin "Piano Master Series, Volume One" (Adventure Music, 2010)
(Produced by Jim Luce & Richard Zirinsky, Jr.)
A nice, relaxed set of classically-tinged jazz piano solos... This was nice to hear, since I've mostly heard Taubkin record with accompaniment, and hearing his piano work without all the ornamentation of the modern soft-jazz scene is nice; it's just keyboards and no modern instruments or fusion-y flights to distract from the music. Worth checking out.

Daniel Taubkin "BRAzSIL" (Blue Jackel, 1998)

Daniel Taubkin & Uandi Uandi "A Picture Of Your Life" (Blue Jackel, 2002)

Daniel Taubkin "Uma Beleza Estranha" (Tratore, 2004)

Daniel Taubkin "Cinema Na Rua" (Tratore, 2005)

Daniel Taubkin "Sertao Negro" (Tratore, 2009)

Brazilian Music - More Letter "T"

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