BRAZILIAN CDS

 MIKE MARSHALL & CHORO FAMOSO is gentle but danceable Brazilian music that harkens back to the 1940s when Jacob Dobandolin was giving Django Reinhardt a run for his money (albeit playing mandolin.)

 Some would describe this music as 'soft jazz', others as 'new acoustic music': both descriptions would be right, even though some of the tunes are over fifty years old.

 Most Americans associate the mandolin with bluegrass music, and that's just where Mike Marshall started out - but at 19 years old, multi-instrumentalist but mostly mandolin virtuoso Mike joined the David Grissman Quintet playing a fusion of bluegrass and Django Reinhardt-Stephan Grappeli style jazz, and has been playing fusions of bluegrass, jazz and other musics ever since.

 On MIKE MARSHALL & CHORO FAMOSO there's two completely different versions of backing musicians known here as Choro Famoso. 

 Both versions of the group feature nylon string guitar, clarinet or soprano sax, and percussion.

 On some tracks the group is larger but not louder, with two second nylon acoustic guitars and two extra Brazilian percussion instruments: a surdo (a type of drum associated with samba) and a pandero (similar to a tambourine).

  MIKE MARSHALL & CHORO FAMOSO holds great music for relaxing or gentle dancing.

 Many of Brazil's most popular singers and musicians pay tribute to one of Brazil's all-time greatest songwriters on COMPOSITIONS OF HUMBERTO TEIXEIRA.

 Usually when a project like this is done anywhere in the world, the artists update the music to  a more modern style - but that's not necessarily the way here.

 Most of these singers were either children or not even born when these songs achieved their initial popularity, yet the musicians chose to record them in a much older, toned-down style than what is popular today.

 Of course, other artists around the world have attempted this same thing , but few have succeeded like this eclectic group of Brazilians.

 Most if not all the songs are recorded live in a show format. It's not until 'Mangaratiba' by Cordel do Fogo Encantado that a more modern, lively style is heard.

 The drums are exciting, but the electronic effects and shouting seem out of place. Wagner Tiso did the arrangements and leads the band on piano and accordion.

 So many famous singers come together for a well-deserved project here: these kind of projects come to light in Brazilian music every few years and we're continually amazed how the Brazilian music stars always jump in with much enthusiasm to pay tribute to their home-grown heroes and causes. 

 Very admirable as well as delightful listening.

 Virginia Rodrigues is a protégé of famous Brazilian composer/singer Caetano Veloso, who produced and conceived MARES PROFUNDOS.

 The tunes here were composed by noted guitarist/composer Baden Powell and lyricist Vinicius de Morales and are in the form of a song cycle.

 Virginia Rodrigues is a big girl with a big voice who can handle the gentlest ballad or a semi-operatic piece with equal ability.

 Her early singing heroes were Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman; both famous African American opera singers.

 Marian Anderson also recorded spirituals and African American folk songs in an operatic manner: this is the style Virginia Rodrigues chooses to sing in, despite being raised in Salvador, Bahia; that most African of Brazilian cities.

 Even when singing the Axe songs of Bhaia, Virginia sings them in a beautiful formal style, much as Marion Anderson would have had she been born in Brazil.

 Caetano Velos occasionally helps out with a short vocal section of his own, his sense of swing contrasting with Virginia's formal style.

 Capoeira may be Brazil's contribution to the martial arts, but it's also a form of dance (slaves and free blacks hid their martial arts training in this highly energetic dance style).

 Like other forms of dance, capoeira developed its own musical style, and like so many other Brazilian styles, the capoeira is related to samba.

 Surprisingly, much of the music is rather gentle for a style associated with such physical effort among its participants.

 Ache Brasil is headed by Eclilision de Jesus, a master and teacher of Copeira which, by the way, is becoming a very popular exercise style for people worried about their waistlines.

 Photos of the band live in concert included in the colorful liner notes booklet sure are convincing: the troupe must be amazing live.

 As you'd expect with a Brazilian form associated with dance and martial arts, there is a great deal of percussion along with the guitar and other instruments.

 Elements of North American pop interweave with Brazilian and less directly with African roots throughout ECHOES DO MANGUE.

