Brazilian / Música Popular Brasileira

Before he turned 20, Lô Borges released one of the most captivating albums to come out of Brazil’s rich musical landscape — a record that somehow flew under the radar at the time but has since become a cult favorite for listeners around the world. Recorded in the same whirlwind year as the legendary “Clube da Esquina” — the groundbreaking collaboration with Milton Nascimento and Beto Guedes — this self-titled solo debut finds Lô Borges in full creative flight. Pressured by Odeon Records to deliv…

Internationally acclaimed Brazilian composer, musician, and singer Marcos Valle proudly reintroduces his self-titled album, "Marcos Valle," a vibrant testament to the artist's unmatched influence on global music and the Brazilian soundscape. Marcos Valle, born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, has traversed an extraordinary musical journey—from his classic bossa nova roots to inventive fusions with soul, funk, rock, and jazz. His self-titled album, originally released in the 1980s, marked a pivotal ret…

Originally released in 1972 on the Odeon label, Quarteto Em Cy stands as a high-water mark in the group’s prolific discography—and a hidden gem for collectors of Brazilian vinyl. Known for their intricate vocal harmonies and deep roots in the bossa nova movement, the quartet ventures into post-bossa territory here, where sophistication meets groove in all the right ways.Arrangements by Edu Lobo and Luiz Eça (of Tamba Trio) lend the album a richly layered sound—elegant, jazzy, and emotionally res…

1970’s best-kept Bossa Nova secret. Surrounded by mystery for nearly 50 years due to its obscurity, this is one of the most honest, personal and unpretentious albums of its genre. A selection of 12 exquisitely crafted songs supported by measured, subtle arrangements. The list of musicians born or raised in the Tijuca district of Rio de Janeiro is long and illustrious and includes names that have shaped Brazilian music: Tom Jobim, Roberto Carlos, Tim Maia, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben or Erasmo C…

Originally released in 1973. One of the rarest and most enigmatic LPs in the Brazilian discography, Prá Quem Sabe das Coisas is a collective album that gathered a group of students from São Paulo Law School, supported by the organist/pianist Renato Mendes, one of samba-jazz's most important names. Released in 1973 by the label EBRAU, finally has a refined reissue and its mysteries revealed, exactly half a century later, considering that it was recorded in 1971 but put in the market as LP only t…

Brazil is a treasure trove of inspirational music from the past, present, and future. Here we head back to 1976 for a one-of-a-kind kaleidoscopic journey, melding Brazilian regional rhythms with funk, rock, soul, and psychedelia by the married couple Eduardo Araújo and Silvinha. A cult classic and beloved record for some of the scene’s biggest DJs including Floating Points, it was further immortalised when Madlib sampled ‘Opanigê’ for his track ‘São Paulo’. Singers Eduardo Araújo and Silvinha Ar…

Tip! Mr Bongo proudly presents, ‘Afim’, the second solo album by one of Brazil’s most exciting new talents, Zé Ibarra. You may be familiar with the hypnotic, entrancing tones of Ibarra’s vocals through his work with the Latin Grammy award-winning, four-piece, Bala Desejo and the band Dônica. He has also toured with the musical titan, Milton Nascimento, performing guitar and vocals, which is quite the honour and a testament to Ibarra's craft. As a solo artist, he has performed headline solo shows…

When João Donato released “Quem é Quem” in 1973, he had already been in the music industry for over 20 years, gaining national and international recognition. Nevertheless, the album marked the beginning of a new phase in his career: the surprising multi-instrumentalist included lyrics in his songs for the first time. It is one of his most important albums, which now returns to shelves pressed on 180gr matte green coloured vinyl.

