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Canada's powerhouse afro / latin / soul / jazz collective, The Souljazz Orchestra, surface with a hard-hitting new album for Autumn 2015, Resistance, resuming their link-up with Strut Records.“We approached this album with a fresh ear,” explains bandleader Pierre Chrétien. “We were keen to build on the band’s sound and message, bringing in some of the French Caribbean and Francophone West African influences that we’ve loved since our youth, so the new album brings in French language tracks and elements of coupé-décalé, zouk and cadence to the overall mix.” In keeping with the band’s previous work, the band keep powerful lyrics at the heart of their music, delivering some biting social commentaries alongside messages of hope. Storming opening track ‘Greet The Dawn’ heralds a better way of life for the downtrodden while the manic ‘Shock And Awe’ celebrates people power with a wry reference to Bush-era military tactics. The Souljazz Orchestra remain one of the most solid units in their scene, retaining their original line-up since they were first formed back in 2002. On Resistance, they showcase their continuing versatility with saxman Ray Murray, percussionist Marielle Rivard, drummer Philippe Lafrenière and keyboardist Pierre Chrétien all taking on lead vocal duties on different tracks. “We originally started out as an instrumental band,” reflects Chrétien, “so this is actually our first all vocal album, a big step forward for us.” Chrétien himself also contributes the superb front cover artwork to the album, “I was inspired by the bold, stark, streamlined look of works by artists like Saul Bass, Emory Douglas, or Cuban poster designers - I love how they manage to maximize impact with a minimal amount of strokes and colours.”

Original Rio beach boy Marcos Valle returns with a Brazilian masterpiece. Evoking his Carioca sound - where expansive orchestral sweep meets beautiful melody and complex harmony - Valle mixes perfect romantic bossa-pop with cinematic brass and strings. This new recording explores a six decade career that has swung between pop, bossa nova, delicate psychedelia, jazz, and funk. Responsible for bossa classic 'Summer Samba (So Nice)' Valle has collaborated with Leon Ware, Sarah Vaughan, & Chicago, seen his track 'Ele E Ela' sampled by Jay Z for Blueprint 3, and his songs recorded by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Bebel Gilberto.EstaticaMany of these tracks sound strangely familiar, as if you've always known them, fresher and more immediate than ever in Valle's modern renaissance on Far Out Recordings. This album ' Valle's fourth original recording for Far Out ' features standout compositions including the instant classic 'Vamos Sambar', the infectious jazz of 'Bai'o Maracat', and the stunning duets and brass of 'Papo De Maluco'. Valle's cinematic orchestral 'Novo Acorde' and the rich psych incidentals show that Valle is as creatively inspired "by Rio, music, and a lifetime of travel touring the globe" as he ever was as the original Ipanema beach poet. Produced by Daniel Maunick (son of Bluey, Incognito), recorded, mixed, and co- produced by David Brinkworth (Harmonic 33), and with Marcos' unparalleled arrangements, aided by horn and string arrangements by Jesse Sedoc Vocals, Valle is brought back with a widescreen bang.Partnership with Far Out RecordingsJoe Davis' flagship UK based Brazilian record label brought together Valle and a host of famous Brazilian musicians in the early '90s for the legendary Friends From Rio series of albums, which breathed new life in to Valle's career. Working with producers Joe Davis and Roc Hunter he recorded three acclaimed albums 'Nova Bossa Nova' ('98), 'Escape' ('01) , and 'Contrasts' ('04) and saw his music remixed and by the '90s drum 'n' bass explosion & the hottest DJs & producers from Bugz In The Attic to Jazzanova, Valle has always 'stayed abreast of the times without compromising the spirit of bossa.'Marcos Valle's Extraordinary Six Decade CareerOne of the second-wave of early bossa nova composers, following in the footsteps of Gilberto and Jobim, he is 'the man who punched Marlon Brando and made millions'. Responsible for the bossa classic 'Summer Samba (So Nice)', written by the 21-year-old Valle as a tribute to the joys of life as a Rio surfer, it is the one bossa nova tune apart from "The Girl from Ipanema" that everyone knows. Made into a hit by Walter Wanderley in 1967, the song has been covered by hundreds of artists. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943, Marcos began writing songs with his brother Paulo Sergio (who wrote lyrics to two tracks on 'Est'tica'). As his reputation grew, he released his debut album 'Samba Demais' for EMI Brazil. It was his first release on Verve however that brought him well-deserved fame, 'Samba '68' becoming a Brazilian musical landmark thanks to tracks such as 'Batucada' and 'Crickets Sing for Anamaria'. The early-seventies spawned two Valle masterpiece's, 'Garra' and 'Vento', which combined the 'cosmic expansion of Pink Floyd with the orchestral sweep of Ennio Morricone' MOJO. From there Valle has written brilliant album after another and was even commissioned to provide the equivalent of the USA Moss/OZ magic for the Brazilian edition of Sesame Street.

'Acabou Chorare' is the second album from 'Novos Baianos', or 'New Bahians', who formed in Bahia, Brazil in the 1960's. They are considered to be one of the most important and revolutionary groups in Brazilian music.'Acabou Chorare' - translated as 'Stop Crying' - was originally released in 1972 by Som Livre after the success of their first LP 'É Ferro na Boneca’ in 1970. It is considered to be one of the most important and influential albums of all time, charting at number one in a Rolling Stone Brazil's 'Top 100 Brazilian Albums Ever' chart. 'Preta, Pretinha’ placed 20th in the same publications list of the greatest Brazilian songs of all time. Upon release, 'Acabou Chorare' stayed near the top on the album charts for more than thirty weeks, and received huge radio support across the country. It also became very popular in Europe shortly afterwards.The unique sound of this record is a result of the fusion of samba, MPB, rock 'n' roll and bossa nova, and strong influences from Joao Gilberto, who frequently played with the group, and bossa nova legend Gilberto Gil.The album was written by Moraes Moreira, Luiz Galvão, Jorginho Gomes, Assis Valente, Pepeu Gomes and Paulinho Boca de Cantor. After recording, the group moved to a communal house outside Rio, where Galvão apparently shot video footage of the group on his Super-8 video recorder, some of which is featured in this documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6J0bg9MdMo. Baby Consuelo was a member of the group - she went on to have a very successful solo career.In 1969, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso invited Pepeu to accompany them in their farewell show before their exile, the emotional 'Barra 69' concert.Gatefold single LP including replica 8-page, full size booklet.

The moment you put that needle down on "Ye Mele" you will know that you've lit a serious firecracker; that bold piano hook and silver harmonies have that instant classic appeal even if you've never heard it. A bona fide Brazilian classic. It's backed by a 68 track from the Golden Boys. A much more introspective fusion of late 60s American folk, Latin and Ennio-style original score music, full attention is arrested right until the stunning crescendo finale.

Mr Bongo's Brazil 45s series gets its rock on with two hairy grooves, both of which have enjoyed the sampler's crafty knives over the years. First up, Tom Ze's "Jimmy Renda-se" rolls with an oily sleazy groove that's peppered by a playful lyrical rhythm that transcends language barriers. Ben's "Take It Easy My Brother Charlie" joins the dots between Samba and very light Rock with all the signatures that made Mr Ben the legend he remains to this day with big vocal harmonies and infectious textures of Brazilian percussion.