Latin | Brazil 323 Items

Although perhaps not a household name like Sergio Mendes, Marcos Valle or Flora Purim, Bororó is considered to be one of the most important and talented Brazilian musicians of his time. Taking his moniker from the indigenous people of his country, who live in the state of Mato Grosso, Bororó steadily built his career for well over a quarter of a century, along the way performing live and in the studio with such legends as Gal Costa, Milton Nascimento and Caetano Veloso.

As mood changers go, this track is up there with the best. Last year whilst DJing with miche at Shapes festival in the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland, a breathtaking yet ominous Alpine sky suddenly became a picture postcard moment. The clouds parted and a double rainbow formed, as miche dropped Studio Rio's bossa nova remake of Bill Withers’ all-time classic 'Lovely Day'. From there, the dancefloor shifted gears and morphed into full-swing feel-good vibes, in a beautiful, spontaneous moment nobody could have planned for.

Mr Bongo now proudly presents a reissue of this brilliant, bossa-channelling Bill Withers reinterpretation from Studio Rio’s 2014 release ‘The Brazil Connection’. Masterminded by the German Grammy award-winning Berman Brothers, the project was born out of their deep love of Brazilian music. “Our goal was to bring the Brazilian joie de vivre to iconic performances by well-known artists. What would these classic songs sound like had they been recorded in the studios of Rio de Janeiro in the first place, with the best Brazilian musicians and arrangers?” the brothers reflect.

Capturing the life force of Brazil, the beating heart that is its music, they set out to find the musicians who would fit best with their concept. Landing in Rio in 2013 a series of coincidences led to them being introduced to their idols Marcos Valle and Roberto Menescal, who both agreed to come on board. The Berman Brothers also wanted to find some of the musicians who recorded with one of Brazil’s most influential composers Tom Jobim. “Fifty years after Jobim made the music that really defines bossa nova, we found that many of his sidemen were still active, including Paulo Braga of Jobim’s famed rhythm section. It was magic; everything just fell into place.”

There's no question that the original of ‘Lovely Day’ is up there as one of the most feel-good, spirit-lifting anthems of all time. Here the brothers, with the help of a whole host of Brazil’s finest musicians, rework Bill’s soul-fuelled groove into a bossa nova slice of sunshine. With the blessing of Bill and Sony, they were given access to the original multitracks so they could incorporate Bill’s vocals perfectly into the new arrangement.

Joy-injected horns and bouncing double bass blend with the smile-inducing samba flavour of Pretinho da Serrinha’s cavaquinho playing. Tying it all together Torcuato Marinao who worked with the likes of Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, completes the line-up as arranger of the songs.

The perfect end-of-the-night track, mood lifter or soul warmer, remakes don’t get much better than this.

Dionisio Ramon Emilio Valdés Amaro, better known as Bebo Valdés, was born in Cuba in 1918. He is considered one of the pivotal figures in Cuban music. Trained as a pianist, he also became a master arranged and conductor and worked with figures like Olga Guillot, Celia Cruz or Elena Burke. A trip to Haiti in the 1940s arised his interest in African rooted music, and on his return in La Havana, performing at the legendary Tropicana cabaret under the direction of Armando Romeu, he started including these rhythms in his sound becoming a prominent figure in Afro-Cuban jazz. He worked with big names like Joséphine Baker and Nat King Cole. He had been playing for ten years at the Tropicana when a bomb exploded very near his piano in the middle of his performance, he nearly died. He quit the Tropicana and benefited of the rising of television broadcast in the 1950s, getting even more fame in several Cuban TV shows until 1958, when he emigrated to Mexico first to finally set in Sweden, were he has Paramount in establishing a world taste for Afro-Cuban jazz. His career saw a big rebirth when in 1994 he teamed with saxophonist Paquito d’Rivera and, in a more mainstream way, with Fernando Trueba’s Calle 54 movie. He had kept busy since then until his passing in 2013. he is acknowledged as one of the originators of Latin Jazz and Afro-Cuban music.

