Search - Various Artists :: Sangue Latino: Classic Brasilian Jazz Funk Groups

Great CD in a great series!

Pink Noodle | Duncanville, TX USA | 01/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"from ClubBrasil website:



'Club Brasil' are a collection of talented musicians based in the London, England area. Inspired by their mentor and Brazilian music fan Mitch Mitchell they have released this collection of funky Brazilian cuts entitled 'Sangue Latino'. Fronting the band along with some other excellent female vocalists is the founder of the 'Vida Nova' band, Lisa Brown. Producer Mitch has also enrolled the vocal talents of Guida De Palma, Heidi Leonore and the very impressive Ive Mendes.



Some other commonality with Vida Nova is the very talented John Crawford on keyboards, Finn Peters on flute / sax and Tristan Banks on drums, I just love the Fender Rhodes playing on the album which is reminiscent of Eumir Deodato on his great 'Love Island' set with George Benson from 1977. Naturally enough being a Brazilian album one would expect the rhythm section to cook and Tristan Banks and Oli Albergaria Savill provide this funky bossa backdrop to this ten track extravaganza.



Bernardo Savill provides a Oscar Castro Neves, Ricardo Silvieri guitar style on Aldeia De Ogum which is an uptempo album opener from the Marissa Monte school of Brazilian jazz and provides an impressive interplay between keyboard and a Hubert Laws / Dave Valentine sounding flute.



Having grown up in the sixties to the sound of Astrud Gilberto and the front girls with Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, namely Lani Hall, Gracinha Leporace and Bonnie Bowden the two killer cuts for me on the album are 'Sangue Latino' and 'Mania De Voce' both sung by Ive Mendes in Portugese. These remind me of the Mendes album 'What The World Needs Now' from 1969.



Two of the albums surprises were Djavan's 'Sina' which is the Brazilian original of Manhattan Transfer's English sung hit 'Soul Food To Go' track from their own 1987 'Brasil' album and a cover of Roy Ayers' cult smash 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine'. The former sung in Portugese by Guida De Palma oudes the class of a Sylvia Telles. The latter sung by Heidi Leonore has that funky undercurrent of the original with a hard driving rhythm and vamping keyboard chord structure. Very danceable.



One of my all time favourite bands have been Azymuth with the magnificent Jose Roberto Betrami, Ivan Conti and Alex Malheiros and the Lisa Brown's lyrics to their classic track 'Fly Over The Horizon' ('Voo Sobre O Horizonte', the 'B' Side to their 1979 12" smash 'Jazz Carnival') is a dreamy, sun drenched not-to-be-missed trip featuring Lisa on vocal duties.



The beginning of the last cut 'Dabadeia' reminded me a lot of my very rare Sergio Mendes album called 'Primal Roots' and has a percussive Nippy Noya feel to it provided by Oli Albergaria Savill. It is a more traditional production to the rest of the set and epitomises the whole flavour and culture of the 48 minutes of this latin gem.



Definitely a project for Brazilian affectionados like me who appreciate the differing Brazilian styles throughout the years fused with funk and it is clear to me that it has been produced by 'like-minded' musicians who love the music deeply and are transfixed in its heritage and grass roots. I only wish we had more musicians and more of a following for it in the UK.



Wes Gillespie - EuroClubdeJazz.com







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Classic Brazilian Grooves!

All recast with a sweet and sparkling modern flavour. Sounding a lot like the best work we've heard from labels like Far Out and Mr Bongo in recent years.



Review from Dusty Groove USA



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Sangue Latino 1 Press Release





Club Brasil Records present the first instalment in a series of albums dedicated to some of the finest composers and songwriters from Brazil in the last 40 years.



This debut album Sangue Latino brings together the cream of Europe's and South America's most prestigious Latin Jazz musician's and singer's from bands such as Negrocan, Vida Nova and Group X, in a magical music collaboration.



A superb 'feel-good' album with some outstanding new versions of much loved classic Brazilian tracks. Included is a killer dance floor version of Joyce's 'Aldeia De Ogum' a chilled Fender Rhodes outing of Rita Lees' awesome 70's hit 'Mania De Voce,' a haunting melodic soulful cover of the title track 'Sangue latino,' and an outstanding drum and bass take on Gilberto Gils' maracatu Atomico'.



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