Haf is the third album from Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18 in little over a year, no mean feat in and of itself but especially considering Carwyn’s work with other artists (including Edwyn Collins and the North Mississippi Allstars) this year too.
The album picks up where their last (Fontana Rosa) left off, with around half the album being recorded analog to tape at Gizzard Studios in London, with one last tune remaining from their sessions at the legendary (but now closed) Toerag Studios.
There are echoes here of their first album, Joia! - the recordings were once again instigated by the great Brazilian producer and multi-instrumentalist who happened to be visiting London earlier in the year. He suggested doing something.... so they did. And there is a return to more definite Brazilian influences too - Tonnau Ar Tonnau is an homage to ‘Onda’ by Cassiano, Keep On Smiling has a distinct samba / chorro feel. Gwenyn y Gwanwyn (about helping a bee out if you see it struggling) is very much a nod to the psychedelic samba funk of Antonio Carlos e Jocafi. But other Latin styles still loom large: on the sultry salsa of Bella Estrella or the melancholic Andean ballad, Lagrimas Frias.
Anglo-Brazilian singer Nina Miranda features on the Lalo Schifrin goes samba Shades of Red, while new addition to the Rio 18 family (at least on record), Miriam Isaac adds a real RnB edge to the record, along with some beautiful duets: the Salsoul banger Como Te Amo and the gorgeous Whistling Sands (about a beach in North Wales) are standouts.
In reverse to how Carwyn made the first two Rio 18 albums, Haf was recorded in London
and Wales and mixed over five hectic days in Rio. Three days later, it was mastered and at
the pressing plant. Time doesn’t wait for Carwyn Ellis & Rio 18!!
Finally, the song ‘Haf’ and the album itself are dedicated to Haf Morris, Carwyn’s late music teacher - he says, “her focus, guidance and patience shaped me like no other. I hope she’s enjoyed my musical journey, from wherever she’s watching. Diolch, Haf”.
Shep is a new project from respected UK veteran Jay Shepheard, and it has already made a good start with some solid tracks and an even better title with the 'Higher States Of Nonchalance' EP back in December. This third outing on his People Pleasers label opens with the sleek synth warmth and curious melodies of 'Home Again'. 'A Box Ticker' has a darker vibe with daubs of synth, warped bass and jumbled percussion and flip side cuts 'Mongolian Samba Diaries' and 'The Lime Deck' up the energy first with some nice trippy motifs and then with a grittier, more heads down tech cut. Superb sound design makes this another standout 12".
Nick Holder’s Iconic ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ Finally Arrives Digitally with New Remixes from Jason Hodges and Trackheadz.
Definitive Recordings proudly presents a long-awaited milestone: the first-ever digital release of ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ by Nick Holder’s Fruit
Loops project, originally released in 1995 and repressed countless times on vinyl since. This timeless house anthem, a pure expression of discodriven groove, now returns remastered and refreshed — accompanied by two brand-new remixes from fellow Toronto house legends Jason
Hodges and Trackheadz.
The original version of ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ captures the raw magic of mid-90s house — a stripped yet irresistible jam that fuses classic 70s
disco sampling with a deep, rolling bassline and a straight house groove. It’s simple, it’s soulful, and it’s pure disco-house sexiness.
Jason Hodges delivers a playful rework that modernizes the cut while keeping its soul intact. His remix adds shuffled percussion, chopped vocals,
and a subtly reworked bassline — injecting a fresh rhythmic twist that stays true to the track’s roots while enhancing its dancefloor punch.
Trackheadz then takes the track into deeper territory, layering lush synth chords, organ lines, and sweeping strings over a steady, hypnotic build
— a masterclass in musicality and atmosphere for the late-night crowd.
A true veteran of Toronto’s house scene, Nick Holder rose to international acclaim in the late ’90s and early 2000s with releases on Definitive,
NRK, Stickmen, and Studio K7, shaping the sound of deep and soulful house. As the founder of DNH Records, he’s been a driving force behind
countless underground classics, including ‘Da Sambafrique’, ‘Trying to Find Myself’, and ‘Summer Daze’.
Jason Hodges, another staple of the Toronto underground, is known for his tough yet groovy sound that bridges New York swing and Chicago
grit. Having remixed the likes of DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter, DJ Heather, and Kaskade, Hodges continues to be a name synonymous with timeless,
floor-filling house. Trackheadz, helmed by Kaje Trackheadz, brings decades of experience in blending sweet strings, soulful brass, and deep club
energy. Responsible for underground staples like ‘Our Music’ and ‘Feel’, he has remixed everyone from Todd Terry to The Sunburst Band, and
continues to expand his vision through Trackheadz Records.
