Scandinavian Funk Experience (Nascente - 2011)

I have already written how much the Nascente worldwide funk bargain price compilations serie is brilliant. It explores with originality and good scene the funk scene of country often ignored and always find a way to exhume pure nuggets. Richard Masip digged deep in the EMI North European 60's and 70's scene and succeed to make one of the best volume so far. Who knew that Finland, Denmark, Norway or Sweden had a  musical scene as hot as their porn flicks. Among the highlights, you can find Charles Williams, an American singer expatriated in Finland, who signs with Standing In The Way a stellar soul song. Doris sultry voice on the psychedelic You never Come Closer or on the deep soul influenced Don't is able to melt the ice while Ralph Lundsten infectious Horroscope breakbeat will infest your mind and deserves definitely its slot in any decent DJ playing list.

Download => Scandinavian Funk Experience

La Guêpe - Volume 3 (Pulp Flavor Recordings - 1999)

This volume of La Guêpe is dedicated to library music inspired by Brazilian MPB. Bossa, samba and tropilcalism infuse each track of this wonderful compilation. But dont't expect any covers or pastiche here. If the core artists are French , a few artists are in fact real Brazilans(MPB4, Teca & Ricardo) or are ailing from Spain (Dolores) or Italy ( G&M Di Angelis). Each give his own interpretation of MPB, mixing Brazilan sounds with pop and weird electronica, which is in fact just all what good library music is about. Another wonderful job made by the Pulp Flavor/Dare-Dare/Vadim music guys.

 Download => La Guêpe - Volume 3

Jorge Ben - Bem -Vinda Amizade (Som Livre - 1981)

I'm just unable to say anything bad about my favorite Brazilian artist. This guy churned out masterpiece after masterpiece during nearly 20 years. On Bem-Vinda Amizade, Jorge Ben sticks to his usual recipe with talent: catchy samba funk with a light electronic twist. Every single song is a scorcher and can could make dance the next Vatican council. Jorge Ben seemed to have fun to try to find the longest song titles possible, from O Diam Em Que O Sol Declarou O Seu Amor Pela Terra to Era Una Vez Um Aposentado Marinheiro passing by Ela Mora Em Matogrosso Fronteira Com O Paraguai, they are pretty hard to remember if you are not lusophone. This LP has already been posted several times in a few other blogs but if you have miss it, here it is.

Download =>  Jorge Ben - Bem - Vinda Amizade

Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky - Vocal Impressions (Montparnasse 2000 - 1971)

To start that new season of first choice musical nuggets from my record collection, there's is nothing better than this nice Janko Nilovic library LP, recorded for Montparnasse 2000 in 1971. If you speak French and want to learn more about Janko Nilovic, I advise you to read this interview realised in 2004 for the website Scopia: http://scopia.perso.neuf.fr/portrait_nilovic.html That's where I learned that the vocals on this album were made by Janko himself and Graziella Nadrigal. The overall result, between West Coast pop, jazz and bossa is absolutely nice. I haven't posted the original LP but the Vadim Music 2006 CD reedition.

Download =>Janko Nilovic & Dave Sucky - Vocal Impressions

Jorge Ben - Alô Alô, Como Vai ? (Som Livre - 1980)

Jorge Ben is my favorite Brazilian singer and musician. His mix of samba, pop, soul and, here, disco funk is unique and belongs only to himself. His songs are so good and catchy you can't help but hum them all day long. Like a Brazilian Stevie Wonder, he churned out masterpieces after masterpieces in the 70's and at the beginning of the 80's, releasing at least one album a year. The most surprising is that the guy was nerver properly distributed in Europe and his discography was erratically released. The names of the albums were changed, the covers as well and it is quite difficult to find his records, even in CD. I don't know if Alô Alô, Como Vai ? was even released somewhere in vinyl. I finally found it thanks to the CD reedition made by a Spanish bargain label, Discmedi. Alô Alô, Como Vai ? is maybe  not Jorge Ben most famous  and laudated LP but there are plenty of nice breaks and floor fillers in it. It's definitely worth a listen.

 Download => Jorge Ben - Alô Alô, Como Vai ?

Dou Da Dou - The Unlimited French Lostcatalogue (Vadim Music - 2005)

Vadim Music is a nice label located in the French Alps, near Grenoble, and specialized in the reedition of French pop, pysche, library, soundtracks or jazzy nuggets. Dou Da Dou is an excellent compilation of rare singles by the likes of France Gall, Jack Ary, François de Roubaix or Demis Roussos. Some of those names might afraid people familiar with French music, because they quickly fell into mainstream mediocrity but Vadim guys exhumed pretty intersting sides of their work. France Gall song, Zoïzoï, stays her most sought-after recording while Demis Roussos' A Travers Montmartre, penned with Stelios Valvianos, could be featured on any blaxploitation soundtrack. Very catchy, sexy and amazing. One of my favorite compilation.

