From Album: "The Charlie Byrd Quintet ~ Du Hot Club De Concord".

This project is an inspired idea. Guitarist Charlie Byrd, who will always be best-known for his bossa nova recordings, also always loved Django Reinhardt's music. He heads du Hot Club de Concord, a group similar to the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, except that instead of being comprised of three guitars, one violin, and a bass, this ensemble has two guitars (with Frank Vignola playing rhythm behind Byrd), violinist Johnny Frigo, bassist Michael Moore, and Hendrik Meurkens on harmonica. The blend between harmonica and violin is particularly effective, and the repertoire ranges from swing tunes (including Byrd's "Swing '59") to some light Brazilian music, ballads, and standards. Byrd, Frigo, and Meurkens take plenty of fine solos, making this a highly recommended set.    ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

From Album: "Enoch Light ~ Big Band Bossa Nova (LP)".

Enoch Light (August 18, 1905 - July 31, 1978) was a classical violinist, bandleader, and recording engineer. He is credited with being one of the first musicians to go to extreme lengths to create high-quality recordings that took full advantage of the technical capabilities of home audio equipment of the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly stereo effects that bounced the sounds between the right and left channels (often described as "ping-pong"). He arranged his musicians in ways to produce the kinds of recorded sounds he wished to achieve, the first to do so. The first of the albums produced on his record label, Command Records, Persuasive Percussion, became the first huge hit based solely on retail sales. His songs received little or no airplay on the radio, because AM radio, the standard of the day, was monaural. Light went on to release several albums in the Persuasive Percussion series, as well as a Command test record.   ~ Read more from Wiki

Enoch Light's Official website

From Album: "Bet.E & Stef ~ Jazz Bossa Nova".

Bet.e & Stef is a bossa nova jazz group from Montreal, Canada. They have been a husband and wife team. They were nominated in 2003 for the Juno New Group of the Year.

Bet.e (vocals) & Stef (guitar, vocals) have been one of the biggest success stories on Montreal's independent scene these last few years. They've built up a repertoire of original material, songs with introspective tendencies that blend elements of jazz, Brazil and R&B, and they mine a seam of other people's alluring songs that range from "Agua de beber" to "I Put a Spell on You"— which is something they're pretty good at.

From Album: "Joao Gilberto ~ Amoroso/Brasil",   João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira on June 10, 1931 in Juazeiro, Bahia) is a Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer and guitarist.

When talking about bossa nova, perhaps the signature pop music sound of Brazil, frequently the first name to come to one's lips is that of Antonio Carlos Jobim. With songs like "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Desafindo," Jobim pretty much set the standard for the creation of the bossa nova in the mid-'50s. However, as is often the case, others come along and take the genre in a new direction, reinventing through radical reinterpretation, be it lyrically, rhythmically, or in live performance, making the music theirs. And if Jobim gets credit for laying the foundation of bossa nova, then the genre was brilliantly reimagined (and, arguably, defined) by the singer/songwriter and guitarist João Gilberto. In his native country he is called O Mito (The Legend), a deserving nickname, for since he began recording in late '50s Gilberto, with his signature soft, near-whispering croon, set a standard few have equaled.

Born in 1931 in Juazeiro in the northeastern section of Brazil known as Bahia, Gilberto seemed obsessed with music almost from the moment he emerged from the womb. His grandfather bought him his first guitar at age 14 (much to the dismay of João's father). Within a year, the result of near constant practicing, he was the leader of a band made up of school friends. During this time Gilberto was absorbing the rhythmic subtlety of the Brazilian pop songs of the day, while also taking in the rich sounds of swing jazz (Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey), as well as the light opera singing of Jeanette MacDonald. At 18, Gilberto gave up on his small town life and headed to Bahia's largest city, Salvador, to get a foothold in the music industry performing on live radio shows. Although he was given the opportunity to sing, instant stardom was not in the offing, but his brief appearances on the radio brought him to the attention of Antonio Maria, who wanted Gilberto to become the lead singer for the popular radio band Garotos da Lua (Boys From the Moon) and move to Rio de Janeiro.

