Juno Recommends International May 2021

Review: Another new week means another selection from Joe Claussell's impossibly steamy and intense reworks. The super limited Manifestations: Long Versions EP 2 collects another three such tunes on one coloured vinyl. First is a dreamy and sun kissed tune from Mental Remedy that is all breathy vocals and noodling solos, then The Bayara Citizens offer a high speed salsa dance that transports you to the south of the Med and beyond. Another one from Mental Remedy cloys out with more afro rhythms and organic, wooden percussive sounds.

Review: Mr Bongo offers up an incredible 86th volume in the Brazil45 series, and this time it's Black Rio funk from two mainstays of the sound, Toni Tornado & Zeca Do Trombone. A-side 'Sou Negro' is from Tornado's 1970 EP on Odeon Records. It's a sought after number that despite lasting only just over two minutes still makes an indelible impression. Zeca Do Trombone & Roberto Sax join forces on the flip for 'Coluna Do Meio,' which is a more smooth, easy going jazz laced tune compared with the raw and direct a-side. This one has an acrobatic vocal and sunny riffs bringing pool-side vibes under clear blue skies.

Review: This is a must for lovers of red hot, sure-fire party starting Latin tunes. Central-American artists Lito Barrientos y Su Orquesta (from El Salvador) and Los Robbins (Honduras) serve dup this huge hit in 1965. It draws on big band, jazz, ska and Jamaican heritage while also showing its Latin heritage proudly on its sleeve. On the reverse is Los Robbins' 'Patricia', which is a superbly realised rocksteady viber recorded in Honduras, with more of those rich Jamaican influences. originals are rarer than unicorn tears so this addition to the 'Tropical 45s series' is another fine one.

Review: There isn't much Brazilian funk and MPB that isn't highly sought after, to be honest, but this one certainly deserves the hype. Released in 1974 and now reissued as a first time replica, it is a real jewel from Lemos E Debetio (aka Toninho Lemos & Paulo Debetio). Despite being put out by a major back in the 70s it has been hard to find ever since but that hasn't stopped people. The magic melody is truly addictive, the swooping arrangement and pulsing, funky back beat of the a-side just perfect. On the flip is the more loose and airy 'Retrato Da Vida' making this an essential cop.

Review: Mr Bongo's Brazil 45s series is like catnip to all collectors of Latin music. It has turned out more than 85 editions that cover all forms of South American soul and funk. This time out it's a is sublime four-tracker from the much loved Brazilian pair of Luli Lucinha e O Bando. It first saw the light of day in 1972 but has long since been lost to the public. Aspects of psychedelic rock, MPB and folk are all stirred dup with the tunes being held together by Luli and Lucinha's vocals. The EP is packed with magic and musical brilliance and also features Brazilian percussionist Alyrio Lima, who was a member of the iconic Weather Report in later years.

Review: Jose Carlos Schwarz & Cobiana Djazz were known as musicians who could bond their caudices despite the fact that, at the time in the 70s, Guinea-Bissau was a country splintered into many ethnic groups. A war for independence was also raging. Their music and its politically engaged lyrics helped shape the social and political consciousness of the masses. This collection of sounds from the pair is rather unknown outside its own country but thanks to this reissue that is all sure to change. Each one trills with energy and vitality thanks to the rich instrumentals and impassioned vocals.

Review: Last year Rocafort Records delivered a rather good retrospective of the early works of Peruvian band-leader Alfredito Linares, an unheralded star of Latin jazz and later salsa and boogaloo who made some seriously good music in the late 1960s and '70s. This sequel, which features six scintillating tracks stretched across three seven-inch singles, tells the next chapter of the story, following Linares' relocation to Cali, Colombia in the early '70s. What's an offer is a heavy, club-ready mixture of righteous boogaloo - all infectious grooves, loose-limbed South American percussion, breathless group vocals and rising, big band style horns - and breezy salsa workouts, all of which hits the spot and then some.

Review: Colombian outfit Afrosound were a reaction to the early 1970?s Chicha movement, happening in Peru and Bolivia at the time. Jose Maria Fuentes saw the popularity of this new type of hybrid sound which resulted in this super group. They incorporated the Andean guitar sound with funk, salsa/son, tropical, disco and Afro Colombian rhythms - the result being cumbia party albums from start to finish. Their debut album La Danza De Los Mirlos receives a much deserved reissue here on Vampi Soul, the sister label of the more well known Munster Records out of Madrid.

Review: Jasper Verhulst's burning passion for Turkish folk and psychedelia led him to found the Atlin Gun band. Gece is their second album from 2019 and arrives in the same month as their third, Yol. It showcase a real understanding of the dynamics of his chosen soul but laced with contemporary flourishes and plenty of great musicianship that touches son Anatolian rock and folk as well as colourful synths capes and psyched out meanderings. Steamy, bright and brilliant, this is a fine reminder of what makes Atlin Gun so damn irresistible especially on the vocal laced 'Anlatmam Derdimi' which is dripping with cool.