This is the fourth page of reviews of Brazilan and Brazilian-flavored jazz albums, which is part of a much larger Brazilian Music Guide. This list includes albums by both Brazilian artists and jazz musicians outside of Brazil whose work combines jazz and Brazilian elements; these reviews are mostly of older, more "classic" albums, though I suppose as time goes on, I'll add comments on more recent records. Anyway, I hope this is useful... Dig in!!
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.
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.
Brazilian Jazz - Letter "P"
Other Brazilian Styles
Main Brazil Index
