Seção Ritmica: Instrumental Funk from '70s Brazil

by Various Artists

Brazil has always had its own brand of musical virtuosity, one that combined a distinctive and innate rhythmic swing with an effortless ability to turn seemingly abstract riffs into ridiculously catchy hooks. In the late '60s and '70s when these talented players in Rio and Sao Paolo turned their focus towards the North American funk scene and bands like Kool & the Gang, the Meters and the JBs, a new element was added to the mix. As the more polished sound exemplified by Quincy Jones and CTI Records took hold, Brazilian musicians red right back with their own distinct twist on the sound, one that inevitably revolved around a rhythm section laying down grooves that were both the tightest and the most supple imaginable. If that combination seems paradoxical, this collection will make the notion clear. Culled from the times no vocalist was claiming the spotlight, these instrumentals focus firmly on the rhythm section and its funky accompaniment, a journey through the '70s heyday of instrumental funk from Brazil from its rawest roots to refined boogie gems.