Gilberto stayed in the band only a year. He was fired after the rest of the group could take no more of his lackadaisical attitude. Gilberto was frequently late for rehearsals and performances, and in a move reminiscent of American pop star Sly Stone, would occasionally not show up at all. After his dismissal from the group Gilberto lived a seminomadic life. For years he had no fixed address, drifting from friend to friend and acquaintance to acquaintance, living off their kindness and rarely if ever contributing to the household expenses. Evidently Gilberto was such charming company that his emotional carelessness and fiscal apathy were never an issue -- that or he had extremely patient and generous friends. It was during this underachieving bohemian period that Gilberto kept an extremely low profile. Instead of using his time with Garotos da Luna as a springboard for other recording and performing possibilities, he became apathetic, constantly smoking large quantities of marijuana, playing the odd club gig, and refusing work he considered beneath him (this included gigs at clubs where people talked during the performance). Although gifted with considerable talent as a singer and guitar player, it seemed as though Gilberto would fail to attain the success and notoriety he deserved if only due to apathy that verged on lethargy.

After nearly a decade of aimlessness Gilberto joined forces with singer Luis Telles, who encouraged Gilberto to leave Rio for a semibucolic life in the city of Pôrto Alegre. Telles, who functioned as a combination public relations guru and sugar daddy, made sure the demanding Gilberto wanted for nothing and would concentrate on his music. It turned out to be a successful, if expensive strategy. Within a few months Gilberto (who at this point had given up his prodigious marijuana consumption and was now partaking in nothing stronger than fruit juice) was the toast of Pôrto Alegre, the musician everyone wanted to see. It was also during this extended apprenticeship that Gilberto perfected his unique vocal style and guitar playing. So breathy and nasally it is almost defies description, in many ways he uses all the things one is taught not to do as a singer and has made them into an instantly recognizable style. Not even established crooners such as Bing Crosby and Perry Como sang more quietly or with less vibrato. This, along with his rhythmically idiosyncratic approach to playing the guitar -- an intensely syncopated plucking of the strings that flowed with his singing -- made for some exhilarating music, and by the time of his first record, Chega de Saudade (1959), Gilberto became widely known as the man who made bossa nova what it is.

True to form, however, Gilberto took the road less traveled, and after the success of his debut record and the two follow-up releases, he left Brazil to settle in the United States, where he lived until 1980. During this period he recorded some amazing records, working with saxophonist Stan Getz and recording music by older Brazilian songwriters such as Dorival Caymmi and Ary Barroso. He returned to Brazil in the early '80s and since then has worked with virtually every big name in Brazilian pop, including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania, Gal Costa, and Chico Buarque. He never saw record sales like the aforementioned performers, but all of them regard him as a profound influence on their work. True to his image as enigmatic and eccentric, Gilberto lives a semireclusive lifestyle secure in the knowledge that, decades ago, he changed the course of Brazilian culture by making the bossa nova his music, as well as the music of Brazil.   ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide

From Album: "Lisa Wahlandt &  Mulo Francel ~ Bossa Nova Affair".

Lisa Wahlandt, Jazz singer. Mulo Francel, tenor saxophonist.

~ Read more from www.lisa-wahlandt.com

From Album: "Leila Pinheiro ~ 20 Grandes Sucessos De Leila Pinheiro ".

Leila Pinheiro Toscano (Belém do Pará, October 16, 1960) is a singer, songwriter and pianist Brazil.

