João (I Really Samba)
Artist: João Gilberto

Recent but classic jazz-bossa is played by one of its defining spirits. Vocally, Gilberto is in fine muttering form, communicating intensely with somebody in his breast pocket, and his guitar is as delicate as ever. This recording expresses the close links of bossa nova and jazz. Joao has Clare Fisher arranging and on some cuts playing... Read More

Brazilian Collection: From A to Z
Artist: Timbalada
Coleccion Mi Historia
Artist: Elis Regina
Punto De Partida
Artist: Amparo Sandino
The Man from Ipanema
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 8.00

Issued nearly a year after Jobim's death, this three-CD set is ground zero, the place to start if you don't have any Jobim in your collection or for anyone who wants a single package of his multifaceted art. The set encompasses not only Jobim's own sporadic work for Verve from 1963 until his final 1994 Carnegie Hall concert and the two A&M... Read More

Amoroso/Brasil
Artist: João Gilberto

Two of the influential João Gilberto's LPs (Amoroso and Brasil) are combined on this single CD. The former session is pretty definitive with Gilberto interpreting four of Antonio Carlos Jobim's compositions (including "Wave" and "Triste") and four other songs (highlighted by "Besame Mucho," "Estate," and an odd 31-bar rendition of "'S... Read More

Look to the Rainbow
Artist: Astrud Gilberto
Community Score: 6.00

For this CD reissue the music on singer Astrud Gilberto's album Look to the Rainbow is combined with half of the songs from her following album A Certain Smile. The former session was one of the bossa nova singer's best (11 perfectly suitable songs on which her soft voice is accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Gil Evans and Al Cohn) while on... Read More

A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness
Artist: Astrud Gilberto
Community Score: 4.50

It is striking how "dated" this record sounds. Even taking into consideration that this is a 1960s record, that is inevitably the first thing that any listener will notice. But ignoring the kitsch factor for a moment, one can recall that in 1966 when A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness came out, the bossa nova craze was at a peak, and the album... Read More

Metiendo Mano
Artist: Willie Colón
Community Score: 3.00

Salsa history in the making: the album in which Willie Colon introduced Ruben Blades to the wider world. An obvious classic, given Blades's subsequent history, but it's also a gorgeous album with Yomo Toro on two tracks (one playing guitar), the great pianist Sonny Bravo on two cuts, and ace percussion with Milton Cardona and Nicky Marrero. ~... Read More

Misa Negra
Artist: Irakere

Irakere has been heralded as one of the best big bands in the world. Propelled by a driving rhythm section and potent horn section, this Cuban band won the Latin Grammy Awards in 1979 and 1980. On this 1986 recording, the band sinks its collective teeth into a few originals, including the 17-minute, four-part title track, as well as a cover of... Read More

Everything Is Possible: The Best of Os Mutantes
Artist: Os Mutantes

The first major-label release of Mutantes material was this 1999 compilation, put together by longtime Brazilian fan David Byrne through his Luaka Bop label. Including tracks from the band's late-'60s and early-'70s LPs (available separately through Omplatten), Everything Is Possible is a solid collection that only includes 14 tracks but does... Read More