Map – With a link to each album (if possible) marked in some referential geographical location.
Some late, but earlier, editions to the collection!
Luiz Bonfa – “¡Amor! The Fabulous Guitar of Luiz Bonfa” (1959) – Wow this is a jump back in time yet it holds many of the same traits of this music a decade and a half later. Bonfa is influential as both a composer and as a guitarist. This harkens back to the Baden Powell album in part IV. I kind of like having a few out of place, out of time, interruptions along the way – it offers some context. One song is a shout out to George Shearing and a few standards offer us some of the Jazz influence happening in Brazil.
“Marajo” – Nice accompaniment!
“Preludio” – Just gorgeous when Don Elliott comes in on mellophone.
Bola Sete – “At the Monterey Jazz Festival” (1962) – Continuing with the guitar theme and also the Intercontinental cross overs. It’s interesting to try to discern how people “hear” music from each others places. Where was there inspiration for collaboration. How was distribution working for non-US recordings? Which artists did we hear and who didn’t we hear? This album is, again, filled with exquisite playing.
“Coisa Numero Um” – Everything is so light and deftly played it really inspires silence.
Baden Powell – “Le Monde Musical de Baden Powell vol. 2” – He is playing several Classical pieces here: Bach, Chopin, Handel – but arranged which is intriguing.
“Ao Meu Amigo Pedro Santos” – Intense!
Rosinha de Valença – “Rosinha de Valença” (1973) – I discovered Rosinha about a year ago, played a track by her on a Seshjawn. I was very excited, simply because I love the sound of her touch on guitar. She has a really full, solid sound and she still provides a light rhythmic feel on Bossas and Sambas. She is more experimental on this album than most of her others. Though this album is self titled it is not her first album and thankfully the only album that uses her name as a title. It is also a stage name, as almost all of these artists have. Valenca is where she is from – Rosinha of/from Valenca.
“Cuica” – Probably the most experimental thing on the album but pretty fun and improvisational with great percussive sounds.
“Caboclo Ubiratan” – In her more typical bag, driving and rhythmic. She really accompanies too. They play a lot together, her and the piano but rhythmically its all intermeshed. The rhythmic situation at the end is where its at.
A return from the guitar focused side trip but still a little earlier than where we left off…
Rita Lee – “Build Up” (1970) – Rita is one of the members of Os Mutantes and this is her first solo album. It’s a poor way to express this, but the eclecticism isn’t blended well enough? I generally love the genre shifting and the interpretation of different styles but here, particularly in the first half, it feels forced and the Rock-isms and Jazz-isms don’t always click. The arrangements, by Rogerio Duprat, are really good but have a little cheese spread in some places. The second half is better and has one of the weirder Beatles covers I’ve ever heard.
“Macarrão Com Linguiça E Pimentão” – This arrangement is hitting a lot of notes for me – vibes, swimming in guitar and a whip crack drum beat.
Astrud Gilberto – “Gilberto with Turrentine” (1971) – Love Boat Fondu… Cheese laden and a dog in my opinion and Astrud’s. She left it unhappy & unfinished, Turrentine is only on a few tracks, it has several dated covers like “Love Story”. I blame Creed Taylor and Deodato for the cheese factor. It is also a little off topic, as this is an American CTI recording of a Brazilian artist (& featuring a few others). It’s well played but can’t avoid the quality of its intentions.
“Ponteio” – Even an appearance by Toots Thielmans can’t quite spit life into the album, but this Edu Lobo song is a keeper.
- A quick rewind onto this song “Voce Nao Entende Nada” – Song Hole. A tune from Caetano & Chico which was done as a medley with a Chico tune “Cotidiano”. Chico’s tune is from his album “Construcao” and as far as I can tell Caetano’s version is from this live recording. I found some other early live performances by Caetano, Gal Costa too and then by a singer named Daniella Mercury. Amazing tune, it’s haunting me. I believe they switch and sing vocals on each others song for this recording.
