Brasil

The outstanding 1971 debut by piano player and arranger Osmar Milito features his amazing cover of Herbie Hancock's ‘Cantaloupe Island’ plus several classic Brazilian songs by Marcos Valle, Jorge Ben and Ivan Lins among others. Fierce samba jazz and bossa all the way through! The line-up of performing artists could hardly be more impressive: Quarteto Forma on vocals, Luis Eça, Marcos Valle, Pascoal Meirelles… This brilliant album is up there with the best work of Arthur Verocai and Marcos Valle.During the 90s, a walk around London’s Camden Market inevitably meant listening to the music with groove that the most popular DJs had made fashionable at the time: soul jazz instrumentals and Brazilian music targeting the club dancefloors. Among all those songs that ended up becoming classics of the scene was the amazing cover version of Herbie Hancock’s ‘Cantaloupe Island’ that Osmar Milito had recorded in 1971. This song was probably the main reason that made his LP for Som Livre one of the most sought after Brazilian records by collectors from all over the world. Now we finally have a new opportunity to enjoy this album, reissued on vinyl for the first time.Along with the aforementioned version of Herbie Hancock’s song, this first album by piano player and arranger Osmar Milito is full of versions of Brazilian classics, from Marcos Valle to Jorge Ben or Ivan Lins. Fierce samba jazz and bossa all the way through! Note that Milito spent the first years of his career as a member of the backing band of big artists such as Elis Regina, Jorge Ben, Nara Leão... and after two years working with Sergio Mendes in the United States, he returned to Brazil and recorded his first LP.The line-up of performing artists on this album could hardly be more impressive: Quarteto Forma on the vocals, Luis Eça, Marcos Valle, Pascoal Meirelles (what an amazing drummer he is!)... and both sides of the record hide a seamless sequence of solid tune after solid tune with similar doses of instrumental and vocal tracks. Just listen to the magnificent ‘Garra’, ‘Que bandeira’ or ‘Rita Jeep’, or the sweet samba that gives its name to the record, and you will see why this LP should be up there, next to the best works of Arthur Verocai and Marcos Valle.

L’ALBUM 60-70’S DE MUSIQUE BRÉSILIENNE MADE IN FRANCERÉÉDITION À L’OCCASION DES 50 ANSA la fin des années 60/début des années 70, le Brésil faisait rêver. Il était à la mode, un peu partout en Europe, et donc aussi en France. On pense à "Samba Sarava" sur la BO du film Un Homme et Une Femme, à Françoise Hardy avec son album produit par Tuca, à Isabelle Aubret et son "Casa Forte" ou à France Gall avec "Zozoi". Trois musiciens brésiliens exilés en France, Edson Lobo (basse), Fernando Martins (piano) et Nelson Serra (batterie), forment le Trio Camara. Ils rencontrent un groupe d’amis amoureux de la musique brésilienne, tous professionnels de la musique, mais qui souhaitaient rester anonymes, d’où le nom de leur groupe : Les Masques. Claude Germain (Les Double Six), José Bartel, Marie Vassiliu, Pierre Vassiliu... les chanteurs formant Les Masques sont loin d’être des inconnus. En 1969 ils entrent donc au Studio Davout avec le Trio Camara pour enregistrer Brasilian Sound.Composé de 11 titres, c’est un superbe album, magistralement produit et enregistré, qui s’écoute d’une traite et nous transporte dans des ambiances à la fois légères et naïves, si propres à cette époque. Tiré à 500 e xemp l a i r e s s u r C B S l ’a l b um n e s e r a malheureusement pas un succès et il est aujourd’hui quasiment impossible de trouver le pressage original français (sonnant bien mieux que le pressage canadien paru à la même époque). Cette réédition du Très Groove Club est donc la bienvenue, pour que 50 ans après sa parution, un plus large public puisse découvrir ce magnifique album, écho d’une époque définitivement révolue.

Matasuna Records is thrilled to reissue another musical jewel from Peru on vinyl for the first time. The songs were recorded by the band Bossa 70 and released on a 7inch EP and the self-titled album in 1970. Both are much sought-after collector's items and impossible to find. The songs were transferred from the original master tapes and got a new mastering.Nilo Espinoza Vascones or better known under his artist name Nilo Espinosa is without doubt a Peruvian saxophone and flute legend. After a classical musical education he entered the music scene in the early 1960s. In 1966 he founded the band Los Hilton's with some of the best Peruvian musicians including the gifted piano player Otto de Rojas. In 1967 they recorded the first and only LP of the group, which was released in a small edition in Peru.Their concerts were more and more influenced by Jazz and Bossa Nova, so in 1968 they changed the band's name to Bossa 70. In the record label's office Nilo met the Afro-Peruvian Carmen Rosa Basurco, who also loved Bossa Nova and could sing in Portuguese and English. From then on she was the main singer of the band.Bossa 70 recorded four songs for a 7-inch EP in an edition of only 100 copies, which was given away for promotional purposes at concerts and to friends & family. In 1970 they recorded their self-titled LP which reflected a mixture of Bossa Nova, Latin Jazz and Funk. The label pressed only 300 copies, which were sold out very quickly. This LP was the band's only album and is a rare piece of Peruvian music history.Si Voce Pensa on the A-side is a great cover version of the same named song by famous Brazilian musician Roberto Carlos from 1968. Bossa 70 adapted the song for the dancefloor, which is driven by an uplifting rhythm and the expressive voice of the singer. Of course, the great interplay of the other musicians must not go unmentioned. A fantastic track that will heat up everywhere!Birimbao on the flipside is another fantastic Brazilian cover version. The song was written in the 1960s by Baden Powell, one of the most important Brazilian guitarists and one of the pioneers of Bossa Nova. Bossa 70 set their own stamp with a new instrumentation with brass, wah wah guitars, piano, flute parts and trumpet solos. The percussion section is also a brilliant backup for this one. Another winner!