ANA MAZZOTTI Vinyl & CDs

Review: Far Out has decided to pay tribute to one of Brazilian music's most overlooked - and, let's face it, obscure - talents, Ana Mazzotti. She recorded just two albums in the 1970s before passing away from cancer in her early 30s a few years later. Both of those album have become sought-after, particularly 1974 debut "Ninguem Vai Me Segurar". This first ever reissue proves why. Warm, breezy and effortlessly soulful, it sees Mazzotti and her backing band sashay between languid samba-jazz, intergalactic bossa, soft-focus Brazilian soul and the kind of attractive jazz-funk/fusion that would later become the hallmark of Azymuth (not much of a surprise since two of that band's founder members were part of Mazzotti's backing band).

Review: We owe a lot to Toni Mazzotti, the son of Ana Mazzotti, for this one as it is apparently he who unearthed his mother's 'O Filho Do Homem' single. It is thought to have been recorded by the late Brazilian composer and keyboardist in Brazil in 1983 and is the only thing she recorded in the eighties. It is one of many unreleased tunes the great musician played on TV Cultura and Programa MPB during the 80s. Each show proved her skills as she moved into the more hard edge and experimental sounds while always staying true to her roots in jazz, samba and funk.