Download => Dou Da Dou

La Onda Vampi (Vampisoul - 2011)

With La Onda Vampi, Spanish reedition label Vampisoul offers a quick look on its recent releases. The menu is written on the cover: 60s R&B, Spanish ye-yé, highlife, latin soul, tropicalia, psych intrumentals, boogaloo, afrobeat, flamenco rumba, iranian rare groove. My personnal favorites are the Czech psyche beat of Marta Kubisova's Ja Tu S Tvari Nemennou, the dubbed cumbia of Frente Cumbiero and Mad Professor's La Bocachico and of course Joe Bataan's Latin Soul Square Dance. This compilation can be acquired for a bargain price and is a perfect sonic antidote to the every economic crisis in the old world.

Download => La Onda Vampi

Vinicius de Moraes/Roberto Paiva/Antonio Carlos Jobim - Orfeu Da Conceiçao (Odeon - 1956)

Orfeu Da Conceiçao is a Brazilian play inspired by the Orpheus legend and written by Vinicius De Moraes. Vinicius made a musical out of it in 1956 with the help of Jobim, Roberto Palva (singer) and Luiz Bonfa (guitar). Orfeu Da Conceiçao is a really ambitious work that goes beyond the realm of bossa nova to touch classical music and jazz. The first track, Ouverture, starts like classical music and then switches into a bossa nova. Eu O Meu Amor mixes big band jazz with samba. Minologo De Orfeu is a poem recited by Moraes himself. You can hear as well for the first time the classic Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Voce. Jobim and Bonfa worked a second time on the Orpheus myth when they wrote the soundtrack of the Orfeu Negro movie, based on the same Moraes play. It's just the kind of record that has seminal and masterpiece written all over it.

Download=> Vinicius de Moraes/Roberto Paiva/Antonio Carlos Jobim - Orfeu Da Conceiçao

Ronald Mesquita - Bresil 72 (Barclay - 1972)

Recorded in France by an all Brazilian casting (Ricardo Do Canto, Rolando Faria, Ricardo Pontes, Gilson Peranzzetta, vocalist Marly Tavares), Bresil 72 is a samba soul gem that acquired its cult following by rare groove fanatics. A long time unavaible or only for an indecent prize, it was recently reedited by Vadim Music, a French label that is the only way to discover Brazilian music recorded in France. Bresil 72 is mainly made of covers of songs written by Jorge Ben (Balança Pema), Jobim (Aguas De Março), Milton Nascimento (Cançâo Do Sal- Tema De Tostâo), Gilberto Gil (Fechado Pra Balanço) or Toqhinho and Vinicius De Moraes (Tarde Em Itapôa). You recognize each song at the first note and it's just the kind of record that make you spend a good day everytime you put it on the record player.





Download => Ronald Mesquita - Bresil 72

Laura Villa - Bossa Nova (Polydor - 1962)

Recently rediscovered thanks to rare groove reissue label Vadim Music, this little gem is one of the first bossa nova record ever recorded in Paris. Born in Italy, Laura Villa discovered bossa nova during a stay in Portugal. Back in Paris and signed to Polydor, she recorded this bossa nova album with the help of members of the Brazilian diaspora in Paris. Made of covers of Brazilian, and most notably Jobim, classics (Desafinado, Chega De Saudade, Corcovado, Samba De Uma Nota So) and original songs, nicely and originaly orchestrated, Bossa Nova has absolutely nothing to do with a kitsch easy listening experience. It's rather the kind of music you expect to hear in the club scenes of a Jean-Pierre Melville movie.

Download => Laura Villa - Bossa Nova

Siesta Party ! #1 (Nova Records - 1999)

After decades of ostracism, 90's dee-jays suddendly discovered that easy-listening records of their grand-parents were hiding fabulous pop and electronic gems. They even invented its 90's equivalent, trip hop. Trip hop was the kind of music made to buy ridculously expensive drinks and meals in posch bars. All this ended with awful lounge compilation and people finally threw the baby, the water and the bath far away. Easy-listening went back into relative obscurity and now that CD's don't sell anymore, nobody dares to release compilation like this one. Due to French infamous DJ's Jean Croc and Johnny Begoude and released by Nova Radio own label, Siesta Party ! gathers 17 excellent gems with no fillers. Cannonball Adderley, Sergio Mendes, Lalo Schifrin, Astrud Gilberto, Stanley Turrentine, Percy Faith, Jean-Jacques Perrey: the greatest names of the genre give their best to make your life sounds better. Sometimes elevator music can be liked for itself and not for kitsch post modern reasons.