Maria Rita is a musical pioneer that was ahead of her time. On first hearing her song, 'Cântico Brasileiro No.3 (Kamaiurá)’, we thought it sounded like a contemporary remix that an artist such as Carl Craig could have produced. In fact, it came out in 1988 and was taken from Maria's 'Brasileira' album, released on the Brazilian, independent Acorde imprint. The song would go on to gain cult status with its inclusion on John Gomez's superb 'Outro Tempo' compilation, released on the Music From Memo…

1987 release ** "One of Brazilian PolyGram's anthologies of homegrown music, this volume offers a cross-section of Milton Nascimento's Brazilian output from 1980 to 1985, with a side trip way back to the unforgettable tune that launched him in 1967, "Travessia." From North American rock/funk -- a live rendition of a tune dedicated to the Beatles, "Para Lennon e McCartney" -- to smooth-textured pop, lush electronic backdrops, a mournful Villa-Lobos melody ("Cantiga"), and various Brazilian backgr…

2006 release ** "Tom Zé has always had a knack for mixing rural, back-porch compositions with whatever technology was available to him -- giving his music a distinctive spice of the avant-garde. His tunes may be centered around the strumming of his battered acoustic guitar, but his production and mixing techniques often take his songs into a weirder world. A self-described "musical journalist," Zé isn't concerned with making you boogie as much as he is concerned with telling you what the deal is…

*2025 stock * A holy grail! This is one of Marcos Valle's best-ever albums – and it's certainly the one to best realize the larger scope he was heading for in the years after the bossa – that sublime mix of jazz and more expansive arrangements – a perfect fit for the growing sophistication of Valle's songwriting. The record is fantastic – done with a sweeping sound that still leaves us breathless after all these years – and put together with an approach to composition that is virtually indescrib…

*2025 stock* A sweet electric 70s session from the mighty Joao Donato – very different than his earlier bossa work of the 60s – and with the same funky appeal as the best work on his classic Quem E Quem album! This set's got a tighter feel overall – very much in a samba soul style, with lots of great Brazilian bits mixed up with funk and jazz touches – including a range of great keyboards handled by Donato himself! Drums are by the mighty Wilson Das Neves – who brings in some breaks at a few poi…

**to be released on 15.05.2020, 180 gram vinyl** Realce is a studio album released by Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil in 1979. It is the last album of Gil's "Re" trilogy, the others being Refazenda (1975) and Refavela (1977)."The end of the military dictatorship in Brazil left the country lost in its references and opened way for a period of wild hedonism. Realce, one of Gilberto Gil's most disco-influenced albums, is a document of that period. Released in LP format in 1979, it had the disco ideol…

2025 stock ** "Milton Nascimento (1969) is the third eponymous album by Milton Nascimento after the excellent Travessia (1967) and the very average Courage (1968) and before the exceptional Clube Da Esquina (1972). With this album, Milton Nascimento continues the experimental and exploratory work undertaken previously. Milton Nascimento is a record built around moving compositions, mainly Ballads, carried by the sensitive voice of its performer and by the impressive arrangements of Luiz Eça (Tam…

From a time before Covid, Brazilian singer/songwriter/producer Moreno Veloso began singing his children to sleep. After the virus set in, this habit took on added significance, a father's reassurance. The music he chose for these nocturnes was drawn from friends and heroes, a selection of beautiful tunes and lyrics that began to form itself into a songbook of sorts, and Veloso started recording these pieces after the kids were tucked in. Gently surrounded by the night sounds outside his apartmen…

10 Anos Depois is the tenth album by Brazilian musical artist Jorge Ben, released in 1973. It is a collection of popular songs from the first decade of his career re-recorded as medleys.

*2024 stock * Recorded live at the Maracanãzinho gymnasium in 1974 for a TV Globo special and released in 1980. Good quality considering the time and the precariousness of Brazilian technology. Lot for the improvisations and the totally Rock'n Roll feel. This phrase stolen from the band's Orkut community says it all: "If, at that time, a mother ship had landed, for example, in the Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília and dumped some aliens through its doors, it wouldn't have caused such an impact,…

This one takes us back! We originally reissued Waltel Branco's 'Meu Balanço' in 1995, it was one of the first releases to come out on Mr Bongo. It is a much-requested title with original copies becoming ever more-scarce and the price tag increasingly rising, so it feels fitting to present this stunning record once again for all to enjoy. Waltel Branco was born in Paranaguá, Brazil in 1929 and died in Rio de Janeiro in 2018. During his triumphant career he accumulated an impressive musical portfo…

The combination of Jorge Ben and Trio Mocotó had already produced great things when Força Bruta first appeared in 1970. Ben's self-titled album of the year before had reeled off a succession of Brazilian hits, including "País Tropical" and "Cadê Teresa," and made the four musicians very busy as a result. Força Bruta was a slightly different album, a slice of mellow samba soul that may perhaps have been the result of such a hectic schedule during 1969. One of the hidden gems in Jorge Ben's discog…