The b-side wins again! Sampled to fame by Madlib for the mighty Madvillain album!

Celebrating 30 years of Far Out Recordings, Azymuth’s biggest club track from their groundbreaking 1979 album Light As A Feather is reissued on 12” vinyl, in its full length unedited form.

When it was originally released, Azymuth’s disco fusion worldwide hit “Jazz Carnival” stayed in the UK top twenty for eight straight weeks. It was used as the theme music for national broadcasts in Italy and even made it onto Top Of The Pops in the UK. Since then the track has become a mainstay for disco, house, and eclectic DJs like Kerri Chandler, Floating Points, Four Tet, Mr Scruff, Gilles Peterson, Dan Snaith and Danilo Plessow.

First released in 2012, the 10 minute, original full length unedited mix of Jazz Carnival sold out immediately and has become Azymuth’s most in demand dance weapon to date. On the B side, Ashley Beedle and Yam Who? teamed up to rework Azymuth’s 1979 proto house classic for the 21st century, which made the record even more sought after still.

The vinyl DJs have been nagging us to bring this 12” back for over a decade. So for our 30th anniversary, we thought we’d finally do it!

The 12” vinyl of Jazz Carnival (Original Full Length Unedited Mix) will be available as a limited Record Store Day 2024 vinyl release via Far Out Recordings.

This release comes on heavy-weight 180g vinyl. With all the cosmic energy and masterful musicianship you'd expect from the three-man orchestra, Azymuth rise from the ashes.

Arthur Verocai’s first appearance in the series – a double A-side featuring
tracks from his incredible self-titled LP, soon to be reissued on Mr Bongo.
Sylvia is a warm guitar-led instrumental orchestral samba, laced with
percussion and woodwind.
Na Boca do Sol is a firm favourite from the LP – a perfect mix of drums,
rhodes, vocals and strings.

For a very long time, we have been trying to re-issue this record; a true and complete album masterpiece in every sense of the word, considered by many people to be one of the greatest ever made, regardless of genre. Recorded at Studio Somil, Rio De Janeiro in 1972, the album was produced, arranged, directed by the self-taught, Arthur Verocai. Previously he had worked on many records in various capacities, with artists including Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins and Celia, but this album gave him the chance to do his thing in it’s most pure form. The 29 minute masterpiece, perfect in it’s arrangement and fusion of sonics, epitomises the sound of Brazil at the time; strings, guitars, pianos, break beats, bass lines, synthesizers, vocals from the wonderful Célia, Carlos Dafe and Oberdan (Banda Black Rio), plus percussion from Pedro Santos and Paulo Moura on sax. Bossa nova, samba, jazz, MPB, psychedelics and funk sit side by side effortlessly. The album transcends the genre of Brazilian music, and infact all genres. Highlighted in part by the number of artists that have sampled from it; MF Doom, Ludacris & Common, Little Brother, Jneiro Jarel aka Dr Who Dat?, Dibiase and Action Bronson amongst others. The original Continental version of the album now fetch around $2000. Our definitive re-issue is an exact replica of the gatefold original LP and the source master is taken from the Continental tapes, re-mastered in 2012 under Arthur’s supervision.

Three Trumpets is an album by the Prestige All Stars nominally led by trumpeters Art Farmer, Donald Byrd and Idrees Sulieman, recorded in 1957 and released on the New Jazz label. With a fine rhythm section (comprised of pianist Hod O'Brien, bassist Addison Farmer, and drummer Ed Thigpen), the brassmen perform five originals (one apiece from Farmer, Byrd, and O'Brien, and two from Sulieman). Although none of the songs caught on ("Palm Court Alley" is actually a blues), there are some fireworks during these performances.

