Som Três - Som 3

Year : 1993/1969
Label : EMI/Odeon
Genre : Jazz, Latin Jazz
Style : Bossa Nova, Funk/Soul, Soul Jazz

Som Três is a bossa jazz trio, active from 1966 to 1971, who have offered their services as backing band for Wilson Simonal including "Vou Deixar Cair" (1966) and the "Show Em Simonal" (1967) albums. The group is lead by the renowned brazilian pianist, arranger & producer, César "Camargo" Mariano, who worked for Elis Regina, Chico Buarque, Maria Bethânia, Jorge Ben and international artists such as French Pop songstress, France Gall. César "Camargo" Mariano was also a eminent member of  the Sambalaça Trio (alongside Airto Moreira), one of the most influential jazz samba formation in Brazil. The two others members who formed the trio are bassist Sebastião "Sabá" Oliveira Da Paz on bass &and drummer Antônio "Toninho" Pinheiro, both came from another brazilian jazz samba formation, the Jongo Trio. "Som 3" is a crossover jazz album with latin boogaloo, pop and funk expressions including also the Soul Jazz style on "Blood-Mary" & "There's Gonna Be A "Showdown". Titles include classics soul from the Motown (For Once In My Life, California Soul...), the brazilian standards (Sé Vocé Pensa, Que Pena) and the killer funk "Homenagem A Mongo" composed by Camargo.

Tania Maria - Brazil With My Soul

Year : 1978
Label : Barclay
Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Jazz Samba, Bossa Nova

"Brazil With My Soul" is the third album by Brazilian songstress and pianist Tania Maria settled in France since 1974. As her two pervious albums, "Via Brazil Vol. 1 & 2", it was recorded in France, at studio Hoche, Paris. "Brazil With My Soul" is blend of jazz, bossa with up-tempo samba including scat songs in the pure Ella Fitzgerald's style and piano jazz improvisations. Tania is surrounded by some of the best European Jazz musicians among others great bassist J.F. Jenny-Clark (sideman for Gato Barbieri, Michel Portal & Masahiko Togashi) and italian drummer Aldo Romano. Titles include original compositions "Passarella", "Zé", "Eu Fui A Europa", "Ideias E Ideais" and Jobim/Buarque's cover song "Retrato Em Branco E Preto"

Trio Mocotó - Trio Mocotó

Year : 2016/1973

Label : ViNiLiSSSiMO/RGE Discos
Genre : Latin
Style : Samba, Bossa Nova, MPB, Funk/Soul

Trio Mocotó was formed in 1968, in São Paulo, by three percussionists : Fritz Escovão, Joãozinho Parahyba & Nereu Gargalo. Their music is the result of a Brazilian sounds fusion (samba & bossa) with the American pop, often reduced to the name of "samba rock". But Trio Mocotó is more a synthesis between various musical styles from funk to rock, passing by the jazz, than some samba rock. The trio are mainly known as the Jorge Ben’s backing band, during the zenith of his career (1969-1971), when they took part in his great recordings as the "Força Bruta" & "Negro E Lindo" albums. Titles include the opening track "Desapareça" (a powerful afro-brasileira-samba-funk song), a funny variation of the pop cover "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" (Gotas De Chuva Na Minha Cuíca), and the Latin Jazz songs "Palomares" & "Eu Tou Por For Da Jogada". 

Edwin Starr - War & Peace

Year : 1970
Label : Gordy
Genre : Soul
Style : Funk/Soul, Psychedelic Soul

The Edwin Starr's masterpiece comprising the american counterculture anthem, the anti-war song about the Vietnam conflict. Released on Motown Records in 1970,  "War & Peace" is a magnum opus of Soul Music, an essential  record, a classic among the classics from the Berry Gordy's productions. From the beginning to the end, "War & Peace" contains no dead time, as evidenced the future standards included in the album, such as "Running Back And Forth" & "Time" (both composed by Edwin Starr), the cover songs "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head", "California Soul" (Ashford & Simpson), and of course, the timeless "War", originally recorded by The Temptations and composed by the hitmakers duo : Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong.

