Santos, Sonia/joao Donato
Poema Ritmico Do Malandro/cala Boca Menino
Repress due to popular demand, the 23rd release in Mr Bongo's signature Brazil 45's series served up a double header of classics from Sonia Santos and Joao Donato. First up, 'Poema Ritmico Do Malandro (Balanço Do Crioulo),' is a beautiful track from the instantly recognisable Sonia Santos. A song that drifts from classic to psychedelic samba, laden with strings, horns and crowd noise. First released on 7" by Copacabana in 1971, but never on an album, originals fetch up to £100 per copy. A different version of this song also appears on the truly excellent Zito Righi 'Alucinolandia' LP. On the B side, 'Cala Boca Menino' is taken from Joao Donato's much sought after and requested 'Quem É Quem' LP. Quirky percussion, bubbling keys, horns and a hypnotic vocal. Donato is a hugely prolific force in Brazilian music and worked with the likes of including Tom Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Cal Tjader, Dom Um Romao and Gilberto Gil amongst others. 'Cala Boca Menino' was released on a 7" in 1973 in Brazil, but is very difficult to find at a reasonable price and in good condition these days.