Brazilian composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist, Rafael Arosa produces a pop dance sound without giving up sophistication in harmonies, arrangements and melodies.
Admitting to have one foot in the present and one foot in the past, Arosa has a strong influence on the synth disco and AOR / westcoast styles that were striking in the early 1980s.
In his debut album, Arosa features the participation of experienced musicians from Rio de Janeiro. A prominent partnership was the participation of Donatinho, who in 2017 released the album "Sintetizamor" with his father, João Donato (one of the big names in Brazilian music). Donatinho co-produces 3 tracks with Arosa and has built layers of synthesizers on various tracks.
Another prominent partnership was with Pedro Guinu, a talented keyboardist who co-produced 2 tracks and sings on the "Vertigem" track.
Among the experienced musicians who participated in the recording are also André Vasconcellos (Ed Motta, Djavan), Alberto Continentino (Ed Motta, Gilberto Gil), Pedro Mamede (Natiruts), Adam Nitti (Kenny Loggins) and Leo Mucuri (Anitta, Jorge Vercilo).
The album was mixed by Latin Grammy winner Fabricio Matos and mastered at Metropolis Studio London by Stuart Hawkes. Mastering of the track Stellar Smile was performed at Sterling Sound Studio by Chris Gehringer.
Besides musician, Rafael Arosa is a geography teacher and this activity is somehow reflected in some lyrics.

Still in shrink, but opened, with hype sticker

Brazilian singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Antonio Loureiro's debut album, originally released in 2010, is now available on vinyl for the first time! Antonio Loureiro, who was establishing himself as an up-and-coming young composer in the state of Minas Gerais by winning the Premio Bdmg Instrumental, a competition for prominent composers, released his debut album "Antonio Loureiro" in 2010 with full anticipation. The music seamlessly blends influences from Brazilian jazz predecessors such as Egberto Gismonti and Hermeto Pascoal, Brazil's rich musical heritage from popular music to folklore to the "Clube da Esquina," as well as progressive rock, jazz, and electronica. Antonio has released six records so far, and in addition to his own work, he has produced and supported various artists, and outside of Brazil he has performed with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Miho Hazama, Qururi, Hakushi Hasegawa, and many others.

"When Greg Caz and Deano Sounds teamed up to create The Brasileiro Treasure Box Of Funk & Soul they created a collection of vintage Brazilian music that stretches across the scope of funk, soul, and psychedelic. Co-compiler and Brazilian music aficionado, Greg Caz says: “Without necessarily having a central theme
other than funky nuggets from the first half of the 70s, we believe this compilation displays its own particular
sense of logic, and that these songs ultimately all sound fantastic together. Regardless of one’s familiarity, or lack thereof, with artists like Antonio Carlos & Jocafi, Os Incríveis, Toni Tornado or Celia, the material on these 45s speaks its own truth and justifies their inclusion here. Many of these were originally available as singles, while others were taken from albums, but all are guaranteed to find their way into many
DJ boxes and playlists.”

The stunning 45s from this set will now be available for individual sale. The series kicks off with Toni Tornado’s 1972 single Bochechuda b/w Aposta as well as a split 45 with the out and out rocker from Antônio Carlos & Jocafi (Quem Vem Lá) on the A-Side and the groove laden “Paz E Amor” from Os Incriveis on the B-Side."

‘2 Minutos De Um Novo Dia’ – pacey samba-funk-MPB that originally appeared on a 7” from 1969 released on Odeon Brazil. Soaring vocals, strings and horns over alternating full and half-time funk drum breaks. Very big indeed.

‘Candomble’ has been a resident in our DJ sets for a long, long time. A retrained, deeper opening section drops into drum heavy, rich uptempo jazzy-MPB. Super catchy vocal hooks and piano lines sit over the top from start to finish. Taken from their self titled album from 1975 on RCA.

Anilza Pinho de Carvalho, better known by her stage name Anilza Leoni was a Brazilian actress, singer, former ballerina and painter.

Balumba is uptempo samba jazz at it’s finest. Originally appeared on a very obscure 7” on Copacobana in 1967 entitled ‘Enfarte Musical / Festa Do Balamba’, and was included by Nicola Conte on his Viagem Vol. 4 compilation.

