Marcos Valle & Stacy Kent Ao Vivo

In the '60s, Eumir Deodato and Marcos Valle were one of Brazil's potent combinations – they enjoyed the type of strong rapport that Antonio Carlos Jobim had with João Gilberto and Flora Purim has with Airto Moreira. This collection of '60s recordings paints an attractive picture of Deodato's collaborations with Valle. Regrettably, Irma doesn't provide exact recording dates – which is extremely frustrating – but the music is excellent. While Valle is the composer, Deodato is the arranger/conductor. In addition to playing acoustic and electric piano and organ, Deodato oversees a predominantly Brazilian big band that includes heavyweights like trombonist Raul DeSouza and drummers Ivan Conti (of Azymuth fame) and Dom Um Romão.

The early-2000s renaissance of Marcos Valle was a delight for his fans, especially those who had long held onto hopes that they'd hear more to rival his late-'60s and early-'70s prime. Curiously quiet after a 2005 live album, though, it seemed that Valle had gone back into hibernation. He returned with a bang, however, on 2010's Estática, which is nearly everything his fans had been looking for. The songwriting is bright and memorable, the production style unifies the best of his sunny late-'60s style and his innovative early-'70s prime, and Valle's strong personality is at the center of it all. (The latter is especially welcome, since he'd seemed relatively detached on some of his 2000s records.)

A collection of sexy, steamy soul bossa tracks with the sounds of Brazil. With some of the most-recognizable names, not to mention many of the others present from the many wonders of Brazilian music, this is the perfect compilation to chill out to!