RICARDO MARRERO & THE GROUP - A TASTE (first appeared on TSG in 1976 [illegal edition]) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

A taste of Latin funk & soul mastery from Ricardo Marrero – the wholly excellent Taste LP from 1976 – a record as legendary for its rarity as for the slow cookers and uptempo funky gems on it! It's wonderful stuff, and the kind of record that justifiably revered by the few who've had a chance to enjoy it over the years – a record that pushes the stylistic boundaries of 70s NYC salsa with it's impeccable jazzy musicianship, spacey flourishes, sometimes salsa and sometimes soul steeped vocals, and tighter, Latin funk instrumental passages. Marrero's work on the keys is totally top notch, but The Group more than earns its capital letter status, to say the least! Titles include "Tiny", "Algo", "And We'll Make Love", "Vengo", "Get Yourself Together", "Babalonia", "My Friend" and "A Taste Of Latin". CD version includes 2 bonus tracks: alternate versions of "Algo" and "Babalonia".
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The story of this album begins in New York during the mid-’70s. It’s a story of stolen master tapes, shady deals and records deliberately made NOT to be sold. It’s the story of the musical obsession of one man who has devoted his life to music and how he was sold down the river by unscrupulous record industry moguls. It’s also the story of one of the rarest, most in demand and expensive records the world has ever known, with only a handful of copies of this super LP ever being found. Demand for the solid music within has led to a bidding frenzy whenever a copy has surfaced – the latest one on eBay fetched £2855 – that’s an amazing $4000! Records don’t get much more collectable than that, and so we have no hesitation of awarding a coveted ‘Holy Grail’ status to this LP, the third in our acclaimed series. Why so rare? We spoke to Ricardo himself to find out, and his remarkable story is revealed in the CD liners for the first time ever. He speaks about the recording of the album and his disappointment at the stolen tapes, his ill-fated association with boxing legend Don King, and the making of the legendary latin funk anthem ‘Babalonia’, which underwent no less than 4 pressings[jazzman records]
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WALTER WANDERLEY - BATUCADA (VERVE 1967) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Fortunately, Walter Wanderley sticks mostly to Brazilian standards on Batucada, and though his lounge-organ sound occasionally veers close to the edge where cool jazz becomes easy listening, the album is well-recorded. His organ is occasionally more reminiscent of a hockey rink accompanist than a jazz improviser, but he slips and slides around on the keys and employs an endearing and quintessentially Brazilian less-is-more approach. Brazilian mastermind Marcos Valle guests on guitar, and percussion is well-handled by Paulinho, Dom Um Romao, and Lu Lu Ferreira. Talya Ferro's vocals on "Wave" are solidly in a jazz vein, though rather transparently postured to captivate an American crossover audience. Obviously, an album like Batucada isn't a prime example of Brazilian pop, but fans of Wanderley's work on Astrud Gilberto's A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness will enjoy this as background music.[allmusic]
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ASTRUD GILBERTO/WALTER WANDERLEY - A CERTAIN SMILE... (VERVE 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

When Astrud Gilberto (wife to the great singer and guitarist Joao Gilberto) sang the now-classic "The Girl from Ipanema" in 1964, she'd had no formal vocal training. It mattered little, as her laid-back sensuality overflowed through the song and propelled her on to several more musical projects. This 1966 collection with the small combo of organist Walt Wanderley, guitarist Joao Gilberto, bassist Jose Marino, and Claudio Slon on drums features Gilberto's reposed voice in such a seductive, warm light, one thinks they've died and gone to drink martinis in a Rio lounge. The album includes a mix of classic bossa nova tunes ("So Nice" and "Call Me") sung in both English and Portuguese. Astrud was as cool as a cucumber and her untrained, nonchalant grace gave her singing its unique charisma. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the world heard this sort of passive, detached persona again in the bewitching vocals of Cesaria Evora, proving once again that style and delivery are just as important as distinct vocal tone. Astrud Gilberto taught us great singers aren't made on a voice alone. --Karen K. Hugg
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WALTER WANDERLEY - RAIN FOREST (VERVE 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Walter Wanderley was a talented and gifted organist with an acute ear for new harmonies. With 46 recorded solo albums in his entire career, both in Brazil and the U.S., he reached number 26 on the Billboard pop charts in September 1966, opening a large pathway of success only menaced by himself and his complex character. Ten years after his death from cancer, with a new fad coming, he was repackaged by the entertainment industry as a mere lounge player, carrying his record sales even further and sending the cost of his out-of-print albums to the stratosphere, but all at the cost of minimizing his significance.
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The notes for this LP ask, "What issue is more topical than the Brazilian rain forest? So what reissue would be more topical than Walter Wanderley's Rain Forest?" Politically, this may be true, but musically, this collection is anything but topical. From the first tune -- the monster hit "Summer Samba," the listener is catapulted straight back to the '60s when bossa nova was new in the U.S. and everyone wanted a piece of it. Organist Wanderley made a big splash with this LP, which went platinum in two years -- and it does evoke strong water images, like "poolside" and "ice skating rink." The jazzmen are underutilized, since most of the tracks are less than three minutes long and leave little room to stretch out. One exception is the pretty Ferreira/Marconi ballad "Rain," the only track where Wanderley plays piano rather than organ and which features a fine solo by Urbie Green on trombone. On "Beach Samba," Green gets to noodle a bit, but Bucky Pizarelli is heard stating the melody and nothing else. Despite all the sadness implied in the song titles, this LP has a jaunty feel to it and will be best enjoyed by nostalgic fans of that bygone era.[allmusic]
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