Jazz /
The Sea, The Space, and Egypt, Vol. 1
The Great Sun Ra’s Magic Lives On in Debut Album from Old Friends Michael Sarian, Matthew Putman, Federico Ughi, and Newcomer Ledian Mola
João Gilberto
*2024 stock* Brazilian bossa nova legend with his much revered self titled 1973 album. Rolling Stone called it one of the 100 best Brazilan albums in history, features Miucha on backing vocals and famous American jazz drummer Sonny Carr.
Jobim
Jobim is the eighth studio album by Antônio Carlos Jobim recorded on December 1972 at New York City. Though this is one of the more obscure Jobim albums, it did introduce what some believe is Jobim's masterpiece, the hypnotically revolving song "Aguas de Março" (heard here in Portuguese and English versions).
5 Na Bossa
The collaborative album 5 Na Bossa was originally released in 1965 on Philips Brazil and featured some of the top player of the genre. If you are into the sound of Nara Leão, Edu Lobo and Tamba Trio this is a magical encounter, bringing together Nara's soft voice, Edu's battering guitar and Tamba's swinging vocals. Featuring classic compositions like ‘Reza’ and ‘Zambi’ this album is a must have for any fans of the latin jazz legacy. The set was recorded live at the Paramount Theater in Sao Paulo…
La La La
Great seventies club sounds coming from Belgium by El Chicles. Rich in danceable grooves, erotic moods an other funky rhythms, this cd is success guaranteed in any go-go party! Nice new artwork from the Wah Wah Design dept.
Sinal Fechado
Of the early stars of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), Chico Buarque was one of the first to become a certifiable pop star. With his warm, nasalinflected croon, elegant phrasing, and considerable skill at lyric writing, Buarque (who is handsome to boot) became extremely popular with women, who loved his understated sensuality. In 1974, Buarque recorded Sinal Fechado, after having his music censored numerous times by the Brazilian military dictatorship during the ‘70s. By the time of this recordi…
Fenix
*2024 stock* The Flying Dutchman's second album, which shifted from the free jazz of the 60s to the passionate jazz sound of the 70s. As the title suggests, this is a popular work that combines hot brooding and melancholy with burning Latin blood. A Japanese version was also released at the time and is one of the most popular.
The Third World
*2024 stock* Gato Barbieri is an Argentine jazz musician who won a Grammy Award as musical director for the film Last Tango in Paris. The Flying Dutchman's debut album, produced by Bob Seale, boldly incorporates elements of South American music.
Poder Del Alma
Psychedelic Latin-funk holy grail from Nicaragua, 1974!! First ever reissue!! Poder del Alma (“Soul Power”) was a supergroup formed by some of the best musicians from the Nica scene. This all-star band of nine members was assembled to play at the famous free concert of Santana in Managua in benefit for the 1972 earthquake. After that successful gig supporting the Latin-Rock superstar, what was to be a one-night stand became the seed of the most loved Nicaraguan act from the 70s. All the members …
Poder Del Alma II
Impossible to find second album by this band from Nicaragua, 1975. A cool mix of Latin funk, jazz, salsa and psychedelic grooves. Including some of their most sought after tracks like “Bacanal’ 76”, “Mimo” or the antiracist statement “La Conga de las Dos Razas”. After recording their first LP in Guatemala, Nica supergroup Poder del Alma travelled to Costa Rica to register their second album. This time the recording studio and equipment (including Mini-Moog) were better and the band featured a ne…
Samba Blim
This is the second incredible album which the Brazilian bossa combo did in the US for A&M Records, during the brief time when they were expanded to a quartet from the original Tamba Trio lineup. This album can be considered a masterpiece that combines their original style with American sophistication. The set is completely sublime. A wonderful mix of the group's trademark harmony vocals and crackling bossa rhythms, with the warmly flowing CTI production style of the time – not funky like the CTI…
Azimüth