Nearly three decades on, ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ still grooves as hard as ever — now revitalized for the next generation of house lovers.
Grupo um celebrate 50 years with release of lost dictatorship-era album nineteen seventy seven!
First time release - vinyl comes with printed innersleeves
Brazilian avant-jazz vanguardists Grupo Um celebrate their 50th anniversary, sharing a second previously lost 1970s album from the vaults. Nineteen Seventy Seven (titled after the year it was recorded) is another rip-roaring instrumental fusion treasure from the band which spawned from within Hermeto Pascoal’s famed mid-1970s São Paulo collective.
Like their debut album Starting Point, Grupo Um’s Nineteen Seventy Seven was recorded when Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most repressive. “There were no open doors to those who dreamt to be protagonists in creative instrumental music”, remembers drummer Zé Eduardo Nazario, “even popular composers and singers had to submit their songs to censors and many records were banned and confiscated from the stores.”
Just like Hermeto Pascoal's Viajando Com O Som (1977) and Grupo Um's previous album Starting Point (1975), both of which remained unreleased until the 21st century, Zé Eduardo asserts that the 1977 album was flatly 'without any chance to be released at that time."
Recorded at Rogério Duprat’s Vice-Versa Studios in São Paulo, the group were under both time and space restraints, “we chose the small Studio B,” Lelo Nazario recalls, “which had a Tascam (TE AC) 12x8 console and a 4-channel AMPEX AG 440 machine. Therefore, we had to record without overdubs, everything straight to tape.”
Expanding from a trio to a quintet, original Grupo Um members Lelo Nazario (keys), Zé Eduardo Nazario (drums), and Zeca Assumpção (bass) were joined by saxophonist Roberto Sion and percussionist Carlinhos Gonçalves. Carlinhos, Zé and Zeca had already played together in the group Mandala, while brothers Lelo and Zé had just finished a stint backing Hermeto Pascoal during his years in São Paulo.
Lelo was deeply immersed in modular synthesizer experimentation during this period, working extensively with the ARP2600 and EMS Synthi AKS. These electroacoustic explorations formed the sonic foundation for "Mobile/Stabile," one of his first compositions to merge modular synthesis with Brazilian music, a fusion that would ripple throughout the Brazilian jazz scene. The piece premiered at the first São Paulo International Jazz Festival in 1978, performed by Grupo Um with guest trumpeter Márcio Montarroyos. In a shocking moment, festival organizers interrupted the show mid-performance, sparking fierce backlash from both audience members and journalists who denounced the incident as artistic censorship during Brazil's era of political and cultural repression. The version on Nineteen Seventy Seven is the first recording of the composition.
Nineteen Seventy Seven combines Afro-Brazilian rhythm, modular synthesis and a plethora of whistles, percussion and effects pedals. Album opener “Absurdo Mudo” - so titled for the absurd difficulty it poses to the musicians performing it - starts out in a cloud of mysterious dissonance, before the haze breaks for a glorious keyboard and saxophone interplay atop an uptempo samba groove. “Cortejo dos Reis Negros (Version 2)” (Procession of the Black Kings), based on the maracatu rhythm, inverts the traditional jazz song structure by beginning with improvisations, which are followed by the theme and a final coda. “The studio also had two Parasound electronic reverb units,” Lelo notes, “and the timbre is very audible on the soprano sax and percussion.”
Grupo Um’s daring music represents a manifesto of resistance during the dictatorship years, but it’s one which remains just as relevant today. As Lelo puts it: “For me, the aesthetic issue has always been about combining contemporary avant-garde languages with Brazilian music, independent of categories and commercial interests. The result of this fusion takes music to a new level.”
Recording credits (1977)
Recorded at Vice-Versa B Studio, São Paulo, November 9, 1977
Produced by Lelo Nazario and Zé Eduardo Nazario
Engineered by Ricardo “Franja” Carvalheira
Lelo Nazario – Wurlitzer electric piano, acoustic piano, signal generator, percussion
Zé Eduardo Nazario – drums, percussion
Zeca Assumpção – electric bass
Carlinhos Gonçalves – percussion
Roberto Sion – soprano sax, clarinet
Release credits (2025)
Produced by UTOPIA Studio, São Paulo
Project Coordination in Brazil by Irati Antonio (Utopia Studio)
Tape Restoration and Digital Mastering by Lelo Nazario at Utopia Studio, July 2025
Liner Notes by Lelo Nazario and Zé Eduardo Nazario
Photography by Jorge Las Heras, Lelo Nazario, and artists' personal archives
Photo Restoration by Lelo Nazario
Artwork and Design by Alessandro Renaldin
After making her professional debut as the cool, breathy voice behind the historic 1964 crossover smash “The Girl from Ipanema”, Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto became a major force in popularizing the bossa nova sound. Her understated yet magnetic delivery is spotlighted on this collection, showcasing her instantly-recognizable approach to songs drawn from a variety of sources—Brazil, pop hits and standards.
