Mr Bongo レコード& CD

Review: Brighton based record label, publishers, cinematographers and legendary former London record store Mr Bongo reissue the legendary 1968 album by Pedro dos Santos, entitled Krishnada. Born in Rio de Janiero in 1919, Santos was (according to the label) "a percussionist virtuoso, composer and inventor of instruments.. such as the 'Tamba' (electrified bamboo drum) and the mouth berimbau whistle." He was a very spiritual person apparently and regarded by some as a philosopher of sorts. The album was produced by himself at CBS studios with arrangements by Joppa Lins. It features poetic lyrics in a unique linguistic structure, as well as various percussive instruments and horn arrangements with samba rhythms from Latin styles. Despite the originality of his percussive sound and the influence it has had on musicians, it had little impact at the time. The album had a cult revival in the noughties and began circulating the internet in MP3 format, finally giving recognition to this unusual spiritual Bossanova masterpiece.

Review: This official reissue of Arthur Verocai's classic self-titled album from 1972 sounds very much like the epitome of a labour of love for Mr Bongo. The press release states the Brighton-based jazz funk archivalists have had this album on top of their reissue hitlist and with the permission of Sir Arthur himself have come through with this official vinyl reissue in newly remastered form from the original Continental master tapes. Do we need to set the scene for this masterclass in long players from Verocai? The ten tracks bristle with sonic fusion, transcending genre to become something more than Brazilian jazz funk across its sublime 29 minutes. Alongside contributing musicians, Verocai invites the listener on a journey through Bossa nova, samba, jazz, MPB, psychedelics and funk. Tip!