Native Son (Self-Titled)

Year : 1979
Label : Infinity records
Genre : Jazz
Style : Jazz Funk, Latin Jazz

"Native Son" is a Japanese fusion band formed in 1978 when the crossover jazz "boom" was at climax in Japan. From the late seventies to the mid-eighties, they had met an international audience, when they were regularly on stage in Europe (Montreux Jazz Festival '83) and in the USA. Led by pianist Takehiro Honda featuring saxophonist Kohsuke Mine, drummer Hiroshi Murakami and later joined by trombonist Hiroshi Fukumura, the group released from 1978 to 1987, seven albums whose the record hit "Savannah Hot-Line" in 1979. Their first album includes some Latin sounds ("Whispering Eyes" feat. Damião Gomes De Souza), caribbean styles (Wind Surfin), Funk elements (Super Safari) and soul jazz with "Heat Zone", a variation on "Spirits Flow" taken from "Another Departure" (1977). All tracks composed by Takehiro Honda.

MUSICIANS : Takehiro Honda - electric piano, clavinet & Synthesizer - Kohsuke Mine - tenor & soprano saxophones - Tamio Kawabata - bass - Motonobu Ohde - guitar - Hiroshi Murakami - drums - Damião Gomes De Souza - cuica

Arthur Verocai - Arthur Verocai

Year : 2016/1972
Label : Mr Bongo/Continental
Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Jazz Funk, Jazz Rock, MPB

One of the favourite Madilb's albums, the self-titled "Arthur Verocai" album has been sampled many times by various Hip-Hop artists  such as MF Doom, Common, Little Brother and more recently Action Bronson. Arthur Verocai is a brilliant brazilian conductor, pianist and guitarist, who has worked for several artists from the Tropicalia movement such as Jorge Ben, Marcos Valle and Gal Costa. Recorded at Studio Somil, Rio de Janeiro in 1972, this album incorporates the Brazilian musical direction taken by the Tropicalia, a skilled fusion of Jazz & Funk including some sound elements from the Blaxploitation music. Arthur Verocai has surrounded himself by prestigious musicians  including saxophonists Paulo Moura and Oberdan Magalhães from Banda Black Rio, the jazz drummers Robertinho Silva and Pascoal Meirelles, Serginho Do Trombone from Dom Salvador & amp; Grupo Abolição, supported by string orchestra. Titles include the beautiful folk song "Caboclo", the samba jazz "Seriado" featuring Célia, the funky "Presente Grego" and the jazz rock tune "Karina (Domingo No Grajaú)". Produced, arranged, directed by Arthur Verocai.

Miguel De Deus - Black Soul Brothers

 

Year : 2016/1977

Label : Groovie Records/Underground

Genre : Soul
Style : Funk

Portugese reissue of the first solo album of brazilian guitarist Miguel De Deus, originally released in 1977 on Underground, subsidiary of Copacabana label. Miguel De Deus was the founding member of the latin rock group "Os Brazões" which accompagnied Gal Costa on stage & Tom Zé on the Grande Liquidação album in 1968. With "Os Mutantes", the band was emblematic of brazilian psychedelic rock scene in the late sixties. In the mid seventies, Miguel De Deus oriented his music to the Funk style, becoming a initiator of the Afro-Funk movement later called "Black Rio", strongly inspired by James Brown & the Black Power spirit. Recorded in São Paulo, at the Reunido Studio, "Black Soul Brothers" includes the title-track reissued by Mr. Bongo in 2014, "Cinco Anos", "Mister Funk" and "Flata Louca" from "Black Soul Brothers" EP released on Copacabana records.

