Caliente y Picante: Latin Heat from Snap Crackle and Pop

Here on the South Coast of England it has rained non-stop for days and days.  This has given me the perfect opportunity to delve into the now extensive Snap Crackle & Pop archive and put together this mix of Afro-Latin sounds.  These tropical rhythms sound wonderful under our leaden skies.

Caliente y Picante by Mr Tear on Mixcloud

Tracklist:

01 Vou Chorar - Lucio Alves
02 Antonico - Elza Soares & Miltinho
03 Domingo No Parque - Gilberto Gil
04 La Estraordinaria - Qrquesta Henry Castro, Antonio Gonzalez y D'Argil
05 Ligia - Edmundo Arias y su Orquesta
06 Caracoli - Lucho Bermudez y su Orquesta
07 Grito Parrandero - Los Corraleros de Majagual
08 Juventud Flaca Y Loca - Lisandra Meza y su Conjunto
09 Amanciend - Adolfo Echeverria
10 Rodeado de Pillos - Lisandro Meza y su Conjunto
11 Tobaco y Ron - Orquesta la Sabrosa
12 Felix Llego - Felix Del Rosario y Sus Magos Del Ritmos
13 Monina y Ramon - Rafi Jr Y La Diferente
14 Oiga Mi Guaguanco - Orchestra Harlow
15 Los Hermanos - Elis Regina

Get it HERE.

Festival au Bresil - Various Artists (1968)

 

Supercool French compilation album of Brazilian tropicalia and samba.  I think you'll like it.




Tracklist:

01. Edu Lobo - Ponteio
02. Caetano Veloso - Alegria, Alegria
03. Nara Leao - Carolina
04. Luiz Carlos Parana - Maria, Carnaval E Cinzas
05. MPB 4 - Gabriela
06. Gilberto Gil - Domingo No Parque
07. Gutemberg Guarabyra - Margarida
08. Marilia Medalha - Diana Pastora
09. MPB 4 - Roda Viva
10. Mercia - Festa no Terreiro Do Alaketu
11. Elis Regina - O Cantador
12. Sidney Miller - A Estrada E O Violeiro

Get it HERE.

Jorge Ben - Samba Nova (1976)

Gorgeous, summery pop music from Brazil that has sounded superb drifting around my home on the balmy evenings we've been having recently.

"While many of the performers during the heyday of Tropicalia and the rise of MPB (música popular brasileira) opted for a more radical stance in their challenge to Brazil's political and cultural authorities, artists like Jorge Ben took a more understated approach. Rather than use overly theatrical performance to shock the audience or write songs loaded with political content, Ben became known as one of the country's great musical alchemists, a furiously eclectic songwriter who combined elements of indigenous Brazilian music with a groove from the west coast of Africa. Never a controversial figure in the manner of the tropicalistas like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Ben became one of the most respected and resilient figures in Brazilian pop. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1940, Ben took up bossa nova guitar playing after hearing João Gilberto but found the style too complex to execute. This led to his developing his own approach to the bossa nova that focused on playing the guitar as one would a bass -- his early recordings are in fact bass-less. His first big hit as a singer/songwriter came at the age of 23 with "Mas, Que Nada." The song's subtle bossa nova groove proved so seductive that it was quickly covered by a number of Brazilian artists, most successfully by Sergio Mendes. During the military dictatorship's cultural crackdown in the late '60s Ben, whose music wasn't scrutinized as rigorously as that of tropicalistas like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, was able to perform without too much trouble into the early '70s. Still, he felt the long arm of Brazilian censorship when a 1971 performance was stopped in midsong because censors felt as though Ben's backup singers were dancing too suggestively. Benjor It was from the late '60s to mid-'70s that Ben established himself as a songwriting force within Brazil. Over the next ten to 15 years he expanded his reach, with varying success, to Europe and America (he's more popular in Europe than America). In 1989 he released the album Benjor, simultaneously announcing that he was changing his last name to Benjor. During that same time period Ben realized his dream of working with prominent African musicians when he collaborated with Nigeria's King Sunny Ade, and also was represented on an anthology of Brazilian music compiled by former Talking Head David Byrne. Although not as politically radical as many of his contemporaries, Ben proved that in certain contexts and under unusually repressive restraint, music takes on a radical political dimension."

John Dougan, AMG

Tracklist:

01         Oba, Lá Vem Ela        
02         Zé Cangica        
03         Apareceu Aparecida        
04         Caramba! ... Galileu Da Galiléia        
05         Morre O Burro, Fica O Homen        
06         Vendedor De Bananas Cosa Nostra - Bicho Do Mato        
07         Paz E Arroz        
08         O Circo Chegoo        
09         O Namorado Da Viuva        
10         Eu Vou Torcer        
11         Hermes Trimegistro E Sua        
12         Errare Humanum Est 

Get it HERE.

Maria Bethania - A Arte de Maria Bethania (1975)

Alright folks, you're in for a treat tonight. I picked up this scratchy old gem in a record & tape exchange in Notting Hill a month or so ago and its been getting played to death in my house. There's quite a lot of crackle on this I'm afraid, but the sheer quality and brilliance of Maria Bethania's music shines through. The recordings on this 1975 compilation album are quite simple exquisite. Her songs are sophisticated and urbane, yet vibrant and full of emotion, romance and drama. It sounds like there's a fearsome intelligence at work here and maybe that is why she's one of Brazil's most popular and biggest selling female singers.