Already fifteen years that Cléa Vincent has been stepping on stage with that childlike fervor, that passion for pop and its elasticity, from her early days in Parisian bars to last year’s show at the Bataclan for the release of her third album Advitam Æternamour. You could say she needs no introduction, her name being inseparable from some of the most exciting work to emerge in contemporary French independent music. From the very beginning, she asserted her taste for spontaneous, candid, sunlit music, turning her songs not only into spaces of introspection but also into small capsules for dialogue. She collaborates constantly, with Kim Giani, Jeanne Balibar, Alison Wheeler, Jacques, NUSKY & VAATI, João Selva, Les Clopes…driven by a desire for sharing, for visions that meet and collide across genres. Alongside her work as a composer, she dedicates herself to giving a voice to the artists around her, notably through her show Sooo Pop, broadcast on YouTube in 2018 and 2019, where she welcomed guests as varied as Christophe, Moodoïd, Mathilde Fernandez, Katerine, and The Pirouettes. Like others of her generation, she claims the influence of francophone pop from the 1980s, but rather than being a successor to Jacno, Cléa draws from everything that shapes her era, fully plugged into the present, its faces, its energies, its collisions. She travels too, a way of reshuffling the cards of her inspiration, and her discovery of South America, of bossa nova and samba during her tour dates, became the catalyst for her series of EPs Tropi-Cléa.
Rich musical history of Yugoslavia reveals a long-lasting love for the music of Latin America.
Entwined in Afro-Cuban rhythms, ballrooms were shakin', swayin' and swingin', gathering musicians who were heavily into jazz bands and orchestras, most notably in Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Belgrade. Jazz could be heard on the streets of Split way back in 1919 when dancing became a symbol of freedom. Radio was the most loved household item, newest sheet music was in demand and collecting records was hip like today. In the aftermath of Second World War, jazz went underground but little by little, things changed and Ella, Satchmo, Dizzy and Miles came to visit, among others. Music festivals shaped the music for entertainment and variety of popular styles showed influences from all over the world. In the early sixties, one particular rhythm crashed on the coast of the Adriatic Sea: the rhythm of bossa nova!
In the whirlwind of various musical styles, Latin American music still played important part of the scene in the early sixties Yugoslavia. Beguine, tango, rhumba, samba, calypso, mambo and cha-cha-cha all found their place on the festivals inspired by famous Sanremo, festival of Italian popular song that largely shaped the musical taste of Europe. It was the era of instrumental rock, R & B and rock'n'roll - sounds of "imperialist America" now played freely on imported and hand-made electric guitars. While dancing halls had been turning into concert venues, bossa nova has come! Eydie Gorme with Blame It on the Bossa Nova and Paul Anka with Eso Besso (That Kiss!) tried to make us learn some new dance moves but it was Joao Gilberto's gentle singing and his new way of playing samba songs, along with Tom Jobim's modern dissonant harmonies and poetry of Vinicius de Moraes that created the magic. When American alto saxophonist and flautist Bud Shank visited Zagreb and Ljubljana in 1963 (with Boško Petrović in his quintet) "it was the first time we heard bossa nova!" remembers Stjepan Braco Fučkar. Jugoton, the biggest record company in Yugoslavia, released 4-track EP Bossa Nova by Bogdan Dimitrijević and his ensemble that same year! While not being fully accepted or understood completely, the archives of Jugoton reveal to us various interpretations of this new trend from their vast catalogue.
A stunning 7" cut from the iconic 1995 debut album by Italian-Brazilian crossover unit Brazilian Love Affair, led by vocalist Dilene Ferraz.
Side A features "Natureza Humana," a Brazilian dancefloor take on Michael Jackson's mellow groove classic "Human Nature," a perennial favorite on mix CDs and club floors.
Side B delivers an uplifting samba-bossa cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's party anthem "Star."
Both tracks are essential Brazilian crossover gems from the golden era of '90s club culture.
