It was 1972 when Ronald Ventura de Mesquita recorded the fabulous Bresil 72 for Barclay, which would go on to become a collectable, sought out by rare groove fetishists the world over.

This autodidact drummer was born 28th March 1941 in Salvador de Bahia, but grew up in Rio de Janeiro. At the beginning of the sixties, he found himself in France, where he would record as part of a sextet with bassist Ricardo do Canto, saxophonist and flute-player Ricardo Pontes, and pianist and guitarist Gilson Perranzzetta. Also, very notably, with two vocalists: Marly Tavares, a dancer from Rio, and Rolando Faria.

Bresil 72 is distinctly "samba soul". Beginning with he opener "Balança Peme", a theme borrowed from Jorge Ben. "Dabadeia", the second theme is rich with pop bossa flavours. Side One of the LP is signed by a trio of names: Tom Jobim, Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil, three of Rio's major forces. The first with the classic "Aguas de março". The second in a pot-pourri "Tema de Tostão." And third and finally, "Fechado Pra Balanço" which takes on a distinctly groovy feel, two years on from being created by Gil.

Side Two carries on where Side One left off. From the first notes of "O Gato," to Gonzaguinha, it's samba soul on the musical agenda.

Like on the cover of "Tarde Em Itapoã" from the Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes duo, with off-beat electric piano notes and dotted percussion, on "Casa no Campo", which flies the flag for Popular Brazilian Music in the voice of Elis Regina, or in the samba "Quatro de Dezembro." What's to be said about "Papagaio", a short farce with the rhythm section taking the lead role?!? This turnery allows the vocalists to launch into a crescendo of a final, in Edu Lobo's famous "Zanzibar", practically scat-style in its arrangements. One thing's for sure, after listening to all that, we can understand why this unlikely musical object has long been identified by the most curious groove enthusiasts.

Produced from the original master-tapes.

Packaging & Liner Notes
CD: Digipack. LP: Standard Sleeve.