 Axe Brasil is currently based in Vancouver Canada: if you can't make it to Canada to visit, their lively and compelling cd is the next best thing.

 'Avant-garde art music' is the best definition for Orquestra Popular de Camara; so Brazilian music fans anticipating a traditional pop sound may be disappointed: pop it is not.

 The musicians of Orquestra Popular de Camara are professionals, from a music professor to a composer and all kinds of instrumentalists with years of experience in their traditions.

 All have worked extensively in the Brazilian music world, and here they explore tonalities on an all-instrumental cd, chosen as 'the best instrumental album' by the Premio Movimento Award committee.

 Don't expect the pieces in Orquestra Popular de Camara to sound alike, either: while the classical influence is evident throughout, the avant-garde jazz influences are also prevalent - and just when you think there's no Brazilian pop influence, a surprising samba will creep in.

 Recommended for fans of ethnic-tinged jazz, classical, and avant sounds.

 Moacir Santos was born in Northwest Brazil and holds an extensive knowledge of Brazilian instrumental music - as well as associations with a winning team of jazzy players: it's this knowledge and depth which lends to an easy listening experience in his 2-cd set OURO NEGRO.

 Two cds pack in the music, with new versions of instrumental and jazz standards providing the compelling arrangements equally applicable to a dinner club, casual listener or avid jazz fan venue alike.

 Santos supervised the recording sessions and provided many classic cuts, famous songs, and original arrangements.

 The result is an uplifting, highly recommended collection of lovely, technically powerful jazz pieces with more than a hint of Brazilian roots.

 Think you know Brazilian sound? Take a listen to Anastacia Azevedo and think again: here's a vocalist who limits herself to no influence: at once blending hip-hop elements into a Brazilian Portuguese sound, then adding near-salsa rhythm to the mix.

 Happiness and melancholy reflect the duality of Brazil: even though English listeners may not understand the Portuguese lyrics, the foundations of these tunes shine through Azevedo's voice.

 A contemporary Brazilian vocal workout at its best, don't miss AMANAIARA.

1. Bebel Gilberto
2. Cibelle

 Cibelle's unexpectedly modern Brazilian style is unbeatable: she sings all the songs, she wrote or co-wrote the entire disc, and she blends Latin jazz with electronica, samba, and Brazilian flavor.

 Imaginative percussion accompanies soft vocals - all tastefully understated in her song 'Deixa'.

 Cibelle sounds like no Brazilian ever heard before: her styles are impossible to strictly define and flow seamlessly between categories.

 'Hate' is very different yet again: singing in English provides a startling contrast to the purely Brazilian style of the two previous pieces, but the Latin bossa roots are still there, providing the background drive.

 You wouldn't expect an album with so many electronic embellishments to sound so subtle: it's to Cibelle's credit that she keeps a firm rein on what so commonly gets out of control on competing modern Latin albums.

 BEBEL GILBERTO's introductory song 'Baby' is sung in English with the crooning ballad-like style which marked her rise to fame with her first album.

 The piano dominates in 'Simplesmente', another soft English-lyric ballad.

 Then move to cut 3, 'Aganju', which has more of a Afro-Brazilian feel to it: sung in Portuguese and falling into a conga beat, the ethnic roots finally begin to shine in a compelling interplay between vocals and drums.

 Gilberto is so influenced by bossa nova that even those songs with a beat like 'Aganju' come across as smooth and subdued.

 'All Around' features a Japanese guitar player and another bossa beat lending to soft English vocals.

 Bossa all the way - even when she adds a diversity of rhythms - is Bebel Gilberto in her latest album BEBEL GILBERTO.

 You may think a knowledge of Portuguese  would be essential to a Brazilian hiphop collection: not so: even without such, BRAZILIAN HIPHOP shines with its blend of Latin foundations and new, modern singers.

 An almost jazzy cut by Saudades Mil, '509-E', follows with its melodic and calm alternative to the usual driven hiphop style.

 One of the glories of BRAZILIAN HIPHOP is its blend of rap, soul, reggae, jazz and other elements, keeping the music diverse and the songs evolving.

 Sixteen cuts: by the end the list has a solid coverage of the evolution of Brazil's diverse hiphop sound.