Shannon's Select Sounds: Heading for Brazil

A scintillating array of Brazilian soul CDs steals the spotlight for this month’s "Select Sounds." From Putumayo’s coffeehouse collection, Brazilian Cafe, to the entrancing yet darkly tinged posthumous recordings of a 16-year-old named Yonlu, as well as a gypsy-gone-south reworking of Django Reinhardt covers and an urban favorite from the heart of Rio, Márcio Local. These four discs offer anyone familiar with the Getz/Gilberto era of ’60s Brazilian samba enough of an arsenal to be ordained in the new millennium sounds of this country’s rich musical landscape.

Putumayo’s Brazilian Cafe (PUT 292-2) delivers a dozen laid-back tunes from both well-known and undiscovered artists. The greatest irony is that a disc relaxing enough for daydreaming or dozing celebrates all things caffeinated, including a recipe in the liner notes for the coffee-dessert pavê de café. But such is the satisfaction of this music, which is at once uplifting, sensual, and mellow. While the album is equally balanced by male and female vocalists, it’s the contributions from women like Teresa Cristina (and her Grupo Semente); Rosa Passos, the national legend of bossa nova; and Ana Costa that shine brightest. On all tracks, languid Portuguese vocals take center stage, while the backing sound is balanced and inspired. This disc offers a full-flavored representation of Brazilian music simply for its diverse presentation of contemporary artists.

Parisian-based accordionist Ludovic Beier applies his love of gypsy-jazz (specifically Django Reinhardt’s music) to the bossa nova equation with Django Brasil (Le Chant Du Monde 2741733), a disc that proves the compatibility of the two genres as well as the universality of the legendary guitarist’s compositions. All of the great Django tunes are given a go, including "Nuages," "Minor Swing," and "Tiger." Backed by the professional accompaniment of Thierry Moncheny and Samson Schmitt on guitar and Matthieu Guillemant on percussion, the band plays each track with creative flair and undeniable reverence for the gypsy master’s sound.

The beat becomes vibrant and incessantly invigorating with Rio de Janeiro native Márcio Local’s latest disc, titled Says Don Day Don Dree Don Don (Luaka Bop 6 80899 0071-2-2), which effortlessly fuses multiple genres into a big musical party. Every song pops with funky percussion, conga lines, blazing horns and quirky vocal and key fills. Atop it all is the singing of Márcio Local, whom I can only imagine is a suave, hairy-chested playboy. His voice has panache and the ability to fluidly navigate between reggae, soul, funk, pop, and R&B. "Soul Do Samba" is stylishly global while remaining rooted in the classical rhythms of the Brazilian repertoire, and "Resgate" is a slow jam on par with R&B’s D’Angelo, but with heavy elements of reggae carrying the pulse.

Finally, the posthumous discovery of a wealth of songs from a 16-year-old Porto Alegre native, Vinicius Gageiro Marques, is both a celebration of life and a reflection on death. Despite an online following of fans who know Marques by his performing name, Yonlu, these songs reveal deep loneliness, which ultimately led to his suicide just before his 17th birthday. In his room Yonlu composed hundreds of songs by himself on guitar, bass, and drums, as well as sound effects. After his death his parents found a collection of his original material on his home computer, and they released it earlier this year as A Society In Which No Tear Is Shed Is Inconceivably Mediocre (Luaka Bop 6 80899 0070-2-3). Though a melancholy tone overrides each of the tracks, they also harbor a poetry and intensity that is undeniably beautiful. "I Know What It’s Like" explores feelings of isolation against an oddly upbeat pop backdrop, while other songs, such as "Katie Don’t Be Depressed," which attempts to lighten an oppressive angst, are truly heart wrenching. You’ll feel a profound creative loss for whatever Yonlu’s future may have held, but this collection celebrates the talent he shared.

. . . Shannon Holliday