Unmissable, eleven-minute version of this transcendent anthem; recorded at Columbia Studios, New York in 1977, for the as-yet-unreleased Natureza album, with Claus Ogerman at the helm.

‘On every track the frenetic energy in the studio is palpable, giving the recordings a beautifully personal feel and a sense of the phenomenally creative vision Bertrami, Malheiros and Conti were realising at the time. Fifty years on, Azymuth’s earliest recorded music retains an ineffable, futuristic quality, standing amongst their most captivating and moving work.’

The genre-slaying, polyharmonic, polyrhythmic ‘universal music’ of Hermeto Pascoal and his bassist Itibere Zwarg, performed in 2001 by a workshop comprising twenty-nine of Rio de Janeiro’s most exceptional young musicians.
An overlooked masterpiece amongst recent Brazilian recordings: invigorating and marvellous; warmly recommended.

Eumir Deodato and his group Os Catedráticos.
‘The magical, hazy sound of sixties Rio, with monster samba grooves, scorching organ solos and big brass arrangements (featuring trombonist Edson Maciel); all buoyed by the hip rhythms of drummer Wilson Das Neves and Ruebens Bassini on percussion. Besides Deodato’s own, there are compositions by Marcos Valle, Baden Powell and Luiz Bonfa.’