Sambalanço Trio were formed by Cesar Camargo Mariano, Humberto Clayber and Airto Moreira in 1960’s Sao Paulo. The group released some of the most important records of the period and in the genre of samba-jazz.

When the group split in 1965 Airto formed Quarteto Novo with Hermeto Pascoal, and Cesar Mariano went on form Som Tres.

Sam Blues is a Mr Bongo HQ favourite - uptempo bossa jazz fusion, taken from their self-titled LP originally released on Audio Fidelity (Brazil) in 1964.

Here at Mr Bongo we have been inundated with people asking us to reissue this release. Ana Frango Elétrico's petit cult classic masterpiece 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' from 2019, which was only ever released on vinyl and CD in Brazil and Japan, has fast become a collector's item.

Well received by fans, DJs, and reviewers on release, The Needle Drop expressed "Ana Frango Elétrico's authentically vintage fusion of chamber pop, rock, samba and jazz is a real blast!" listing it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2019. The album's reputation has been slowly building ever since, gaining a Latin Grammy nomination in 2020, and now solidly cementing itself as a gem of contemporary Brazilian music.

Across the albums nine tracks, Ana blends elements and influences from MPB, Tropicália, indie rock, punk and pop, forging them together with a sumptuous dose of her signature style. The finesse of 'Saudade' kicks off the LP, one of Ana's most known tracks to a non-Brazilian audience. A sublime opener, beginning with a spellbinding piano solo before transcending into a beautiful dream-laden slice of warmth, complete with luscious jazzy horns and deft vocal delivery. ‘Promessa e previsões’ follows, the only track on the album not to be written by Ana, instead being penned by Chico França. It’s a swelling and sweeping twilight groover, building and breaking across absorbing peaks.

Other highlights on the album include the anthemic 'Chocolate', which was a firm favourite with a packed sing-along crowd when we heard Ana perform it live. Elsewhere, 'Se No Cinema' hits with its quirky allure, charm and catchy melodies before transforming into a carnival spirit.

Tapping into the richness of Brazil’s new wave of musical energy, the album also includes a heavyweight lineup of collaborations with artists such as Dora Morelenbaum (Bala Desejo), Tim Bernardes, Antonio Neves and Guilherme Lirio to name but a few.

A short, sweet and refreshing record, that leaves nothing to waste, marrying playful ideas with poignant themes. 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' is a future classic and will beguile fans of ‘70s Brazilian recordings, Gal Costa, Mac DeMarco, Stereolab, Superorganism, Caetano Veloso and more.

Here at Mr Bongo we have been inundated with people asking us to reissue this release. Ana Frango Elétrico's petit cult classic masterpiece 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' from 2019, which was only ever released on vinyl and CD in Brazil and Japan, has fast become a collector's item.

Well received by fans, DJs, and reviewers on release, The Needle Drop expressed "Ana Frango Elétrico's authentically vintage fusion of chamber pop, rock, samba and jazz is a real blast!" listing it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2019. The album's reputation has been slowly building ever since, gaining a Latin Grammy nomination in 2020, and now solidly cementing itself as a gem of contemporary Brazilian music.

Across the albums nine tracks, Ana blends elements and influences from MPB, Tropicália, indie rock, punk and pop, forging them together with a sumptuous dose of her signature style. The finesse of 'Saudade' kicks off the LP, one of Ana's most known tracks to a non-Brazilian audience. A sublime opener, beginning with a spellbinding piano solo before transcending into a beautiful dream-laden slice of warmth, complete with luscious jazzy horns and deft vocal delivery. ‘Promessa e previsões’ follows, the only track on the album not to be written by Ana, instead being penned by Chico França. It’s a swelling and sweeping twilight groover, building and breaking across absorbing peaks.

Other highlights on the album include the anthemic 'Chocolate', which was a firm favourite with a packed sing-along crowd when we heard Ana perform it live. Elsewhere, 'Se No Cinema' hits with its quirky allure, charm and catchy melodies before transforming into a carnival spirit.