Download => Siesta Party ! #1

Jorge Benjor - The Definitive Collection (Wrasse Records - 2002)

Jorge Benjor - The Definitive Collection

Mainly specialized in African music, British label Wrasse Records released excellent anthologies of Brazilian music. After Gilberto Gil, Elis Regina, Maria Bethânia and Gal Costa, it is the turn of pop genius Jorge Benjor (aka Jorge Ben). The record concentrates on his 60's and 70's career with 19 excellent tunes. All his absolute classics are here, from bossa classic Mas, Que Nada to his samba disco stormer, Taj Mahal, a song so infectious that once you listen to it, the melody of the chorus is still printed in your head one month later. For the story, Taj Mahal was plagiarized by Rod Stewart for his biggest hit to date, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?. The Scottich singer was sued, condemned and consequently didn't make any money out of it. Jorge Benjor made another version of the song, even better, for his Acustico MTV album released in 2002.

Blue Brazil - Blue Note In A Latin Groove (Blue Note - 2004)

Blue Brazil - Blue Note In A Latin Groove

Blue Brazil gathers seventeen rare Brazilian songs released in the 60's and 70's on EMI-Odeon Brazil. All the songs are in a jazzy/samba/bossa note but some of them are very danceable. This is particularly the case of Homenagem A Mongo, a Cesar Mariano written tribute to Latin percussionist Mongo Santanisuis performed by Som Tres and which starts with a storming breakbeat. This is the only track on this compilation that makes it deserve its title Blue Note In A Latin Groove. Marketing guys at Blue Note probably found it clever to call it that way to appeal to both Brazilian music and Latin music lovers. The last ones will be dispointed but the first ones will get definitely a run for their money. This is always an exquisite pleasure to find Joyce's best song ever, Aldeia De Ogum, among other gems.

Lula Côrtes E Zé Ramalho - Paebirù (Solar - 1975)

Lula Côrtes E Zé Ramalho - Paêbirù

If you didn't like my Robert Wyatt post, you'll hate this one too. "We travelled to the state of Paraiba where we could personnaly get to know this mystical, archeological site. We became fascinated with the power of the place and engrossed in the stories and legends, in the interpretation of dreams" explains Lula Côrtes in the inner notes about the Mr Bongo reedition. "It was the perfect subject to focus our musical quest upon, and thus the idea of the record was born. Legends, Indians, maybe even the presence of aliens...pure mystery". You have undestood that whatever those guys were on when they recorded Parbirù, it was some strong shit.

Doris Monteiro e Miltinho - Doris, Miltinho e Charme (Odeon - 1970)

Doris Monteiro e Miltinho - Doris, Miltinho e Charme

I bought this one only for the cover, a brilliant work clearly inspired by surrealism. The album in itself isn't that good. Doris, Miltinho e Charme is a megamix of Brazilian bossa classics. Today you would call that a kind of record a mixtape. It's a kind of frustrating because each song switch to the next one after only one minute. This record is a little bit annoying, useless but curious exercice even if the voices are really nice and melt well together. Doris Monteiro made largely better albums.

Eumir Deodato - Idéias (Odeon - 1964)

Eumir Deodato - Idéias

Idéias is Eumir Deodato first album and was recorded in Brazil in 1964. In 1967, the young brazilian session musician and composer left for the US where he will became a heavy jazz rock mogul. Idéias is fortunately far away from Also Sparch Zarthustra and a nice instrumental bossa nova album where Eumir demonstrates his talents of orchestration and where he plays piano and organ. Only two songs are of his composition (Tempinho Bom and Tristeza Nao Existe), the rest being cover of classics written by Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal or Jobim (So Tinha De Ser Com Voce and Ela E Carioca). Eumir orchestrations and hammond organ make of Idéias a pleasing record with a warm pop and easy listening feeling.

Black Rio 2 - Original Samba Soul 1968-1981 (Strut - 2009)

Black Rio 2

Compiled by British DJ Cliffy, Black Rio 2 digs deep in the samba soul dusty crates, chasing rare groove and obscure gems at every corner of Brazil. Samba soul is a generic terminology covering a lot of styles, from funk to soul or disco, but all with a distinctive brazilian flavor and representing "an important moment when blacks came down from the shanty towns and (...) were accepted by the music industry making music other than samba" as state the liner notes. Needless to say that DJ Cliffy made a brilliant work and that all the tracks are catchy and sure floor fillers, able to turn the most boring BBQ into a dancing drunken revel. My favorite track on this compilation is Supermarket by Otavio Augusto Fernandes Cardoso aka Pete Dunaway. With its bassline, its beat, its wah wah guitar and its melody full of gloomy strings, it's the kind of song that, even if Pete Dunaway sang with an English accent worst than mine, makes you realise that you live, for god's sake, and that your life is not that bad !!!

Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas - Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces - 1967-1976 (Tropicalia In Furs Records - 2010)

Brazilian Guitar Fuzz Bananas - Tropicalia Psychedelic Masterpieces - 1967-1976

Egon is my new hero, as it is the second post in row I write about a compilation produced by the man. This time, with the help of Joel Stones, they explore the brazilian psychedelic scene from 1967 to 1976, avoiding to select any title that sound... brazilian. No bossa nova or samba roots here: except the portuguese lyrics, those ultra rare excellent raw psychedelic songs could have been produced anywhere in the US or England at the same time. Brazilian music aficionados will be disapointed but funky fuzzy rare groove diggers will appreciate the originality of the selection. In the rich liner notes, Joel Stones precize that most of the artists here featured only released one or two 7" before vanishing into obscurity.

SK 200 - Compiled By Jazzanova (Sonar Kollektiv - 2008)

Les Jazzanova se trainent l'image de mecs qui passent leur temps à écouter du broken beat et de l'acid jazz en compagnie de Gilles Peterson. Ce n'est quand même pas complètement faux et l'on retrouve pas mal de ces deux genres sur SK 200, compilation réalisée pour fêter la deux-centième sortie de leur label, Sonar Kollektiv. Mais il serait réducteur de réduire ce formidable groupe allemand à ces deux genres. DJ's accomplis mais éclectiques (l'une de leur soirée au WMF de Berlin est l'un de mes meilleurs souvenirs clubbing), producteurs de talents, les Jazzanova font aussi parti de ceux qui ont remis la deep house au goût du jour (ils furent les premiers à distribuer Innervisions, le label de leurs potes Âme et Dixon), sont capables de défricher infatigablement des pépites oubliées, que ce soit une merveille psyché brésilienne (Like A Rainy Night de Paul Bryan) ou du rare groove cubain (Y Que Se Sepa d'Orchestra Los Van Van), de sélectionner un morceau de house à rendre Carl Craig jaloux (Inner Soul de Roland Appel), sans oublier de prendre avec le même bon goût le train folk, avec les excellents Thief ou Clara Hill's Folkwaves. On regrettera juste l'absence d'inédits sur SK 200, l'immense majorité des titres proposés étant issus du catalogue des sorties récentes du label. Mais ce sera une excellente occasion de découvir la magie Sonar Kollektiv pour les néophytes et celà permettra à tout ceux laissés sur place par le rythme soutenu des sorties du label de se rattraper.

Paul Bryan - Like A Rainy Night

SK 200 is a compilation realised by Jazzanova for the 200th catalogue number of their label , Sonar Kollektiv. Quality and ecclectism assured: you can buy it your eyes closed but your ears wide opened.

Flora Purim - Carry On (Warner - 1979)

Carry On est le genre même de l'album inclassable, qui rend absolument vain à l'avance toute tentative de classification de la musique par genre et est, de par ce simple fait, définitivement indémodable. Produit par George Duke, Carry On n'est donc pas vraiment un disque de jazz funk, encore moins un disque de MPB ou de pop. Mais en fait un peu tout cela à la fois en faît. La production et l'écriture peuvent s'y montrer tour à tour furieusement avant-gardiste (Sarara, composé par Gilberto Gil dans un style tropicaliste/reggae/ punk funk), nous propulser sur le dance floor de feu les soirées Dingwall avec Gilles Peterson ou Patrick Forge aux platines (le classique absolu From the Lonely Afternoon, le très Earth Wind And Fire Carry On), revenir à de délicates ballades entre folk et bossa acoustique (Niura Is Coming Back, Once I Run Away) ou flirter avec la MPB et ses synthès un peu cheap (Beijo Partido). Tout n'est pas forcément bon, mais absolument rien n'est inintéressant. Là où beaucoup d'albums de jazz, surtout vocal, peuvent s'avérer inoffensifs à l'écoute, Flora Purim, avec sa voix de Minnie Riperton féline et ses petits cris , nous oblige à l'écouter.

Flora Purim - From The Lonely Afternoon

Flora Purim is what you can call an avant-garde singer, far away from a brasilian MPB diva. In Carry On, she successfully flirt with jazz, funk, disco, pop, bossa and MPB with an equal talent. So much that it is just impossible to classify this album produced by George Duke: nowhere, everywhere and definitely in a basket named " classic".