Born in Belém, Leila Pinheiro started playing the piano at the age of 10. At 20 she dropped out of medical school and starred in the show "Sinal de Partida". In that same year Leila moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she made her first independent album, "Leila Pinheiro" (1983). Two years later, she won the "Best New Artist" award with the song "Verde" (Eduardo Gudin /José Carlos Costa Netto), at a music festival sponsored by a TV network. In 1987, Leila Pinheiro signed up a deal with Polygram and released the album "Olho Nu", which made her win the Best Performer Award at the Yamaha World Festival in Japan. Amassing awards, Leila recorded two more albums, including the CD "Bênção, Bossa Nova", a special tribute to the 30th anniversary of bossa nova. The disc was produced by Roberto Menescal and specially geared to the Japanese market, turning into a big hit both in Japan and Brazil. Since then, Leila has been regarded as a bossa nova specialist, particularly after her 1994 CD "Isso É Bossa Nova". Two years later, she recorded a totally different album, "Catavento e Girassol", which included compositions by Guinga and Aldir Blanc.
By the end of the 90’s, Leila Pinheiro performed with Ivan Lins in the United States and participated in a tribute concert to Tom Jobim at the Carnegie Hall, in New York. She also released the CD "Na Ponta da Língua", whose tracks were written by new composers, and toured Brazil in 1999 and 2000.    ~ From cliquemusic.com

From Album: Lisa Ono: Dream

Lisa Ono (小野リサ, Ono Risa, born July 29, 1962) is a popular Japanese-Brazilian bossa nova singer.
... Read more

From Album: Lisa Ono: Romance Latino Vol.2,

From Wikipedia:
Lisa Ono (小野リサ, Ono Risa) is a popular Japanese bossa nova singer. She was born in São Paulo, Brazil in 1962 but moved with her family to Tokyo at the age of 10. From that time on she spent half of every year in Japan, and half in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Although she lived in Brazil for a short time, she was turned into a type of "MPB (Brazil Popular Music) ambassador" in Japan, influenced by her father, who owned a club while living in Brazil, and was also Baden Powell de Aquino's agent.

After moving to Japan, Lisa's dad opened a new venue called Saci-Pererê, a Brazilian restaurant where she started performing mainly bossa nova and samba. Besides singing, Lisa Ono plays the guitar and is a songwriter. Her first album, Catupiry, was released in 1989. She has not stopped recording since then, releasing one disc a year, mostly in Portuguese. She soon became famous in Japan after appearing in several TV commercials.

In 1991 her album Nanã won the "Grand Prix Gold Disk Award for Jazz" in Japan. Her third album Menina was recorded in Rio de Janeiro, and won the same Grand Prix award. In 2003 she released the album Dans Mon Île (French for "In my island"), themed around a voyage to France and based on famous French songs.

Lisa announced the birth of her second child (a boy) on October 7, 2004.

Lisa has performed with Tom Jobim and with João Donato in Brazil, in addition to other performances around the world. Appearances in Japan include concerts at the Blue Note Tokyo with Paulo and Daniel Jobim, Toninho Horta, and Emílio Santiago.

In addition to making guest appearances on other recordings, Lisa has also created music for television commercials in Japan.

From Album: Romance Latino, Vol. 3 (Lisa Ono) , Download "Lisa Ono - Besame Mucho" HQ MP3 File:
Lisa Ono - Besame Mucho.mp3

Lisa Ono (小野リサ, Ono Risa) is a popular Japanese bossa nova singer. She was born in Sí£o Paulo, Brazil in 1962 but moved with her family to Tokyo at the age of 10. From that time on she spent half of every year in Japan, and half in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ono Lisa Officilal Website: http://www.onolisa.com/

Rosa Passos - Besame Mucho

From Album: "Rosa Passos ~ Amorosa".

Rosa Passos(born April 13 1952) is a Brazilian singer and guitarist born in Bahia.

Passos began playing piano at age three, but after listening to Dorival Caymmi and Joao Gilberto she abandoned the instrument to become a singer. In the late 1960s, Passos began appearing on television and at music festivals. In 1972 she submitted the song "Mutilados" under a pseudonym to the Globo Network's Festival Universitario and won the competition's first prize. However, she did not record her debut until 1978, working with poet Fernando de Oliviera in Brasilia; the album was released in 1979. A follow-up effort, Amorosa followed nine years later, in 1988. In the 1990s she has recorded several albums of songs by her major influences. She toured Europe in 1999 with Paquito D'Rivera and on her own in Europe and Japan in 2000. In 2004, Amorosa was re-released, and attracted notice in the United States, reaching #7 on the Billboard Top World Music Albums chart.

Rosa Passos’s Official Website