Josh Tautz was at the helm for this months Far Out Recordings show, playing a selection of Brazilica, MPB, Library, and Jazz. Dorival Caymmi, The Pearls, Les Etoiles, and more feature on the tracklist.

Far Out Recordings w/ Josh Tautz - June 2021

Canto Vampyrella

In 1975, under the oppressive air of military dictatorship in Brazil, brothers Lelo and Ze Eduardo Nazario invited bassist Zeca Assumpção to join their musical experiments in a basement under Sao Paulo’s Teodoro Sampaio Street. The trio had already been playing together in Brazilian polymath Hermeto Pascoal’s band, alongside guitarist Toninho Horta and saxophonist Nivaldo Ornelas, and it was while working together under Hermeto’s direction that the Paulista rhythm section (as they were then known) realised their own potential.

With many nightclubs and venues closed in the mid-70s and government censors dictating the output of radio, TV and art galleries, many Brazilian artists fled during the years of the dictatorship. But underground, Grupo Um were fusing avant garde ideals with contemporary jazz and Afro Brazilian rhythm; making phenomenally beautiful music which was wildly free and expressive - in stark contrast to the sterile, conservative conditions being imposed above ground.

Recorded in just two days at Sao Paulo’s Vice-Versa Studios, Starting Point was to mark the inception of one of Brazil’s most daring instrumental groups. But with a record so radically ahead of its time, Grupo Um struggled to find a label willing to release their debut and Lelo Nazario kept the tapes safe in his archives, which is where they sat for almost half a century…

Finally, this mesmerising piece of history is here, and it was only the beginning…

Grupo Um - Suite Orquidea Negra

The popularity of Brazilian music from the 60s, 70s and 80s has experienced quite the renaissance; artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Arthur Verocai, Joyce et al, have become household names to an international audience passionate about global sounds. However, even for die-hard fans and collectors of Brazilian music of the past, discovering contemporary Brazilian artists is not always easy, nor accessible. But, if you know where to look, you will see that there is a resurgence well underway that can be epitomised by an exciting new wave of Brazilian artists beginning to break through and gather momentum overseas. It’s with thanks to Sound and Colours, a website devoted to promoting Latin American music and culture, that we can help shine a light on one particular collective, bursting with creativity and camaraderie.

‘Hidden Waters: Strange and Sublime Sounds of Rio de Janeiro’ is compiled by Joe Osborne (founder of specialist Brazilian music platform Brazilian Wax) and Russ Slater (editor at large of Sounds and Colours). Focusing solely on the 'Rio Scene', rather than taking on the mammoth task of tackling Brazil as a whole, this collection presents 20-plus ground-breaking artists selected from Rio’s resurgent music scene. By presenting a snapshot into the pulse of the city and the vibrant musicians that live in it, ‘Hidden Waters’ collates tracks from a wide spectrum of musical genres from the avant-garde edge to bossa nova, samba, Candomblé, lo-fi rock, jazz and funk.

‘Hidden Waters’ showcases musicians such as iconic Rio mainstays Negro Leo & Ava Rocha, Brazilian jazz upstart Antônio Neves, critically lauded Avant-pop trailblazer Thiago Nassif, breakthrough artists Ana Frango Elétrico and Letrux, lo-fi psych rocker Lê Almeida, plus the Latin Grammy-winning Bala Desejo who are set to explode onto the world stage. 

The music featured on ‘Hidden Waters’ is unequivocally Brazilian, swelling with samba, bossa nova, funk, and jazz. But it’s within the album's blend; from sunny psychedelia to dusky synth-pop via experimental electronics, that marks the compilation as the sound of modern, multicultural Rio. Fans of Brazil’s fertile 60s and 70s will spot the antecedents in Tropicália. Not only in the experimentation but also through the similar political context: back in the late 60s there was Brazil’s military dictatorship, and up until the end of 2022 it was Bolsonaro’s censorious premiership. Here are a group of musicians writing and reflecting on another colourful chapter within Brazil’s musical history.

This comprehensive compilation comes with album artwork designed by Rio music’s leading album artwork designer, Caio Paiva. It features essays by professor and music critic Bernardo Oliveira and music journalist Leonardo Lichote, plus extensive notes on each track by the artists themselves.

Troá – Bandeide

Jonas Sa – Gigolô

ROSABEGE - SIGO NUM SITE - MÁRMORE

Thiago Nassif - Soar Estranho (feat. Arto Lindsay, Vinicius Cantuária & Gabriela Riley)

Pedro Fonte – Clichê

Far Out Recordings proudly presents the new album from Brazilian guitarist and composer Fabiano do Nascimento: Mundo Solo.

Recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles (2020) the album is fundamentally the sound of a man alone with his instruments.

Utilizing a variety of guitars, including 6, 7 and 10 strings, Oktav guitar and electric baritone guitar, alongside a host of pedals and synthesizers, Fabiano tracked imagined landscapes with expressive, expansive improvisations, which tend toward the more ambient and atmospheric reaches of his recent output.

Adopting Hermeto Pascoal’s concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one’s musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots.

After studying classical piano as a child, the Rio de Janeiro native discovered the guitar aged 10. Studying under his late uncle, Lucio Nascimento, he eventually left Brazil for LA, where he soon became an in-demand player for his distinct and authentic sound. He has since released seven albums under his own name and collaborated with renowned Brazilian artists including Arthur Verocai and Airto Moreira, as well as experimental US saxophonist Sam Gendel.

Mundo Solo (Do Nascimento’s eighth), was recorded in one take per track, with occasional overdubs and a few appearances from collaborators and friends Julien Canthelm (drums on Etude 1), Ajurinã Zwarg, (percussion on CPMV) and Gabe Noel (Bass on Curumim).

Fabiano Do Nascimento’s consummate mastery of his instrument has afforded him a freedom of expression few can claim. Blending the emotional with the elemental, Mundo Solo is a stunning snapshot of solitude and the beauty which can blossom within it.

Mundo Solo will be released on vinyl LP, CD and digitally on the 24th November, via Far Out Recordings.

Fabiano Do Nascimento - Etude 1

Horatio Luna Outakes: idopemine

from the LP Sharing Waves out World Wide June 1st

VINYL WAVES NOW SHIPPING:
www.stonesthrow.com/store/album/coo…e/sharing-waves
RIDE THE MARITIME BANDCAMP:
coolmaritime.bandcamp.com/album/sharing-waves

Sean Hellfritsch returns to Leaving Records with his second outing for the label as Cool Maritime. Sean is an active mixed-media visual artist, and modern modular electronic composer living and working in North East Los Angeles with his wife Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. 

Sharing Waves is all-expansive environments, and fully-realized worlds to explore and get lost in. A persistent sense of adventure and excitement is practically baked into the songs, many of them having been recorded in inspiring and remote outdoor locations using a nomadic studio including a "lunchbox" modular system. The narrative flair of this instrumental music comes naturally to Hellfritsch, who is also an accomplished filmmaker. What you hear is musical ideas captured in moments of awe, happiness and inspiration. Although the sounds are largely electronic, the feeling is organic, with lush arrangements that breathe and breaststroke their way gracefully through the open air. Illustrative song titles like "Forest Bathing" and "Secret Caves" evoke inviting landscapes of reflection and resonance. Pristine and glassy droplets of sound pitter over damp and mossy beds of emotional chords and feelings, as escape turns inwards. 

In an interesting contrast to the nature-heavy motif, a number of the tracks on Sharing Waves were the result of a commission to create pieces for a large outdoor plaza in downtown Los Angeles. This dichotomy of nature versus development makes for an interesting fold in these fully realized compositions. As for the album's title, Hellfritsch, who is an inveterate surfer, explains: "Sometimes surfing can be a competitive environment with crowded breaks and not enough waves to go around. The 'right of way' rule is that the first person to catch the wave closest to where it’s breaking gets it. It’s a known rule and everyone expects you to respect it – but the exception to that rule is that friends love to share waves. It’s a joyful experience to be riding this big undulating ripple of water with a pal alongside you. Such a unique moment of fun and connection and excitement that always sticks with me."

Be it in a beautiful natural environment like those of the albums' creation or shut away indoors, Hellfritsch says he'd love for people to experiment with different ways of listening. "My favorite way to listen is laying on the floor in a dark space with some nice speakers. The tape deck in my 1987 Toyota van while driving very slowly along windy, foggy coastal road would be runner up." This idyllic image of a reliable old ride propelling through an endlessly unfolding seaboard perfectly captures the magic and mystery waiting to be found on Sharing Waves. Hellfritsch says, "the biggest thing i learned on this album was to trust my intuition when making music and not spend too much time second guessing myself. Just go for it and have fun!" Tune in with an open mind, and dare to share a wave.

VINYL

Cool Maritime - Climbing Up

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

ROSABEGE - SIGO NUM SITE - MÁRMORE

Mr Bongo

Related tracks