“You Don’t Understand Anything” Caetano Veloso (translation)
When I get home nothing comforts me
You’re always in distress
There are tears on your eyes because you’ve been cutting onions
You’re so beautiful
If you bring me the Coke, I’ll drink it
You set up the table, I eat, I eat
I eat, I eat, I eat
You’re not understanding
Almost anything of what I’m saying
I want to leave
I want to leave
I want you to come with me
I want you to come with me
I sit, I smoke, I eat, I can’t put up with this
You’re so overjoyed
I want to set this apartment on fire
You don’t believe me
Bring me a cup of coffee with sweetener
Bring me the desserts, I’ll eat them
I’ll eat them, I’ll eat them, I’ll eat them
You must know that I want to run around the world
To be in danger
I want to leave
I want to leave
I want you to come with me
I want you to come with me
I want you to come with me
I want you to come with me
I want you to come with me
Back on track….
Casa Das Maquinas – “Casa Das Maquinas” (1974) – Or not! A second dog in a row (not including the song hole!)…. I guess overall it sounds really early to me and this sound would be popular in a few years, but it’s still a dud.
The very first song almost delivers on the albums promise. “A Natureza”
Caetano Veloso – “Qualquer Coisa” (1975) – This is a return to where I want to be, and is the first album that sounds like what I expected Caetano to sound like before I had listened to his albums. Beautiful songs, sparse arrangements, a good sense of space. Oh and several Beatles covers… On “Lady Madonna” Caetano has a Bryan Ferry quality to his voice.
“A Tua Presenca Morena” – He is still experimenting and this song uses the Pop Strings! in subtle ways.
“Eleanor Rigby” – A very beautiful version.
Gal Costa – Gilberto Gil – Maria Bethania – Caetano Veloso – “Doces Barbaros” (1976) – A Double Album Super Group! It starts out great too, a Miles Davis “Bitches Brew” energy to the band and them all sounding like they are having a lot of fun together. There was a documentary about this group “Os Does Barbaros”. “Chuck Berry Fields Forever” is a great song title, Gilberto Gil’s. It’s a very theatrical sounding album because of the integration of the many voices in the arrangements, though still pretty Rock oriented.
“Fé Cega, Faca Amolada” – Raw.
“Um India” – I’m guessing Maria Bethania here, quite powerful.
Arnaldo Henriques – “So Danco Samba” – I don’t know who he is and can’t find much of anything about him, but this is a fabulous 70’s Bossa/Samba album – a great find. Arnaldo’s voice is entirely different than what I imagined from the cover photo.
“Não Manche o Meu Panamá” – Love the bass playing and groove here.
Guilherme Arantes – “Guilherme Arantes” – Another person I know very little about. This album sounds like we jumped into 80’s Pop to me, which it being 1974 makes it interesting in a way. An Air Supply kind of vibe? I’m not hating it but I wonder if I would hate it if it was in English. Musically it is going back and forth between some things I really like and things I don’t like at all. Controversial aesthetic.
“Descer A Serra (Sorocabana)” – This one has teeth (and a sneaky bass line).
“Antes Da Chuva Chegar” I definitely enjoy the electronic parts of the album the most.
Elis Regina – “Falso Brilhante” – A favorite. Expansive in the right ways and a well curated collection of songs. Some of the material is cut off early, or is too short, a small complaint. This is probably the album that spawned my interest in Brazilian MPB/Tropicalia and one of Elis’s last albums before her tragic, early passing.
“Como Nossos Pais” – One of my favorite songs and Elis just brings it: the intensity, the stress in her voice and all the big moments. The lyrics are about telling your partner that we are getting old and wanting to be with the young, to think young again.
“Um Por Todos” – Each of these songs are mini epics and make me sad that we don’t ever get to hear where she would go next. The songs feel transitional despite having great power and are going in a clear direction.
“O Cavaleiro E Os Moinhos” – Too short, and fades out before it’s finished. But lots of cool sounds that are developed in that short time.
Caetano Veloso – “Muitos Carnavais” (1977) – An album of Carnaval songs, which probably signals Caetano’s ascension to iconic artist status. Artists who reach that level of popularity often begin to record thematically inspired albums – traditional, live albums, featuring songs from a specific composers or styles, unique ensembles (like “with Strings”) and collaborations.
“A Filha Da Chiquita Bacana” – This a party album and a party song. Caetano tends towards darker sounds but not here this is really celebratory.
“Atrás Do Trio Elétrico” – Oooh, electrified Carnival!
Found Sounds 
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