Raffaele Arcella, known under the moniker Whodamanny, is a hyper-prolific producer and remixer who has been active for many years within the independent underground electronic scene and beyond. Closely associated with the Neapolitan label Periodica Records, he has released and co-produced numerous projects, and since 2023 he has been curating his own imprint, Biloba, conceived as a platform to carry forward the legacy of the Latin Italo-Disco trend that marked many Italian productions from the late 1980s through the 1990s. Onda Biloba stands as a kind of album–compilation, bringing together the results of Arcella’s ongoing exploration in recent years — both in stylistic development and studio experimentation. The record offers a diverse and vibrant selection, shifting between potential “hit-not-hit” dancefloor bangers and more laid-back, downbeat digressions for blue-hour moments.
"Guerra Total Na Boca Do Lixo" is CAVEIRAS' new album, to be released on February 13, 2026. The album will include 12 brand new tracks, displaying the usual mix of punk aggression, batucada rhythms, industrial / noise bravado and bass music.
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CAVEIRAS deal in obsessive rhythms and low frequencies, infusing punk with Afro-Brazilian vibes. Their spiritual birth can be traced back to a visit to Favela Rocinha: while watching two young boys improvise a batucada with a bucket and a bin, band members became obsessed with the possibility of an occult alliance between Rio de Janeiro and Einstürzende Neubauten’s Berlin. Back home, Caveiras made a blood oath, vowing to channel the dark side of samba. Armed with an electric bass, scrap percussions and a machine-gunning sampler, they began to butcher Brazilian standards with a wild and iconoclastic attitude. Claves and rhythms of the Brazilian tradition are heavily treated through electro-acoustic techniques, dub-oriented bass lines strip melody down to the bone, while screams cross the line separating punk’s rants from Quimbanda’s curses.
The latest release from 45trio is a single dedicated to the legendary pianist Tenorio Jr., who was a leading figure in Brazilian samba jazz. Side A, "#Tenorio,"
was created as an homage to his works. With its lively rhythms and refined chord progressions, the track delivers a groove where jazz and samba intertwine,
infused with a contemporary atmosphere.
On Side B, 45trio presents their own take on "Nebulos"" a landmark of piano jazz originally released in 1964 and still celebrated to this day. With delicate touch,
rich performance, and inventive arrangement, they breathe new life into this timeless classic.
This work, filled with universal beauty and warmth, is dedicated not only to lovers of Brazilian music and jazz but to all listeners who cherish music.
Released as a strictly limited first edition.
Atsuko Niina's debut album released by Teichiku in 1983. All songs are covers of Western songs, with 9 songs having Japanese lyrics and only the fifth song having
English lyrics. In recent years, its reputation among city pop and Japanese jazz fans has skyrocketed, and it is now at a premium on the used market!
The album features Japanese lyrics for such bossa nova classics as "One Note Samba" "Ipanema no Musume" "Wave" and "Oishii Mizu" as well as American popular
tunes like “MR.Bojangles” “Asu ni Kakeru Hashi”. covers of such American favorites as "Xasas Xasas Xasas" and "Besame Mucho".
Sound production was done by Jun Irie, who was active as a member of Logic System, and arrangements were shared with Hirotaka Izumi, who was also a member
of The Square at the time. The Square and guitarist Kenji Kitajima participated in the backing.
The entire album has a high quality city pop and fusion sound, with the overwhelming highlight being the high-speed samba arrangement of "Man or Boy (Ipanema no Musume).
The most overwhelming track is "Man or Boy (Ipanema no Musume)" with a high-speed samba arrangement. It is a Japanese rare groove track that can be used in
today's club jazz scene as it is!
You can enjoy her ever-changing vocals on the innovative and typical fusion sound of the time.
Liner notes: Kenji Kitajima, Hirotaka Izumi
(original liner notes of the time are reprinted)
Original release: 1983 Teichiku GM-140
Original label: TEICHIKU ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Featuring 10 of his own compositions, Grossi's renowned virtuosity flows with deep sensitivity through various genres, reflecting the solid trajectory of one of the greatest instrumentalists and most creative musicians in Brazilian music. Collaborating with prominent names from both the national and international music scenes, 'Plural' showcases Grossi's music without borders, offering the world a glimpse of his extensive career. For this celebration, outstanding guests were invited to join the musical journey. Several tracks also highlight Grossi's sensitivity as a songwriter and lyricist. In 'Onde Nascem as Ondas', Ed Motta delivers a soulful ballad carried by his distinctive timbre. Zelia Duncan, sings a unique samba in 'Nosso Amor Vadio' with a captivating cadence. 'Chamego no Salao' captures the spirit of north-eastern Brazil and is brought to life by Lenine's vibrant voice and joyful interpretation, adding a playful tone with a jazzy touch. The art of improvisation is beautifully represented by 'Catarina e Teresa', an improvised composition created in collaboration with the legendary Hermeto Pascoal and dedicated to Grossi's twin daughters. Other tracks include 'Banzo', which showcases a rhythmic dialogue featuring Cuban pianist Omar Sosa. 'Motion', with the brilliance of both Jacob Collier and Seamus Blake, merges jazz and pop in a seamless melodic conversation.
