Thursday, June 12, 2014

NEW RELEASES: ASTRUD GILBERTO - JAPANESE ALBUM; JOEGE BEN - BIG BEN; JOYCE - AGUA E LUZ

ASTRUD GILBERTO - ASTRUD GILBERTO JAPANESE ALBUM

A lost treasure – and one of the rarest albums in Astrud Gilberto's career! The set's a special Japanese-only session – recorded in 1969, and featuring all new Japanese lyrics to a number of Astrud's biggest hits – plus some wonderful new tracks done especially for the session! The backings are all new too – and a great blend of light orchestrations and sweet jazzy touches, in a mode that recalls the hippest style of Astrud's late 60s Verve recordings – and which carries the tunes with a lovely groove that wraps you up so much, you hardly notice that you can't understand the language! Titles include "A Man & A Woman", "Life For Life", "Shadow Of Your Smile", "Street Samba", "I Love Old Love", "You I & Love", "Cupid's Song", and "White Waves".  ~ Dusty Groove 

JORGE BEN - BIG BEN

Brilliant early work from Jorge Ben – a set that shouldn't be confused with the US album of the same name, and which is one of Jorge's first few gems of the 60s! The album's got Ben stepping out with a slightly jazzier feel than on his debut – a style that's still heavily steeped in the guitar-driven samba that first won him fame, but which also features a fair bit of bossa-influenced instrumentation too – bits of piano, flute, and horns that echo with some darker colors and tones that really add a lot to the tunes! The backings are never too full – nor too full of themselves – but this added level of sophistication really helps push Jorge into a range of fresh new sounds – and that's saying a lot, given how fresh his music from the time already was. Titles include "Agora Ninguem Chora Mais", "Telefone De Brotinho", "Patapatapata", "Na Bahia Tem", "Jorge Well", "Deixa O Menino Brincar", "Bom Mesmo E Amar", and "O Homem Que Matou O Homem Que Matou O Homem Mau". ~ Dusty Groove


JOYCE - AGUA E LUZ

An amazing mix of jazzy vocals, sparkling production, and beautiful light guitar – the younger Joyce at her best – in a wonderfully uncluttered style that makes the record a treasure all the way through! Joyce sings and plays acoustic guitar – and gets these lightly jazzy backings that often feature a bit of electricity, but never too much to dampen the acoustic heart of the record – that great sense of personality that's always made Joyce unlike any other Brazilian artist we can think of – even though so many others have tried to copy her style over the years! Joyce did all the arrangements herself, Sivuca guests on one track – and titles include "Muito Prazer", "Samba De Gago", "Agua E Luz", "Mais Uma Vez, Mais Uma Voiz", "Banho Maria", and "Meio A Meio".  ~ Dusty Groove


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