Various - Far Out Strictly Samba
(CD) Far Out Recordings FARO137, 2009-02-09

Conceived in Rio de Janeiro samba has provided the rhythm to Brazilian life for almost 100 years. Now revered across the planet Brazil's national obsession is literally religion. Bringing together the finest sambistas 'Strictly Samba' puts exceptional talents Seu Jorge, Roge and Teresa Cristina alongside legendary artists Elza Soares, Trio Mocoto, The Ipanemas and Azymuth. 'Strictly' is the second in Far Out's genre series and gives a real insight to a vast field. Brazilians devote themselves to Samba, hence we've kept it strictly samba.

Tracklisting :
01. Roge - Swingue Do Samba (3:49)
02. Seu Jorge - Carolina (5:51)
03. Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente - Foi Um Rio Que Passou Em Minha Vida (2:59)
04. Nereu Mocotó & Swing - Maria José (3:24)
05. Azymuth - Depois Do Carnival (6:10)
06. Zaira - Casamento Na Favela (2:32)
07. Aparecindinha with Grupo Batuque - Jongo Jade (3:45)
08. Dom Um And Jadir De Castro - Kaxcatribalim (3:00)
09. The Ipanemas - Era Bom (4:23)
10. Trio Mocotó - Beleza, Beleza, Beleza (4:50)
11. Arthur Verocai - Tudo De Bom (3:33)
12. Joyce feat. Elza Soares - Samba Da Silvia (3:23)
13. Teresa Cristina & Grupo Semente - No Pagode Do Vavá (3:28)
14. Grupo Batuque - Na Cadência Do Samba (2:36)
15. Roge - Brazil Em Brasa (3:30)
16. Armando Marçal - Sorri Pra Nós (4:29)

Links :
faroutrecordings.com
myspace.com/faroutrecordings
myspace.com/marcosvallebrazil
azymuth.net
myspace.com/azymuth
myspace.com/theipanemas
myspace.com/joycebrasil
arthurverocai.com.br

Press Release :
Conceived in Rio de Janeiro samba has provided the rhythm to Brazilian life for almost 100 years. Now revered across the planet Brazil's national obsession is literally religion. Bringing together the finest sambistas 'Strictly Samba' puts exceptional talents Seu Jorge, Roge and Teresa Cristina, who have revitalized the genre, alongside legendary artists Elza Soares, Trio Mocoto, The Ipanemas and Azymuth, who embody the timeless music. 'Strictly' is the second in Far Out's genre series, following 2008's hugely successful 'Far Out Bossa Nova', and gives a real insight to a vast field. Brazilians devote their lives to Samba, hence we've kept it strictly samba just in time for Rio Carnival 2009!

Samba is the synthesis of Brazilian and African culture telling the stories of the working class since the late days of slavery; playing samba allowed African slaves to worship without anyone realizing it. Samba is a myriad of sub-genres and 'Strictly' covers styles from jongo to pagode, from batucada to samba soul. Carnival and radio made samba Brazil's national music before Brazil's most famous Hollywood export - Carmen Miranda - defined it globally. Following a brief decline in samba's popularity bossa nova's success created a backlash, which brought samba back in the 1960s. Samba was cool again and the careers of renowned musicians included here such as Arthur Verocai, Joyce and The Ipanemas were launched, opening the way for the current wave of sambistas including Seu Jorge.

'Strictly Samba' brings some of the greatest Brazilian samba musicians to the party. Seu Jorge is the modern, international face of samba. Having lived on the streets as a teenager he turned his life around and has starred in acting roles including Knockout Ned in 'City of God'. As a solo artist Seu Jorge is celebrated and 'Carolina' typifies his ability to write great contemporary samba tracks. Roge is a true carioca, a son of Rio, and one to watch. 'Strictly' kicks off with his 'Suingue do Samba' (Samba Swing), a catchy homage to the force of samba. Teresa Cristina's debut album 'A música de Paulinho da Viola', paying tribute to the great 60s samba singer Paulinho da Viola, was nominated for a Latin Grammy for the best samba album. 'FASS' features two tracks from it including 'Foi um Rio que Passou na Minha Vida', a classic paying homage to Portela School of Samba. Trio Mocotó came together in 1968 influencing a style known as samba rock or samba soul of which 'Beleza, Beleza, Beleza'is a fantastic example.

This compilation also features a number of Far Out legends. Arthur Verocai is a multi-talented guitar player, composer and arranger. The track 'Tudo de bom' is another swinging samba rock track taken from his most recent album. Azymuth embody the swinging sounds of Rio de Janeiro, fusing samba, jazz and funk into their unique brand of what they call samba doido – crazy samba. 'Depois De Carnival' is an infectious samba, which pays tribute to Rio's king of swing Ed Lincoln. 'Samba da Silva' is a classy duet inspired by the Gafieiras (ballroom) dances of Forties/Fifties Brazil. Joining Joyce on vocals is the celebrated Elza Soares. Her recording career has stretched over 40 years and her voice remains as remarkable as ever, the distinctive scat style influenced by Louis Armstrong. The Ipanemas are musical alchemists who have forged their own unique sound infusing samba & bossa nova with African traditions and jazz instrumentation. The track 'Era bom'is reminiscent of the old style of samba known as samba-cancao with Wilson das Neves on lead vocals.

Released just in time for Rio Carnival 2009, where the samba parade is the undoubted highlight, 'Far Out Strictly Samba' provides a wonderful introduction to the vast field that is Brazilian samba.

Reviews:

Party tunes aplenty... Compelling, hip-swinging evidence that samba is alive and versatile enough to adapt to a dizzying number of musical styles.” BBC.co.uk