A great step forward for the legendary Tim Maia – working here in a style that's even tighter and more sophisticated than before – yet still equally filled with funk and soul! The arrangements are a bit bigger than before, and the production a bit more professional – but that change only brings Tim into even more heavenly soul territory – with a mix of grooves and strings that lays somewhere between the best early 70s work on labels like Curtom or Motown! Tim's got a new sense of majesty on the …

*2024 stock * Known throughout Brazil for his success with the group Novos Baianos, Pepeu Gomes launched his solo career with the album "Geração do Som" (1978). In 1979, after the end of the band and already considered one of the greatest guitarists in the country, Pepeu presented his first album also singing, "Na Terra a Mais de Mil" (1979). The album is now back on the shelves on 180 gram vinyl, in Polysom's "Clássicos em Vinil" collection.The album features 12 songs, all written by Pepeu with…

*2024 stock * Classic work from one of Brazil's greatest soul singers! Cassiano was one of Brazil's groundbreaking soul singers of the 70s – and although he's similar to Tim Maia, he's also got a smoother sound that approximates some of the best American soul vocalists of the time.

*2024 stock * Originally released in 1983 on the Eldorado label, the album "Raul Seixas", also known as "carimbador maluco" because of the success of this song, is a milestone in the artist's career. "O Carimbador Maluco" was the theme song for the children's special "Plunct Plact Zuuum", which aired on Rede Globo and was a huge success at the time.  Raul Seixas himself took part in the special playing the crazy stamping man himself, a bureaucrat who demanded documents from a spaceship. In addit…

*2024 stock * Vinyl LP-only repressing of this album from the Brazilian band. Formed in 1971 by Ney Matogrosso (vocalist), Gerson Conrad (vocalist/composer/violao) and Joao Ricardo (singer/composer/violao/harmonica), Secos & Molhados is inscribed in a privileged category of few bands and musicians who led Brazil from bossa nova through Tropicalia then to Brazilian rock, a style which only blossomed in the '80s. Much of the group's importance, apart from the huge success of it's first album, whic…

*2024 repress* Lilith Records present a reissue of Caetano Veloso's Caetano Veloso (Irene), originally issued in 1969. Although Veloso had already been thrown in jail once for his criticism of Brazil's military regime, he continued to speak out against it on Caetano Veloso (Irene), with tracks like Irene, (about a machine gun-toting outlaw celebrated by the left). No wonder he would soon find himself in political exile in the UK. The general tone of the album is in keeping with its dire message …

Recorded and originally released only in Argentina in 1972, the album shows an exquisite and delicate dialogue between the guitar of Sebastião Tapajos and the percussion provided by Pedro Dos Santos that generates ambiences of unusual beauty and depth. It is a necessary addition to the much-hailed Pedro Dos Santos album “Krishnanda” in the collection of anyone with an interest in the most adventurous sounds of Brazil and also an essential work in the discography of Sebastião Tapajos. Includes th…

*2024 reissue* An essential psychedelic album and a must for fans of Tropicalia. Som Imaginário released a few albums during the progressive rock era which are also highly recommended but reissues are criminally unavailable.... The powerful grouping was a true academy of sound imagination: Wagner Tiso, Tavito, Luiz Alves, Robertinho Silva, Frederyko, Naná Vasconcelos and Zé Rodrix.Som Imaginário (Imaginary Music) is a Brazilian band from the 70s. They joined together to support Milton Nascimento…

Rich blend of Brazilian samba and Afro percussion, more like the jazz of Getz/Gilberto than the bossa nova of, say, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. An exquisite album, that stretches the boundaries of Bossa Nova.

Stunning private press album from 1981 by Minas Gerais singer-songwriter Fernando Oly. Fernando Oly is a musician who was part of Lô Borges' band and took part in the recording of the album "Via Láctea" in 1979. He placed one of his compositions among the album's tracks: "Chuva na Montanha," whose original version was also included on “Tempo Pra tudo.”

