Glücklich 5 Compilation

Over the last few years and up to present times a new wave of DJs, musicians and producers are reshaping Brazilian modern music for the contemporaries. From bossa nova to MPB, from jazz samba to 70's samba fusion and batucadas; the rhythms and the music can be heard in techno, drum'n bass and more over in the nu jazz movement. Compost Records is and has been at the forefront of it and often, from Jazzanova to Moonstarr, a little ahead of it. Rainer Trüby is a key figure of the movement and the "Glücklich" compilation series is just his view of the state of art.

From the very few bars of the delayed organ chords that open "Eh Luande" by Racoon you feel that a very creative and stylish music will fill the air. There are some new discoveries here from yesterday and today's sounds. Rachael Calladine has a strong jazz feel to her voice and with some elegant harmonies she carries the Joyce, Ana Mazzotti kinda feel with great charm. She's a name to watch!

Same to say for Wagon Cookin’ who recorded "Lua" especially and exclusively for this compilation. They came from Spain and play with witty, intense swing showing a taste for the 70's jazz-fusion sambas but with a touch of today. I really like the cool tenor sax loop from Blissom's remix of the Rise Ashen track "Torn". It sounds like Zoot Simms, but could it be Nick Ayoub? As they are from Canada.

Two very hip cats from Strasbourg, Luc and Jazzamar aka Nu Tropic use the same kind of early 70's psychedelic jazz samba beats with sparse trumpet and a great scat sample. Very groovy. Their "Moonlight" is also exclusive for Volume 5 and has more than a glance at one of the rare 70's Brazilian tunes included here. "Comanche" taken from a '71 album is one of those great Jorge Ben trance-like, breeze fast sambas - a real gem.

Two years later in Spain Luiz Antonio and his group Aquarius recorded a way out, almost hippy version of the blue bossa "Agua De Beber". Nice vocals and hip vibraphone lines underlines this very fine tune discovered by the guys from Hi-Top (Spain) and heavily played by Rainer. He surely likes Edu Lobo a lot, I guess. An early 80's version of his "Casa Forte" by R.E.Q. is also included here as is a new version of "Fica Mal Com Deus" a song written by Geraldo Vandre in 1964. He was a very intellectual composer and shortly anticipated the post-bossa sound of Lobo. Rosalia's voice sounds like a velvet cloud carried by a flute breeze and movin' brushes. It does sound very Sixties.

I see Ben Human like a kind of Lalo Schifrin meets DJ Shadow both on ... a trip? The suave Montefiori brothers cover "Gypsy Woman" with humour, gentle organs and warm tenor sax - their distinctive sound.

I find Les Gammas always trys chic and the voice of Nina Miranda seems like a flower floatin' on a quiet wave. Eddie and Dus, I just hope that they will do an album soon... Their arrangement of "Outra Vida" is a gas starting with broken downtempo beats, then turns bossa and then shifts into the new drum'bossa.

The Bah Samba version of Muro "Bohemian" - it's a great club tune with some very good live players. The Os Ipanemas returns courtesy of Far Out Recordings into a recording studio after some 35 years. Their first album was recorded in 1965. Wilson Da Neves and Ruben Bassini, top ritmistas of the Brazilian scene then, created one of the first afro-jazz-samba experiments. Music full of mystery and deepness - very deep. This new tune retains that unsurpassed atmosphere, as the music ends and lingers from my window.

I think I should say few more words about Rainer Trüby... Oh, he's an unpredictable, inspired DJ and a producer of groundbreaking new music and eventually he could even tell you which wine goes with each track.

Nicola Conte, Bari, July 2002

Nicola Conte is one of Italian’s most respected DJs and producers, having a deep knowledge in Brazilian music.