VA - Nicola Conte presents Viagem 4: Lost Bossa and Samba Jazz Classics from the Swinging Brazilian '60s (2012)

Italian producer, DJ, and musician Nicola Conte continues his exploration of swinging Brazilian sounds with the collection Viagem 4. The Viagem series digs into the Blue Note, Universal, and Schema label vaults -- this time selecting 17 tracks spanning 1962 to 1970 -- homing in on the bossa nova and samba jazz sounds that made Brazil the ultimate destination for cool, exotic sophistication. Though none of the performers is a household name, Brazilian music fans will recognize many of the tracks as works by some of the country's most respected composers, from classics like Myrzo Barroso's sensual, swaggering take on Baden Powell and Vinícius de Moraes' "Consolaçao," Bossa Jazz 3's hip, piano-led play on João Donato's "Outra Vez," and Quarteto de Bruno Solis' vibrant version of Edú Lobo's "Upa Neguinho" to lesser-known compositions by Brazil's finest (Luiz Bonfá's "Saudade Vem Correndo," rendered here by Bossa Nova + 5, Marcos Valle's "Batucada Surgiu" as reinterpreted by Marcos Moran, and Antonio Carlos Jobim and de Moraes' "O Morro Não Tem Vez" via Quarteto 004). And it wouldn't be Brazilian music without some fun and surprise, like singer Anilza Leoni's infectious, cinematic "Balumba" and Bwana Trio's buoyant cover of jazzman Neal Hefti's "Cute." For a laid-back summer night, mix up a caipirinha, throw on your Havaianas, and lounge by the pool with Viagem 4 as your soundtrack.