Tracklist:

01 A Tua Presença
02 Mariana, Mariana
03 Dia 4 De Dezembro
04 Maria Bethânia & Edu Lobo – Pra Dizer Adeus
05 Texto Nº1 De Fernando Pessoa: O Mar (Canção Praieira)
05.1 Suíte Dos Pescadores
05.2 Avarandado
06 Bom Conselho
07 Bom Dia
08 Drama
09 Movimento Dos Barcos
09.1 Baioque
09.2 Texto De Luiz Carlos Lacerda: Esse Cara
09.3 Bodas De Prata
09.4 Tatuagem
09.5 Texto De Fernando Pessoa: Volta Por Cima
09.6 Eu Sou A Outra
10 Sinal Fechado
10.1 Roda Viva
10.2 Rosa Dos Ventos
10.3 Cala A Boca, Bárbara
10.4 Resposta
10.5 Demoníaca
11 Coração Ateu (Da Novela Gabriela)
12 Janelas Abertas Nº 2
13 Olhe O Tempo Passando
14 Maria Bethânia & Jorge Ben – Mano Caetano
15 Maria Bethânia & Edu Lobo – Se Eu Morresse Amanhã
16 Cirandeiro
17 Minha História
17.1 Lembranças
17.2 Doce Mistério Da Vida (Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life)
18 Maria Bethânia & Chico Buarque & Nara Leão – Cantores Do Rádio
19 Iansã
20 Estácio Holly Estácio
21 Estrela Do Mar
21.1 Meu Primeiro Amor
21.2 Soneto
21.3 Preciso Aprender A Só Ser
21.4 A Lenda Do Abaeté
21.5 Oração Da Mãe Menininha
21.6 Filhos De Gandhi
21.7 Texto De Clarice Lispector: Luz Da Noite
22 Eu Fui À Europa
22.1 Gás Neon
22.2 Luzes Da Ribalta (Limelight)
22.3 Chão De Estrelas
22.4 Sinal Fechado

Get it HERE.

Elza Soares & Miltinho - Elza, Miltinho e Samba (1967)

Gorgeous, delicate and summery samba from Brazil. Try it, you might like it like I like it.

Tracklist:

01 Com Que Roupa - Si Voce Jurar
02 Beijo Na Boca - Moreninha do Pom Pom Grenat - Tem Que Ter
03 Boogie Woogie Na Favela - Bonitao - Eu Quero Um Samba - Pourquoi
04 Se Voce Visse
05 Todd Dia e Dia
06 Enlouqueci - Fica doido Varrido - Obsessao - So Eu Sei - E Bom Parar - Calado Venci - Vai Que Depois Eu Vou - Ja Vae
07 Mal de Amor
08 Antonico
09 Louco de Saudade

Get it HERE.

Mystery Melodisc Afro-Cuban Collection

I can't tell you much about this complilation album as I can't find anything about it anywhere on the internet. I can tell you that I was in two minds about whether or not to buy it, the lack of information anywhere on the sleeve or labels made me suspect it might be '70s easy listening faux-latin stuff, luckily that's not the case and what we seem to be treated to is a lovely collection of groovy Cuban 78s. And very good some of these songs are too. I can tell you that the version of The Peanut Vendor included here is a 1930s recording of the Havana Casino Orchestra, and Romantica Mujer is performed by Sexteto Tipico Habanera. Not that those names mean anything to me. More info would be greatly appreciated.

Tracklist:

01 Peanut Vendor
02 Babalu'
03 Chili Sauce
04 El Aguacero
05 Baionga
06 Baiao
07 India Inglesa
08 Tico Tico
09 Mi Cafetal
10 Brazil
11 Romantica Mujer
12 Maria Cristina

Get it HERE.

O Astro - Soundtrack LP (Rita Lee, Helio Matheus, Clara Nunes, Beth Carvalho and more)

This scratchy old record is the soundtrack to a Brazilian TV mini series from 1977-78 and it features some of the best Brazilian musicians and singers of the period, including ex-Mutantes singer Rita Lee. There's some pretty smooth stuff on here...lots of strings and really thick production on songs that range from slow ballads, to saucy funk and full on samba mayhem. It's well worth a listen.

Here's the opening credits from the TV show:


And here's a clip of Rita Lee looking pretty wasted in the mid-'70s:


This is some great footage of Beth Carvalho:


And this is the Tracklist:

01 Um Jeito Estupido de te Amar - Maria Bethania
02 Que Pena - Peninha
03 Saco de Feijao - Beth Carvalho
04 Estado de Fotografia - Vanusa
05 Nega - Emilio Santiago
06 As Forcas da Natureza - Clara Nunes
07 Bijuterias - Joao Bosco
08 Trocando Em Mudos - Francis Hime
09 Boi Da Cara Branca - Helio Matheus
10 Ambicao - Rita Lee
11 E Hora - Djavan
12 Olha - Marilia Barbosa
13 Enredo de Pirraca - Elza Soares
14 Mais Uma Vez - Marizinha

Get it HERE.