Amigos

By the release of Amigos, the Santana band's seventh album, only Carlos Santana and David Brown remained from the band that conquered Woodstock, and only Carlos had been in the band continuously since. Meanwhile, the group had made some effort to arrest its commercial slide, hiring an outside producer, David Rubinson, and taking a tighter, more up-tempo, and more vocal approach to its music. The overt jazz influences were replaced by strains of R&B/funk and Mexican folk music. The result was an album more dynamic than any since Santana III in 1971. "Let It Shine" (number 77), an R&B-tinged tune, became the group's first chart single in four years, and the album returned Santana to Top Ten status.

Octohpera is a Brazilian group that has a long history despite releasing their first album only some ten years after the group was founded. The band was born from the idea of Pablo Marques and Paulo Elizardo. The group consists of Pablo Marques (electric & acoustic guitars, vocals, violin), Robson Bertolossi (lead vocals), Paulo Elizardo (keyboards, vocals), Julian Quilodran (bass, flute) and Marcio Baltar (drums). Their music is symphonic progressive in the seventies tradition. The debut album "Bons Amigos" ("Three Friends") was released in 2002. As it can be figured from the album title alone, Gentle Giant has heavily influenced the music of this album…

"Amigos" is the seventh studio album from Santana. It contained a minor U.S. hit single in "Let It Shine" and was the band's first album to hit the top ten on the Billboard charts (it ultimately reached gold record status) since Caravanserai in 1972. In Europe the song "Europa" was released as a single and became a top ten hit in several countries. New vocalist Greg Walker joined the group. It would be the last Santana album to include original bassist David Brown.

Rosa Passos made her recording debut as a leader in 1979, but this 2003 Chesky CD may be her first to be released outside of South America. The Brazilian singer is paired with veteran bassist Ron Carter, who provides a solid melodic foundation for her throughout the date; the delightful Brazilian guitarist Lula Galvao; percussionist Paulo Braga, and, on a few tracks, veteran session musician Billy Drewes on tenor sax or clarinet. While the focus is clearly on the soft, effective vocals of Passos, who is extremely effective in her interpretations of bossa nova classics such as "Insensatez," "Desafinado," "Caminhos Cruzados," and "O Grande Amor," Carter's solos are also subtly swinging.

Twenty-five years after his opening album Manera, Fru-Fru, Manera, Fagner commemorates his highly successful career interpreting old hits sided by important or successful artists as guest stars: the fundamental samba singer Ângela Maria; the decisive composer Chico Buarque; the selling phenomenon Zezé di Camargo e Luciano; the important composers/performers Djavan, Luís Melodia, and Milton Nascimento; the great interpreter Emílio Santiago; and several others.