This time Far Out Recordings is offering us something slightly out of the ordinary, as these are two rereleases of musical productions by Brazilian comedians Chico Anysio and Arnauld Rodrigues.
Baiano & Os Novos Caetanos was a project that saw the duo, using the pseudonyms of Baiano and Paulinho Boca de Profeta, parody the Brazilian tropicalia movement of the seventies. The band name of course was a reference to Caetano Veloso, but also to the psychedelic rockers of Novos Baianos. In addition, this album, which was originally released back in 1974, was a poetic critique of the military dictatorship in the country. The members of Azymuth, together with master keyboard player Jose Roberto Bertrami, percussionist Orlandivo and multi-instrumentalist Durval Ferreira provided musical backing. The album was recorded in front of a live audience and contains 11 tracks in a mix of MPB, funk and soulful samba-rock, complemented with influences from Brazilian folk.
The second album, 'Azambuja & Cia' was originally released back in 1975 and was a soundtrack or musical reinterpretation of a popular Brazilian television comedy series in which Anysio played the role of Paulo Mauricio Azambuja, a Carioca hustler whose scams always ended up in failure and disappointment. Again supported by Azymuth, keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami, saxophonist Victor Assis Brasil and multi-instrumentalist Durval Ferreira, the duo delivered 7 highly enjoyable tracks in a mix of jazz funk, samba-soul and MPB. Each side of the record also contained a comical live monologue, but to grasp the punchlines at least a basic grasp of Brazilian Portuguese is required.