Guilherme Coutinho e o Grupo Stalo

Recorded 45 years ago in the north Brazilian town of Belém and released on the Erla - Estudio Rauland label, this self-titled debut album from Guilherme Coutinho e o Grupo Stalo is an idiosyncratic gem. With original copies now as rare as hen's teeth, much of the album's charm stems from the way in which it freely draws from several stylistic wells including lo-fi, Brazilian tropicália, jazz-funk, MPB and more. The mellifluous timbre of vocalist Elinho casts a warm glow over album opener, ‘Atalaia’, while the slightly harder-edged ‘As Feras’ is powered by wah-wah guitar and the layered keyboard lines of bandleader Guilherme Coutinho, whose squiggly analog synth solo seemingly springs up from nowhere. Other highlights include the utterly lovely ‘Macareu’ and the all-too-brief (and almost folk-like) ‘Flauta de Bambu’. In keeping with its overall capriciousness, the album concludes not with a catchy song but a seven-and-a-half-minute instrumental workout, ‘Tema Pro Alvarito’, which is spiced with some Thelonious Monk-like dissonances, surprising harmonic shifts and an exploratory solo from the leader. With absolutely no studio trickery of any kind, this album is a pure delight for the ears.