South American Jazz/Funk

Long-awaited repress of a classic Mr Bongo compilation, compiled by Sean Marquand and Greg Caz, 2 DJs well-known for their epic parties at Williamsburg’s legendary Black Betty club, that sadly closed in 2009.

Buena Vista Social Club was released in June 1997 and has since come to be regarded as a classic, selling 7 million copies worldwide.

A transatlantic collaboration between five musicians from the UK jazz collective Steam Down (and DoomCannon) plus eight musicians from Colombia's folk, jazz, hip-hop, salsa and electronic scenes and groups such as Ondatropica, Frente Cumbiero and La Perla.

It is with great joy that we present the Mr Bongo edition of Marcos Valle's 1983 self-titled masterpiece. A pure vintage that features the ultimate Brazilian-boogie cult-classic 'Estrelar' and iconic 80s cover art that sees a gloriously sun-drenched Marcos dressed in a pink v-neck t-shirt surrounded by a generous selection of deadly-looking neon cocktails.

In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres.

The fruitful relationship between Brazilian music and American jazz took shape between the mid Fifties and the Sixties. 

África Brasil is a 1976 release by Brazilian artist Jorge Ben. It was Ben's 14th studio album and a milestone in his career with a switch to electric guitar and funk music leaks.

Recorded in 1978, it’s a latter-period gem from the larger than life legend, combining the glitz and glamour of disco’s heyday with Maia’s raw funk and soul roots.

Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music.

‘Buena Vista Social Club At Carnegie Hall’ is the second album released by the original Buena Vista Social Club™; this extraordinary collection of Cuba’s greatest musicians includes Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo, Cachaíto López and Guajiro Mirabal.

The music of Dom Salvador e Abolição is a funky and smooth blend of samba, soul, rock, jazz, forro and baião. The band’s sound was a major influence on the successful group Banda Black Rio. Som, Sangue e Raça still stands out for its catchy and groovy melodies and shows the wide range of the band. All this makes this samba/soul classic a must for all mu- sic collectors.

The 'Renaissance Man' of Brazilian pop, Marcos Valle (born in Rio de Janeiro in 1943) is a singer/songwriter/producer who has straddled the country's music world from the early days of the bossa nova craze well into the fusion-soaked sounds of '80s MPB and into the 21st Century.

Named after the small wood cabin at the bottom of their garden where the album was recorded, Cabana is a deeply personal record of memory, self-discovery and imagination.

Fun to dance to, listen to and be a part of.

An essential figure in the fusion between jazz and bossa nova, pianist and composer Sérgio Mendes has over 55 releases under his own name.

Another stunning compilation compiled by Bob Stanley. Latin Freestyle was a dizzying, passionate, ultra- modern music.

Gilberto With Turrentine is an album by Brazilian samba and bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto and American saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.

This wonderful self-titled album by pianist, singer and composer, Johnny Alf, was first released on vinyl in 1966 by Rozenblit.

Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio Caixa Cubo releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo

A fascinating audio-visual glimpse into the little-known sonidero subculture of Mexico City's marginalized barrios, featuring a wild soundtrack of old-school tropical bootleg dancefloor classics.

A majestic and magnetic classic where every track is a surefire winner.

Pique is the sensational debut solo album from Dora Morelenbaum, one of the key talents spearheading Brazil's new musical wave. 

The album features smooth vocals, rich harmonies, and vibrant rhythms, capturing the essence of the era’s musical Innovation.

First ever vinyl edition of Toco's "Outro Lugar", produced by S-Tone Inc., and including "Guarapiranga", part of the "Silver Linings Playbook" soundtrack, a film that awarded Jennifer Lawrence an Academy Award prize as best actress in a leading role in 2013.

Dom Salvador, released in 1969, is a landmark album by Brazilian pianist and composer Dom Salvador.

Recorded in Rio de Janeiro in 1959 and originally released on Phillips in 1960, this was Baden Powel's debut album.

Puerto Rican\-born Jose Feliciano had already been a major star in Latin America for several years with his Spanish\-language recordings when he spectacularly broke into the US mainstream in 1968 with an acoustic reworking of Light My Fire.

Reissued for the first time outside of Brazil, Todos Os Olhos is one of the most important Brazilian records of all time.

For the third release in our Mr Bongo Cuban Classics series, we reissue the iconic 1974 debut album by the mighty Grupo Irakere.

It’s the 25th anniversary of this criminally under-appreciated compilation of Brazilian pop music (New! More! Better!), so Luaka Bop put it on vinyl for the first time. 

On this 1970 album recorded in Los Angeles, Donato departs from his Brazilian bossa nova roots, incorporating an eclectic, and electric,                mix of funk, fusion and psychedelic pop.

This is the sound of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Salsoul is the 9th studio album by trailblazing Filipino-African American singer Joe Bataan, featuring his classic single ‘Mujer Mia’.

"Released in 1974 with a 'quadraphonic' sound. Brilliant songs by a cohesive band that knew how to materialize a memorable and original fusion project at an international level.

Venturing into unchartered dimensions, the album breaks with traditionalism and combines jazz and new electronic instruments into a contemporary concept that is both cosmic and sensual, a sound where timbre and space play a crucial role. Here, no track sounds like the other.

In 1974 Ana Mazzotti recorded her first album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar, enlisting the in-demand arrangement talents of Azymuth’s original keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami who co-wrote several of the tracks and plays organ, piano and synthesizers on the album. 

The intention was to create a screenplay in different settings and have short intervals between tracks - almost none - with songs with lyrics and instrumental songs as well. 

Previously unreleased 70s album by Joyce. Not long after the dawn of her career, as a teenager in Rio de Janeiro, Joyce was declared one of the greatest singers by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

In 1966, Bertrami went back into the studio, but this time stripping the format back to a trio set up. 

Joao Gilberto (1931-2019) was a true legend of bossa nova.

Since their debut album release in 1975, Azymuth have risen to rank alongside the world’s greatest jazz, funk and fusion artists.