With an open mind and without boundaries, he invites us to explore a vast musical universe, embracing art with profound emotion and passion. This is what you will hear and experience in 'Plural': a deep love for the art of sound and a profound respect for musical diversity - qualities that have defined his career.
Colin Curtis is back! with another finely curated selection of the best Jazz Dance Fusion records he could find. Volume 4 reflects a combination of new music unreleased music and tracks that have never been on vinyl before or not attained the recognition they deserve. Packed with great Jazz Dance music from the UK and all around the world. The whole purpose of these compilations is to introduce you to fantastic talent and allow you to then go and explore all their works and keep this movement moving!
With brand new & exclusive releases, extremely rare tracks and many only available on Vinyl for the first time from Brazil, Cuba, Japan, Italy, USA, UK and beyond. Showcasing another insight into Colin Curtis's world of Jazz Dance Fusion and highlighting the sheer diversity & talent on offer from Vocal Jazz, Salsa, Latin Spoken Word to Sambas & Fusion, It’s all Here!
Colin Curtis Jazz Dance Fusion Vol 4
Colin Curtis is back! with another finely curated selection of the best Jazz Dance Fusion records he could find.
Volume 4 reflects a combination of new music, unreleased music, and tracks that have never been on vinyl before or have not attained the recognition they deserve. Packed with great Jazz Dance music from the UK and all around the world. The whole purpose of these compilations is to introduce you to fantastic talent and allow you to then go and explore all their works and keep this movement moving!
With brand new & exclusive releases, extremely rare tracks, and many only available on Vinyl for the first time from Brazil, Cuba, Japan, Italy, USA, UK, and beyond. Showcasing another insight into Colin Curtis's world of Jazz Dance Fusion and highlighting the sheer diversity & talent on offer from Vocal Jazz, Salsa, and Latin Spoken Word to Sambas & Fusion, It's All Here!
"Fasten your Seatbelts for a Jazztastic ride !!" - COLIN CURTIS
i 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) feat. Klei
i 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]
[i] 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]
[i] 09: Chris Bangs & Nova Vida - My Only (Geemix) [feat. Klei]
Bebel Gilberto took the world by surprise with the release of ‘Tanto Tempo’ in 2000, a soulful blend of Brazilian and electronic music.
· Twenty-five years on, the album - widely regarded as one of the most accomplished works in contemporary Brazilian music - returns in a newly remastered edition from the original master tapes.
· The reissue celebrates Bebel’s international breakthrough and lasting influence, marking a milestone for an album that sold nearly a million copies and remains a touchstone in the global downtempo and bossa nova scene.
· The reissue will be available on digisleeve CD and double vinyl, both including previously unpublished texts and photos, plus a previously unreleased track only available on the CD, ‘No Return’.
'Mauricio and Horns' by Bossa Nova legend and harmonica master Mauricio
Einhorn is produced by Jacques Muyal, with the Idriss Boudrioua Orechestra
arranged by Rafael Rocha and with guest artists Paquito D'Rivera and Lula
Galvao
In jazz, we all know the harmonica master, Mr. "Baron" Toots Thielemans, but we are
equaly fortunate to have our "Prince", Mauricio Einhorn. His early contributions in the
1950s to the birth of the Samba Jazz movement in Brazil played a pivotal role in the
creation of Bossa Nova, a genre that quickly became an integral part of the jazz world.
The influence of jazz on Brazilian music - exemplified by the great Carlos Lyra in
"Influencia Do Jazz" - was so profound that local musicians embraced it to forge a
new musical identity. Many of Einhorn's compositions have become timeless
standards performed worldwide since the early 1950s and '60s.
Together with another giant of the scene, alto saxophonist Idriss Boudrioua,
Mauricio's music gets an even grander presentation than ever before. This time, he
teamed up with an exceptionally talented young musician: a big band arranger and
trombonist named Rafael Rocha, who wrote all the arrangements and conducted the
recordings. Rafael's arrangements are nothing short of magical. They are never
overdone, always respecting the beauty of the original harmonies while infusing them
with his deep passion for jazz. His trombone solos recall the phrasing of Frank
Rosolino, and he modulates the pieces with swirling harmonies that evoke the very
roots of Brazilian jazz. In every track, Rafael enhances Mauricio's elegant and
expressive phrases without ever overpowering the artist, creating a "wall of sound"
that gracefully floats alongside Mauricio.
