Astrud Gilberto - I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do (1969)

Beautiful bossa nova/vocal jazz from Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto. The perfect balance of melancholy, string-swept ballads and breezy, uptempo numbers. File the title track alongside "I Get Along Without You Very Well", "Most of the Time", and "She Thinks I Still Care" -- breakup songs in which the narrator goes to great lengths to explain how little they care about their former lover, thereby revealing the true depths of their heartbreak. Bought this LP today for (drumroll please) 10 cents. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, you've been great.

Track listing:
1. I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do
2. Didn't We
3. Wailing of the Willow
4. Where's the Love?
5. The Sea Is My Soul (I Remember When)
6. Trains and Boats and Planes
7. World Stop Turning
8. Without Him
9. Wee Small Hours
10. If (The Biggest Little Word)

He's got a problem if he thinks I need him
I couldn't care less now that we're through
I only sit home and I wait for his phone call
When I haven't got anything better to do

Also check out:

Brigitte Fontaine -
Brigitte Fontaine Est... Folle (1969)

Joan Manuel Serrat -
Mediterráneo (1971)

Egberto Gismonti - Egberto Gismonti (1969)

Lovely first album of jazz-saturated folk rock by virtuosic Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti. Laid-back and sunny but with plenty of energy, filled out by a percussion, piano, strings, flute, and a bit of Gismonti's sweet, understated singing.

Track listing:
1. Salvador
2. Tributo a West Montgomery
3. Pr'um Samba
4. Computador
5. Atento, Alerta
6. Lirica II (Pra Mulher Amada)
7. O Gato
8. Um Dia
9. Clama-Claro
10. Pr'um Espaço
11. O Sonho
12. Estudo Nr. 5

A series of portraits

If you like this, you should hear:

Joan Manuel Serrat -
Mediterráneo (1971)

Milton Nascimento -
Minas (1975)

Gato Barbieri - Bolivia (1973)

Previously on OPIUM HUM:
Gato Barbieri - Fenix (1971)

Sadly, saxophonist Gato Barbieri is one of many legendary musicians whose lives have been taken by the beast that is the year 2016; he died of pneumonia earlier this month. With that in mind, let's have a listen to one of his best and most beloved LPs, 1973's Bolivia, a collaboration with jazz-funk great Lonnie Liston Smith.

Track listing:
1. Merceditas
2. Eclypse/Michellina
3. Bolivia
4. Ninos
5. Vidala Triste

Into the unknowable

You may also enjoy:

Jan Garbarek -
Esoteric Circle (1969)

Doug Hammond -
Spaces (1982)

Marcos Valle - Marcos Valle (1974)

Beautiful psych-tinged Brazilian pop. Fits pretty much any mood you can throw at it.

Track listing:
1. No Rumo Do Sol
2. Meu Herói
3. Só Se Morre Uma Vez
4. Casamento, Filhos E Convenções
5. Remédio P'ro Coração
6. Brasil X México
7. Tango
8. Nossa Vida Começa Na Gente
9. Novelo De Lã
10. Cobaia
11. Charlie Bravo

The moment your head hits the pillow

More Brazilian excellence:

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (1968)

Milton Nascimento - Minas (1975)

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (1968)

A colorful fusion of bossa nova (and probably some other Brazilian styles of music with which I'm not as familiar) and psychedelic rock, with orchestral arrangements courtesy of Rogério Duprat. Think Os Mutantes. In fact, really, think Os Mutantes: they're Gil's backing band. If I knew what was good for me, I'd probably listen to this every morning, and be a happier, more successful person within a few weeks.

Track listing:
1. Frevo Rasgado
2. Coragem pra Suportar
3. Domingou
4. Marginália Il
5. Pega a Voga, Cabuelo
6. Êle Falava Nisso Todo Dia
7. Procissão
8. Luzia Luluza
9. Pé da Roseira
10. Domingo no Parque
11. Barca Grande
12. A Coisa Mais Linda que Existe
13. Questão de Ordem
14. A Luta Contra a Lata ou a Falência do Café

Come on, summer