Banda Black Rio - Maria Fumaça

Year : 2016/1977

Label : Mr Bongo/Atlantic
Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Jazz Funk, Disco, Boogie Funk, Samba

"Maria Fumaça" is probably one of the best Brazilian Jazz Funk album ever recorded, recommended by Gilles Peterson. The name of the band came from by the Black Rio funk movement of the late seventies. "Banda Black Rio" was formed in 1976 by saxophonist Oberdan Magalhães & trumpeter José Carlos Barroso ("Barrosinho"), both former members of the Abolição group who accompanied the pianist Dom Salvador from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. It features Jamil Joanes (eb), Claudio Stevenson (eg), Cristovao Bastos (key, arr), Lucio Silva (tb) and Luis Carlos Santos (ds), supported by The Percussionists Of Rio De Janeiro featuring Luna, Nenê, Wilson Canegal & Geraldo Bongô. Often compared to Kool & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire, the band rather plays a sound close to The Headhunters style, the backing band of Herbie Hancock during the seventies, and includes some Brazilian music elements. In 1978, the band was recruited as backing band for Time Maia on "Tim Maia Disco Club" and recorded a live album with Caetano Veloso entitled "Bicho Bale Show". Titles includes the Samba Funk "Marai Fumaça", the killer song Mr. Funky Samba and the Brazilian classics "Casa Forte" of Edu Lobo and "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro" of Ary Barroso.

Betty Davis - The Columbia Years 1968-1969

Year : 2016
Label : Light In The Attic
Genre : Jazz, Rock, Soul
Style : Jazz Rock, Funk/Soul

Betty "Davis" Marbry presents her recordings sessions for Columbia, during the 1968-1969 period featuring Miles Davis as arranger and Teo Macero as producer. The first six songs were recorded in 1969 at Columbia Studios, New York with the famous Jimi Hendrix musicians Billy Cox from Band of Gypsys) & Mitch Mitchell from Jimi Hendrix Experience, Harvey Brooks from Super Session and the giants of Jazz : Herbie Hancock, John McLaughlin, Larry Young and Wayne Shorter. The last three tracks were recorded in 1968 at Columbia Studios, Hollywood, with Hugh Masekela and featuring The Crusaders. Titles include unrealeased tracks, demos and alternate takes, written by Betty Davis except "Born On The Bayou" by John Forgety and  "Politician Man" by Jack Bruce.

MUSICIANS : Betty Davis - vocal - Billy Cox - drums - Mitch Mitchell & Harvey Brooks - bass - Herbie Hancock - keyboard - Larry Young - organ - John McLaughlin - guitar - Wayne Shorter & Wilton Felder - saxophone - Joe Sample - piano - Wayne Henderson - trombone

TRACKLIST : Hangin' Out (demo) - Politician Man (demo) - Down Home Girl (take 4) - Born On The Bayou (demo) - I'm Ready, Willing & Able (take 1) - I'm Ready, Willing & Able (take 9) - It's My Life (take 8) - Live, Love, Learn (take 12) - My Soul Is Tired - (take 9)

Lee Moses - Time And Place

Year : 2016/1971
Label : Future Days Recordings/Maple Records
Genre : Soul
Style : Funk, R&B

Lee Moses was a american R&B, Soul singer and guitarist from Atlanta. After a singles serie recorded for Musicor in the late sixties (whose the famous "Bad Girl" in 1967), Lee Moses released this unique album on Maple Record in 1971. This lost "Holy Grail" Soul record was unfortunately a commercial failure and was only first reissued in 2006. Recorded with his own backing group "The Deciples" featuring some members of The Ohio Players, "Time And Place" includes some heavy funk songs & beautiful tunes : "Got That Will", "Free At Last", "Hey Joe" and the magnificent version of the Flower Power hit "California Dreaming" from The Mamas & The Papas.

Aquarius Y Luiz Antonio - Brasil

 

Year : 2002/1973

Label : BMG/Ariola

Genre : Latin Jazz
Style : Samba, Bossa Nova, Jazz Funk

Japanese reissue of rare album from the brazilian group Aquarius featuring the brazilian singers Luiz Antonio & Erica Norimar. Originally recorded in Barcelona, the album includes the classics Bossa Nova songs from Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, Edu Lobo, Milton Nascimento...Aquarius is led by the arranger, producer & drummer, Raymundo Bittencourt, consisting also in Octavio Bonfá Burnier (nephew of Luiz Bonfá), one of the best contemporary brazilian guitarist, member of the group "Burnier & Cartier". Erica Norimar sung for spanish jazz pianist Jordi Sabatés on the Ocells Del Més Enllà album. Produced by Raymundo Bittencourt & Octavio Bonfá Burnier.