The Brazilian Scene

by Various Artists

UK collection of rare and classic Brazilian recordings. The centerpiece of the Brazilian Scene is Ze Maria's much sought-after LP, TODO AZUL. The organist is a darker version of Walter Wanderley with an eerie, reverberated sound. The set is at least a stylish mix of jazz samba and bossa standards from the songbooks of Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes and Carlos Lyra, but the mystique surrounding the album must surely be attributed to the presence of seventeen-year-old Jorge Ben Caetano Veloso affirmed that 'Jorge Ben was not only the first great black composer since bossa nova, but more importantly, he was also the first to make his blackness a stylistic determinant.' Brazilian Scene also includes early recordings by another prominent Tropicalist, Gilberto Gil, songs from a fascinating 4 track EP originally released on JS records of Bahia. Gil defies easy classification. Over a long career, he has remained faithful to the musical diversity that was central to the creative principles of Tropicalia, that would be labeled 'cultural cannibalism'; samba, frevo, Jovem Guarda, choro, bolero, Anglo-American pop and rock an d avant-garde art music.