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Review: Japanese jazz fusion continued to take off with Masayoshi Takanaka's fourth album, one that is admittedly referential to Brasilia and its native styles, yet which flaunts Takanaka's virtuosic playing, and put the recreative flair of Japanese players of styles like samba, bossa nova and prog-rock on the map. All instrumental, it marks a shift from prior album An Insatiable High (1977), which brought a relatively aerobic seven-track feel; Brazilian Skies is the trans-Indian holiday after the marathon, bringing lilting beachside hums and coconut claves to a multi-instrumental funk bonanza.

Review: A specialist of short, exquisite instrumental funk records, Masayoshi Takanaka laid this sweet, yearning, yachtbound record down in 1979, following the previous year's Latin sojourn, Brasilian Skies. This slice of jollity sacrifices much of Takanaka's regional focus, and instead brings seven rather more generally awesome, mostly instru-prog-funk tunes to the fore (even though 'Radio Rio' still alludes to Brazil's home city, where Takanaka spent much time honing the samba and bossa nova influences that informed his craft, as well as performing). Lead tune 'Blue Lagoon' is noted for catapulting Takanaka's career after it was taken up by Pioneer for a TV ad; ambient heads would likely contest this history, arguing that the later ambient cut 'Sango-sho No Yousei' is the star tune, and the one that should've won him the limelight.