"Wonderful 70s work from Tom Zé! The record's a bit more straightforward than some of his other records from the decade, and has a number of tracks with a samba sound at the base – but there's more than enough fantastic material to keep the record fresh, and Tom's writing is as great as ever. There's a vocal group that sings with Zé on many of the tracks on the record – but they also seem to sometimes act as a Greek chorus, in response to breakaway vocal passages that are dominated by Zé. The wh…

With a few more instrumental solos than regular Lobo albums, Cantiga De Longe takes advantage of the genius of the arranger / instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal. The album has other stars, including percussionist Airto Moreira and drummer Cláudio Slom. There are several important songs on this album: "Casa Forte" (which would be recorded later by Flora Purim), "Mariana, Mariana," "Cantiga de Longe," "Zanzibar," and others. Not Lobo's biggest hits, but beautiful melodies and lyrics on an album with …

*2023 stock* Mainly known to DJs for the funk groover "Te Queria", Rota-Mar is the first solo album by the charismatic Zéca do Trombone. During a vertiginous career which started in the late 60s, Zéca was a permanent member of Wilson Simonal's band, toured with Luiz Eça's Sagrada Família (alongside Joyce, Naná Vasconcelos, Nelson Angelo and others), recorded the seminal Brazilian funk "Coluna do Meio" for his joint effort with Roberto Sax, and played and recorded for some of the big names of Bra…

Grupo Medusa was one of the best instrumental bands out of Brazil during the 70s and 80s, blending Jazz, African Influences and traditional Brazilian Rhythms. Formed By Chico Medori, Claudio Bertrami, Amilson Godoy and Heraldo do Monte. Original release in 1981 reissue for the first time Worldwide.

A lost MPB gem from rural Finland! We Jazz presents the first ever reissue of this rare 1990 local release by Brazilian duo Rosanna & Zelia. 7" EP with inside out 3mm spine sleeve. RIYL: Gilberto Gil, Joyce, Musica Popular Brasileira, bossa nova, bossa jazz Liner notes by Mikko Mattlar: "Rosanna & Zélia were a Brazilian duo of singers and musicians Rosanna Guimarães Tavares and Zélia Nogueira da Fonseca. They moved from Minas Gerais, Brazil to Europe in 1988, released five albums in Germany betw…

*In process of stocking* Gilberto Gil’s second album is packed with some of the best songs of his career; jubilant pop extravaganzas like “Domingo No Parque”, “Pega a Voga, Cabeludo”, and “Frevo Rasgado” that were equally inspired by the irresistible, brassy bombast of Carnaval and intelligent rock & roll from America and Britain. Even more than the other Tropicalistas, though, Gil blends his rock and native influences seamlessly, resulting in songs like “Ele Falava Nisso Todo Dia”, which chart …

Rubinho E Mauro Assumpção's 'Perfeitamente, Justamente Quando Cheguei' has to be up there as one of the finest Brazilian-psych-folk-MPB records we know. Unfortunately, it's very hard to find in the wild; even on digging trips to Brazil, an original copy rarely shows up, and when it does, it comes with a hefty price tag. This highly sought-after rarity was released on the Brazilian label Tapecar Records in 1972 and is the one and only album by the sensational pairing of Rubinho and Mauro Assumpçã…

Carolina is the Brazilian virtuoso Seu Jorge's debut full-length album from 2002. Originally released under the title ‘Samba Esporte Fino’, its release and subsequent international acclaim dovetailed with Seu Jorge’s ascent into movie stardom. He is probably best known outside of Brazil for his work on Wes Anderson’s 2004 film 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’, in which he played a starring role and his Portuguese covers of David Bowie records were a highlight of the soundtrack. Having initia…

A fluid, low-key effort, with less of the challenging, music box melodies of his earlier efforts. This is a record which eases its way past your ears (and I mean that in a good way!) It’s not sappy or unchallenging, but it is a lot smoother and less overtly avant than the stuff David Byrne loves so much.” – slipcue.com Tom Zé began his career together with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, and Maria Bethânia. As a composer, he influenced Caetano and many others and delivered an expressive…

"Vampisoul present the first vinyl reissue of The Silvery Boys's self-titled album, originally released in 1968. The Silvery Boys was created in 1965 in the district of Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, featuring a unique blend of organ, guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, and trombone. They became known as "The Famous Bandinha de Campo Grande" and released their debut album on RGE in 1967.At the end of the '60s, the sound of the garage beat and the bossa nova and samba coexisted smoothly in the repertoir…