2017, Part Ten: Wrapping Up

I’ve got a few more 2017 discs I want to review, but I plan to do them in artist posts. This is the final roundup of albums from last year. A best of 2017 will appear in February.

BK, Antes dos Gigantes Chegarem, Vol. 1 EP – With a title almost longer than the three songs it contains, this brief follow-up to last year’s Castelos & Ruínas mines similar territory, albeit not as spookily, which is a letdown. Listen here. Grade: B-

Juventude Bronzeade, Tropical Lacrador – Emerging from the Belo Horizonte street carnivals, these axé loyalists represent for their dance-inducing genre. Their street beats—which in this style signify celebration, not tough—capture the joy of carnavale, and if by the end of the 30 minutes it sounds a bit samey that’s probably because you sat and listened to it, which isn’t the point. Move. Dance. If not in the street, around the house. Then you’ll understand. Listen here. Grade: B.

Thiago Elniño, A Rotino do Pombo – Elniño releases his full-length debut after several EPs and singles. The album is a high-minded excursion into black identity, experience, politics and religion in Brazil. Collaborating with producing collective Espaço Casa, he fashions songs rooted in reggae, Africa and Brazil. But the music never quite lives up to the possibilities of that combination. So he’s KRS-One: an enlightened educator with music that doesn’t peak as high as you wish it did even as its pleasures satisfy. There are worse things to be, of course. Listen and download free from the artist here. Grade: B

A Espetacular Charanga do França, Bomba, Suor e Bapho EP – Of all the units Thiago França leads, this one has, to my surprise, emerged as my favorite. Where this brass-plus-percussion band first reminded me of a really good college marching band, familiarity—and appreciation of how, whether dancing or doing dishes, moving to this music opens up its pleasures—has bred enjoyment. It helps, too, that França tends to stick to EPs with this outfit: brass and percussion alone have a rather limited sonic palette, so the shorter length helps ensure the sound doesn’t wear thin. So if you have some quick sweeping to do, here’s a 20 minute boost to get you through the chore. Download free from the artist here. Grade: B+

Sabrina Malheiros, Clareia – Daughter of Azymuth bassist Alex, Malheiros has established a solid career working post-’60s bossa nova styles since 2005. Not groundbreaking or anything; just a solid recapitulation. She sings in the cool manner. Guitar shimmers. Beats move at mid-tempo sway. She does everything you expect her to given her aesthetics commitments. And that’s not a bad thing. Listen here. Grade: B

Airto Moreira, Aluê – Septuagenarian Brazilian jazz artist well known to ’70s fusion jazz fans for his work Miles Davis, Weather Report and Return to Forever. Seems to be his first album in about a decade. Revisits some of his old classics and attempts to write a few new ones. As always, his music tends toward fussiness, but when he doesn’t cross that line it’s as beautiful as ever. None of the three new ones live up to the best of the remakes. Excluding the dud final track, the shortest pieces here are nearly seven minutes. They are also the highlights. Listen here. Grade: C+

Rodrigo Ogi, Pé no Chão EP – Another solid effort from the São Paulo rapper who’d apparently wow me with his lyrics if I knew Portuguese. (Google translations just don’t cut it.) The production’s not as adventurous as on RÁ, but the shorter length brings a welcome focus to the music. Listen here. Grade: B

Hermeto Pascoal & Big Band, Natureza Universal – After a few years of silence, veteran jazzer Pascoal released three albums in 2017, two new ones and one vault find. The first half of that vault find is the highlight, but this collection with a jazz orchestra, with its Gil Evans’ inspired sound, is solid as well. While at 81, Pascoal’s not much of a revolutionary anymore, any of us would be pleased to be this creative and vital at his age. But at nearly 70 minutes the pretty good that runs throughout the record tends to wear out its welcome. Listen here. Grade: B

Laura Petit, Monstera Deliciosa – Singer/songwriter who combines MPB and more alternative rock sounds in the manner of Mariana Aydar and Iara Rennó. She’s not as creative as those talents, but puts out ten solid song on her debut. The kind of minor talent who is a sign of a healthy musical culture. Listen here. Grade: B-

Vitor Ramil, Campos Neutrais – High and clean. Sensitive and delicate. If you don’t have tolerance for such traits in music, an extended stay in Brazilian music may not be recommended. And while those traits don’t rank high on my preference meter, if you can do it well, I’ll listen. And Vitor Ramil, from Pelotas in far southern Brazil, pulls it off. While his arrangements risk fussy, they mostly work. Even as he tempts Sting-y levels of horridness he, unlike Lucas Santanna, avoids that aesthetic void. Nothing here tops the dynamite opening track, but almost everything repays your attention. Just put on the headphones and find out yourself. Listen here. Grade: B

Satanique Samba Trio, Xenossamba EP – Instrumental pranksters who’ve somehow managed eight releases, all of which are more or less interchangeable. Chops and jokes can work fine, but they can only take you so far. Listen here. Grade: C+

Various Artists, John Armstrong Presents Afrobeat/Brasil – Fela Kuti’s music has had an impact on Latin America commensurate to its significance. But too often those Latin and Brazilian followers see his extended grooves as a chance to hone chops and solo, which wasn’t the point at all. So by focusing on key tracks and having a generous definition of afrobeat, John Armstrong manages to cut through those issues to present a solid compilation, complete with an appropriate title nod to Jorge Ben’s seminal Africa Brasil album. The problem is that most of the better cuts—Metá Metá’s “Logun”, Tássia Reis’s “Desapegada”— come from albums worth owning. Still, you get the right amount of bands like Bixiga 70 who normally wear out their welcome after a cut or two. So those with deeper collections might find the value of this compilation reduced, but newcomers could find a valuable sonic map. Raise or lower the grade as is appropriate to you. Listen and buy here. Grade: B-