Tapping into the richness of Brazil’s new wave of musical energy, the album also includes a heavyweight lineup of collaborations with artists such as Dora Morelenbaum (Bala Desejo), Tim Bernardes, Antonio Neves and Guilherme Lirio to name but a few.

A short, sweet and refreshing record, that leaves nothing to waste, marrying playful ideas with poignant themes. 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' is a future classic and will beguile fans of ‘70s Brazilian recordings, Gal Costa, Mac DeMarco, Stereolab, Superorganism, Caetano Veloso and more.

Here at Mr Bongo we have been inundated with people asking us to reissue this release. Ana Frango Elétrico's petit cult classic masterpiece 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' from 2019, which was only ever released on vinyl and CD in Brazil and Japan, has fast become a collector's item.

Well received by fans, DJs, and reviewers on release, The Needle Drop expressed "Ana Frango Elétrico's authentically vintage fusion of chamber pop, rock, samba and jazz is a real blast!" listing it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2019. The album's reputation has been slowly building ever since, gaining a Latin Grammy nomination in 2020, and now solidly cementing itself as a gem of contemporary Brazilian music.

Across the albums nine tracks, Ana blends elements and influences from MPB, Tropicália, indie rock, punk and pop, forging them together with a sumptuous dose of her signature style. The finesse of 'Saudade' kicks off the LP, one of Ana's most known tracks to a non-Brazilian audience. A sublime opener, beginning with a spellbinding piano solo before transcending into a beautiful dream-laden slice of warmth, complete with luscious jazzy horns and deft vocal delivery. ‘Promessa e previsões’ follows, the only track on the album not to be written by Ana, instead being penned by Chico França. It’s a swelling and sweeping twilight groover, building and breaking across absorbing peaks.

Other highlights on the album include the anthemic 'Chocolate', which was a firm favourite with a packed sing-along crowd when we heard Ana perform it live. Elsewhere, 'Se No Cinema' hits with its quirky allure, charm and catchy melodies before transforming into a carnival spirit.

Tapping into the richness of Brazil’s new wave of musical energy, the album also includes a heavyweight lineup of collaborations with artists such as Dora Morelenbaum (Bala Desejo), Tim Bernardes, Antonio Neves and Guilherme Lirio to name but a few.

A short, sweet and refreshing record, that leaves nothing to waste, marrying playful ideas with poignant themes. 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' is a future classic and will beguile fans of ‘70s Brazilian recordings, Gal Costa, Mac DeMarco, Stereolab, Superorganism, Caetano Veloso and more.

I am Álvaro Sosa, a bassist musician originally from Cd. Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico, where I grew up and which remains my home to this day. Since my childhood, I have felt a great passion for music, exploring various rhythms and genres. However, Latin rhythms have always been a fundamental part of my life, thanks to the influence of my family. Although I didn't admit it at first, I understood that these rhythms were part of my identity and were rooted in my roots. Approximately 10 years ago, the idea of a Jamaican music project arose in my mind, an inspiration that grew up since I discovered these rhythms that I fell in love with. This music fueled my desire to play an instrument, consolidating my dedication to this beautiful profession. However, due to my development as a musician and resource limitations at the time, I was unable to shape the project. My love for Jamaican music persisted, and accepting that I could not replicate its authentic sound, I decided to fuse the Latin rhythms I have known since my childhood, with Jamaican music. This is how the project was born, impregnated with that Latin essence, evident in each song and in the session format that gives me the freedom to collaborate with musicians I admire. The challenge for this year is to bring the project to live stages, an idea that was not initially in my plans, but given the demand of those who appreciate the project, I am willing to make it a reality. The new album follows the same concept as the first, a journey through Latin American Ska with some Reggae and Rocksteady as well, maintaining the essence of The Jamming Sessions. It includes new collaborations, more solid arrangements and an improvement in recording quality, because a work done with love and respect deserves the best. I’m sure that those who enjoyed Vol.1 will fall in love with Vol.2. Featuring 11 flavored songs, this album represents my musical passion evolution.