Sonzeira: Brasil Bam Bam

 As the World Cup draws near and the irresistible rhythms of Brazil take centre stage, Gilles announced his extraordinary new record – an incredible journey through the different flavours of authentic Brazilian music culture, from its majestic heritage to its super-dynamic present. ‘Sonzeira: ‘Brasil Bam Bam Bam, is set to be released on May 19th via Talkin’ Loud / Virgin EMI and will be the first release on Talkin’ Loud in over a decade. ‘Southern Freeez’ will be released as a limited edition 7” for Record Store Day on April 19th.

V/A - Brownswood Bubblers 10 (2013)

There's plenty bubbling up this time around – a rich range of contemporary tracks that show that our man Gilles Peterson still has his ear to the ground for the best new sounds around! The vibe is very soulful – and tracks are a wonderful blend of older modes and very fresh future elements – served up back to back in a way that few other collections could ever handle this well – the same sort of special feeling we get when we dig Gilles in a club or on the air! And even ten volumes in, the man's still opening up our ears to so much wonderful stuff – quite a feat, but that's why we've been digging his sounds for 25 years. 

VA - Brownswood Bubblers Nine (2012)

“Brownswood Bubblers provides a platform for unsung heroes and emerging talent from the Worldwide underground. The series distils the stream of exciting new artists that have become semi-permanent fixtures in Gilles’ playlists and DJ sets of late to create a suite of perfect bumps.”

Gilles Peterson comes correct with his ninth instalment in the much-loved Bubblers series. Shining a spotlight on under-the-radar talent the world over, Bubblers returns with a line up as diverse and exciting as the record bag from which they came; a musical barometer to gauge the sound and stars of 2013.

BOOK: Bossa Nova Cover Art by Soul Jazz

This is the first ever collection of bossa nova record cover artwork, featuring stunning modernist and revolutionary designs that reflect the radical and exciting idealism of Brazil at the start of the 1960s.

Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker (Soul Jazz Records) bring you this amazing new deluxe hardback 12" x 12" book, 200 pages, 100s of stunning absolutely killer Bossa Nova sleeves from Brazil plus loads of historical, cultural and social text as well as biographies on loads of the artists!

As Brazil developed into an urban society, with ‘apartment living’ and consumer goods, bossa nova projected an image that was modern, sophisticated and cool. Bossa Nova music arrived in Brazil at the end of the 1950s with an optimism and modernism that parralleled the arrival of the new Brazilian president, Juscelino Kubitschek, who promised 'fifty years of progress in five' in his election campaign and announced the building of a new capital city, Brasilia, deep in the heartland of Brazil. The city was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, a man who had just designed a new musical theatre production in Rio of a play written by Vinicius de Moraes and with music written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. These two, along with the singer João Gilberto were about to make Bossa Nova, the first modernist Brazilian art form, the most succesful Brazilian export since coffee.

This book is a unique collection of the cover art of Brazilian bossa nova music, containing hundreds of record covers complete with a history of bossa nova, biographies and essays on many of the artists involved in the movement. The book follows on from our previous cover art book on Jazz called Freedom, Rhythm and Sound, also edited by Gilles Peterson and Stuart Baker.

To coincide with the book, there is also a separate double-CD album, 'Bossa Nova and the Rise of Brazilian Music in the 1960s' also released on Soul Jazz Records.

Stuart Baker interview on Jungle Drums mag

4 more Bossa covers click the Guardian photo library here

Danay Suarez – Havana Cultura Sessions (2010)

“She’s amazing. A phenomenon. The most impressive singer I’ve heard and worked with over the last five years.”
- Gilles Peterson

Havana Cultura – the global arts initiative by Havana Club that champions the work of some of Havana’s most exciting yet unseen creative talent - is presenting the latest chapter in Havana Cultura music releases. Under the creative directorship of Gilles Peterson, the first in a series of Havana Cultura Sessions highlights the vocal talents of Danay Suarez, backed by the masterful Roberto Fonseca and the elite Havana Cultura band.

Taking up residence once more in Havana’s legendary EGREM studios for five days in May 2010 Gilles Peterson, Roberto Fonseca and their handpicked Havana Cultura band came together to practice for their European tour. The rehearsals were intense leading an excited Gilles to spontaneously book an extra day in the studio to record a handful of songs with Danay.

Danay possesses one of those rare voices which can shift - glide - through many vocal identities: as a soul and R&B singer and a cocktail jazz expressionist as well as a skilful improviser that makes her an effortless, articulate rapper. Her words flow fast, rhythmic and unpredictable and always finding or creating spaces that emphasize the emotional elements.

Danay Suarez – Havana Cultura Sessions is the latest album in a series of cultural projects from Havana Cultura celebrating fresh talent across all artistic disciplines. Since its inception in 2007, the initiative has provided an important platform for creative expression to aspiring film producers, visual artists, dancers and musicians. Havana-cultura.com showcases the remarkable profiles and work of such artists whose creativity would otherwise remain indefinitely obscured.

OUT NOW ON BROWNSWOOD records

Danay Suarez // Havana Cultura Sessions by Brownswood

Gilles Peterson presents: Havana Cultura, New Cuba Sound (2009)

Featuring the work of over 20 musicians and artists recorded across 28 tracks, this double CD album is a celebration of Cuba’s freshest musical talent from Latin, Afro jazz and fusion to hip hop, funk, reggaeton and R&B. CD1 consists of brand new recordings produced by Gilles Peterson jointly with Roberto Fonseca and Vince Vella. Fans of Cuban music will also recognise a handful of traditional Cuban classics such as ‘Chekere Son’, which have been carefully re-imagined and re-recorded. CD2 features tracks from Gilles’ favourite new discoveries. New talent such as vocalist Danay (described by Gilles as “Cuba’s Jill Scott”) and Doble Filo, in addition to international award-winning artists such as rapper Kumar and pianist Roberto Fonseca.

The album was recorded in the world famous Egrem Studios in Havana, where all the major figures of the Cuban music scene have recorded including Beny Moré, Arsenio Rodriguez and the Buena Vista Social Club. It is the latest in a series of cultural projects from Havana Cultura, which has been designed to give artists in Havana a global voice via the Havana Cultura website.

You can get your mitts on the album at the following spots:

Brownswood Record Store

Amazon

Thom Yorke & Gilles go Worldwide

Thom Yorke joins Gilles to co-host the show, joining the musical dots - soul, hip hop, house, Afro, Latin, dubstep, jazz and beyond. Listen here...

feat. Christoph De Babalon, Floating Points, Pangaea, Darkstar, Gil Scott-Heron, Charles Mingus, Sun Ra, MF Doom, Jay Eletronica, Los Silvertones, Clinic, Milton Nascimento, Joao Gilbero, CAN, Alex Cortex, Rockwell, Dam-Funk, South Rakkas Crew, Brad Mehldau