Happy Birthday Jorge Ben Jor!

Celebrating the birthday of iconic Brazilian singer/songwriter Jorge Ben Jor with a few vintage performance clips worth checking. 

Jabras Mariz's rare Transas do Futuro EP from '77 getting reissued

Check out the Jabras Mariz 4-song MPB EP cut with keyboardist Guilherme Coutinho for Brazil's Erla-Estudio Rauland in 1977.

Here's the scoop from Mr. Bongo...

1000 miles away from the beating musical hearts of Rio and São Paulo in the late ‘70s, the Brazilian city of Belém gave rise to a little-known record label called Erla - Estudio Rauland. Though not prolific in its output, the label made up for it in quality and experimental offerings, with several records on the label now becoming sought-after pieces among collectors. One such release is the sublime four-track psych, MPB, rock EP by singer-songwriter Jarbas Mariz.

They say never judge a book by its cover, though on this occasion you pretty much can. The wonderful tripped-out ‘70s artwork by Baby is a sure-fire indication of the music lying within. Though the EP was recorded in ‘77, it clearly gained inspiration from the psychedelic hippy idols of the previous decade and could easily have been a soundtrack to an acid trip scene in an obscure Brazilian movie. 

Low-fi and quirky, there are moments of beauty and splendour but also hints of darkness; with a sublime balance of music and styles throughout. At points Jarbas will have you drifting through a folk flute daydream, the next moment a growling, psych-distorted guitar breaks and parts the calm. An ability to make those elements blend cohesively is where Jarbas’ true brilliance shines through.

Jarbas played, and still plays, with some of the key figures in Brazil's musical underground. Guilherme Coutinho (whose Guilherme Coutinho - E O Grupo Stalo album from ‘78 was also re-issued on Mr Bongo) features on electric piano for this release, with fans of his work being able to pick out his tones and playing style. Elsewhere, Jarbas also collaborated with the late great Lula Côrtes on the 'Bom Shankar Bolenath' album from 1988 and 'Rosa De Sange' from 1980. He was a member of the wonderful Cátia de França band and is a regular in the legendary Tom Zé group. 

'Transas Do Futuro' is a special record and one we are honoured to be reissuing in February. Pre-order a copy right here. Have a listen below. 

 

Zéca do Trombone's Brazilian gem Rota-Mar being reissued with bonus tracks

Altercat's update of Zéca do Trombone's 1983 Rota-Mar album comes with both tracks from his 1978 single cut with Azymuth!

Here's the scoop from Altercat Records...

Mainly known to club DJs for the funk groover "Te Queria", Rota-Mar is the first solo album by the charismatic Zéca do Trombone. During a vertiginous career which started in the late 60s, Zéca (born José da Silva) was a permanent member of Wilson Simonal's band, toured with Luiz Eça's Sagrada Família (alongside Joyce, Naná Vasconcelos, Nelson Angelo and others), recorded the seminal Brazilian funk "Coluna do Meio" for his joint effort with Roberto Sax, and played and recorded for some of the big names of Brazilian music such as Tim Maia or Martinho da Vila. Particularly for samba artists such as Alcione, Leci Brandão or Moreira da Silva, Zéca do Trombone was the trombonist of choice.

Originally released by Zéca in 1983 as a follow-up to his 1976 collaborative album with Roberto Sax – Rota-Mar displays the work of an established musician who has nothing to prove. Impregnated with Zéca's characteristic voice, the songs draw inspiration from the sea, love and bohemian life, and let us all dream of what life in Rio the Janeiro was during that time. "Te Queria", penned by Zéca's childhood friend Elízio de Búzios (known for his highly collectable funk/boogie single "Tamanqueiro") is the obvious highlight, although you'll find the real beauty of the album lies in the relaxed sea-side groove and MPB in the rest of the songs, including Zéca's superb take on Martinho da Vila's "Manteiga de Garrafa." The album's title track "Rota-Mar" was featured by Ed Motta on his popular 2018 compilation Too Slow To Disco Brasil... probably because it sounds like it could've been recorded by Motta himself. 

As a bonus for this reissue, Altercat are including two additional tracks, "Tema Do Brisa" and "Ave Anne," both sides from Zéca's sought-after 1978 single for Rio's Top Tape label, featuring the almighty trio Azymuth. Many rare groove fans will be grabbing this reissue specifically for the synth-enhanced club banger "Tema Do Brisa" which typically goes for $150+ U.S. on the collector's market.  

The new version of Rota-Mar comes with an 8-page booklet with bilingual (Portuguese/English) liner notes by Brazilian journalist Marcelo Pinheiro and previously unpublished pictures from the artist's archive. Check out "Te Queria" and "Tema Do Brisa" and "Rota-Mar" below.