Brazilian vibes...

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jww

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Can you all recommend any available artists with the Brasil 66 vibe/feel? I realize that we come here mainly because there aren't any other artists that are that close to the "winning combination of dual female lead vocals over a Brazilian musical background," or something close to that as described by Mr.Mendes. Is Flora Purim a similar sounding artist to Lani/Brasil 66? I tried to listen to some song clips on CDnow/Amazon/CDUniverse, but you can only get so much "feel" in a 30-60 sec.clip. What about Bebel Gilberto? I also looked into a Brazilian group Zuco 130, with a Portuguese-singing Brazilian lead, over Drum/Bass style music. I don't mind "new-school" style Bass/Drum/Synth style, as long as its roots don't get lost in translation...
... awaiting further instructions, online... :D JWW
 
There isn't much else like the Brasil '66 sound. There was a clone Brasil '66 band, Bossa Rio, that Sergio produced for A&M. (It wasn't the same band as an earlier Bossa Rio that Sergio played in before A&M.) This band had one A&M album, and then I think another one for Blue Thumb. Some here like it, but I cringe when I play it because it's such an obvious rip-off of the B66 formula. There are some genuine Brazilian tracks that I do like, but the trite cover versions of songs like "That Old Devil Moon" and "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" make me lunge for the remote. (Had they stuck to all Brazilian songs, I think it would have made for a better album.) Notable: Gracinha Leporace does vocals, and Manfredo Fest is on piano. (I like Fest's own recordings far better--he's an exciting pianist!)

There are some other artists I like that don't fit the B66 formula but still have traces of Brazil. I'm fond of some of Astrud Gilberto's recordings, my favorite being A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, which features the Walter Wanderley Trio. Some of Tamba 4/Tamba Trio's recordings sound like Brasil '66 or Mendes in a more adventurous, jazzy mode.

Even an artist as recent as Basia has some overtones of Brasil '66 in her work, especially on her earlier album Time And Tide.

-= N =-
 
There was one more copycat Brasil '66 clone called Carnival. That's the 60s group that put out one album on World Pacific Records produced by Bones Howe. There's a good bit of belief among Cornerites that both Janis Hansen and another former Brasil '66 member were in this group. The album's credits are poor-to-non-existent, but the picture at least LOOKS like Janis Hansen a bit. Their rendition of "Laia Ladaia" had some radio airtime in the Philly area, and I believe the album has recently made it to CD on some label. Dusty Groove has stocked it in the past. With the Bones Howe prroduction, it comes off sounding like Brasil '66 meets the Fifth Dimension.

One modern-day group that gives me a Brasil '66 feel is Swing Out Sister. A lot of their stuff has a Bacharachian feel to it, even though they record original songs for the most part. The group is really a duo, with Andy Connell handling much of the backing work while Corinne Drewery handles the lead vocals. Their most recent album, Somewhere Deep In The Night, camed out last year in Japan only. This year it's had a release in the UK, their home country. Best albums IMHO, It's Better To Travel, Kaleidoscope World, and Shapes And Patterns.

Harry
...from sunny Florida, online...
 
While many of the regulars here tend to disagree, BOSSA RIO comes very close to the B66 sound. You may also enjoy Tamba Trio/4 on A&M CTi (and other labels). I also enjoy Edu Lobo, and (to a lesser degree) Milton Nascimento...

--Mr Bill
 
Edu Lobo and Nascimento get more into an all-Brazilian sound. They might not be as ear-friendly as B66, but upon repeated listenings, there is a lot to enjoy there.

Not an A&M artist, but Djavan has made some albums I've really liked. I have a US album that reportedly combines his early albums Lilas and Luz. It's a mix of Brazil with a healthy dose of pop and jazz...it'd be like Mendes mixing the same ingredients into a different recipe.

One album that really floored me years ago was Manhattan Transfer's Brasil. I believe either Djavan or Nascimento guested on a track, but the idea was that they took Brazilian songs written by the "cream of the crop" of Brazilian artists (Djavan, Ivan Lins, Nascimento, Gilberto Gil), added rewritten English lyrics, and went at it. It comes off very well...I nearly burned the laser thru this one! :D Clever and original.

There's an interesting story behind the lyrics. The Transfer were looking for an idea for the album. Tim Hauser was approached by Doug Fieger who, yes, is the brother of Kevorkian attorney Jeffrey Fieger...but Doug is better known as the mastermind behind the rock group The Knack, of "My Sharona" fame. He'd offered to write some lyrics, and I believe Hauser gave him one of the songs to set lyrics to, thinking, "This ought to be interesting. :rolleyes: " Turns out the "Americanized" lyrics that Fieger turned out were quite original, and he ended up doing a lot of work on that album.

Well worth finding.

-= N =-

P.S. http://www.imadesauce.com
 
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