Samba is Our Gift

The tour de force of ‘Samba is Our Gift’ is its ability to invoke this sense of Sixties Rio de Janeiro, of hip jazz spots in Copacabana and late-night jam sessions in downtown Lapa. In the brief period that these musicians came together to record their first album they pushed the musical barriers and ‘Samba is Our Gift’ sees them revisiting this wildly creative time, yet now playing this music with the musical experience of seasoned veterans.

As with their eponymous debut, this new recording unites the two opposing sides of Brazilian culture that rarely met: the sounds of hip swinging Sixties bossa and roots samba and Candomble; the music of the jet-set and international playboys and the sounds of the religious black Brazilian. With ‘Samba is Our Gift’, the Ipanemas have deliver a CD that pays homage to this creative time in music, a CD that cooks that little bit more than previous efforts and sits so fantastically well alongside the Ipanemas first recording four decades ago.

"(evocates) a kinder, gentler version of Rio De Janerio... you can almost
imagine hearing the samba choruses beaten out on a street corner...Those
Buena Vista Social Club comparisons really aren't so far-fetched"
The Sunday Times

"very pleasant fusion of light jazz, choro and sung samba... this deserves
to sell in droves"
Songlines

"The pleasures it offers are suitably deep and rich, providing samba's answer to Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club"
The Independent on Sunday

"A pleasantly classy history lesson"
The Guardian