Salinma A Devilish Homicide (1965)

In the United States, Brazilian trombonist Raul De Souza is best known for his Capitol releases of the late '70s. But his first session as a leader actually came in 1964, when he recorded À Vontade Mesmo for the Brazilian market. The LP wasn't released in the U.S., and it wasn't until the '70s that De Souza provided any American releases. These 1964 performances are excellent. When De Souza (who is listed as Raulzinho) recorded this album, the bossa nova explosion was in full swing - and plenty of musicians (both Brazilian and American) were trying to cash in on bossa nova's popularity. But while À Vontade Mesmo is instrumental Brazilian jazz, the album isn't bossa nova - certainly not in the Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd sense. Bossa nova was a fusion of cool jazz and samba; À Vontade Mesmo, however, has more of a hard bop/samba outlook…