2024 repress. Azimuth was the blueprint for the band's own 'samba doido'/ 'crazy samba' sound. Released in the summer of 1975, the album was a minor commercial success selling around 200,000 copies, but it's now recognised as an essential piece of Brazilian music history. Surely the rawest and funkiest of Azymuth's albums, every track exudes the brimming energy of three exceptionally creative young men from Rio, with incendiary results. Opener ‘Linha do Horizonte’ – a sublime piece of melancholi…
Viagem
Light and breezy, pure and easy, that’s how I spent most of last week, and this album was a great soundtrack for it. Osmar Milito is an interesting figure in Brazilian jazz, having a hand in the famous Canecão club in Rio and playing with the likes of Sylvia Telles, Leny Andrade, and Flora Purim early in his career, and later on doing lots of soundtrack work for those venerable Brazilian exports, telenovelas. His post-bossa nova records are collectible for a reason: they’re damn good listening…
Tribal Dance
Los Angeles bass titan Henry Franklin is bestknown for the two Skipper LPs issued by Black Jazz in 1972-74; 1977’s Tribal Dance is more obscure and arguably the best of the bunch, the spiritual jazz given an extra propulsive dimension via the excesses of Sonship, banging complex rhythms on his elaborate self-made drums, as heard on the opening title track and the extended ‘Cosmos Dwellers.’ Elsewhere, ‘Eric’s Tune’ has flamenco undercurrents, ‘Spring Song’ is a slow piano meditation, and ‘Prime …
Ritual
Black Vinyl edition. Reproduced in original style packaging and pressed on black vinyl. Mastered from original tape. Belgium, not the first place you’d think of when it comes to Latin or Afro funk. Yet one of the greatest records to blend both styles came from the small northern European country, masterminded by Nico Gomez and his Afro Percussion Inc. Ritual was originally released in 1971 on the Dutch label Omega International (Gomez was born in Holland before moving to Belgium in the late 40s)…
Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital
For the third release in our Mr Bongo Cuban Classics series, we reissue the iconic 1974 debut album by the mighty Grupo Irakere. Led by Chucho Valdés, son of Cuban pianist and bandleader Bebo Valdés, the band would go on to become of the most influential and successful groups emanating from Cuba in this period. Their debut ‘Teatro Amadeo Roldan Recital’ is an in-demand and incredible Afro-Cuban, jazz-funk masterpiece originally landing on Cuba’s state-owned imprint, Areito. One of the jewels of …
Maracaibo
*Limited Edition* Japanese drummer George Ohtsuka reunites with the Maracaibo group, creating a fusion of Latin influences on extended tracks that diverge from the smoother sounds of the contemporaneous scene. The ensemble includes Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and soprano sax, Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar, and Toshiyuki Sekine on Fender Rhodes. Special guest appearances by Miroslav Vitous on bass and Nana Vasconcelos on percussion and vocals add depth to the musical landscape. In contrast to other J…
Electric Byrd
Considered by some to be trumpeter Donald Byrd's last worthwhile jazz recording, Electric Byrd is a high-flying relic from 1970. This album can be understood as Byrd's formidable response to the musical challenges set down by trumpet-rival Miles Davis with his epic Bitches Brew recordings from a year earlier. Clearly Miles is the ghost presence here, with distinct echoes of his sound permeating the vibe of this exploratory set. Byrd demonstrates on his three originals that he, too, was a force t…
Spirits
New Zealand’s jazz luminaries have assembled to form an all-star cluster: The Circling Sun.
Elegua
Latin music, with all its spirit, all its intensity, and all its magic, expresses itself in the decade of the seventies as a cultural revelation. Europe recognizes, listens, and dances to our music, the United States jumps to the sound of it. Latin America is letting its roots be felt. Elegua is a part of this happening. It originated in Boston as a result of the collective efforts of musicians concerned about the direction to be taken by the Latin American musical forms. Elegua essentially deal…