Arthur Verocai: Arthur Verocai (Clear Colored Vinyl) Vinyl LP – Turntable Lab Exclusive Arthur Verocai

Celebrating 50 years of Arthur Verocai’s endlessly influential self-titled 1972 album with a Turntable Lab exclusive edition of 500 on clear colored vinyl, remastered at half-speed at Abbey Road Studios and packaged in a replica gatefold sleeve. A masterwork of soulful jazz-funk and one of the best Brazilian records ever made. Needless to say, this won’t hang around for long. Original Lab review:

Arthur Verocai is a name which was previously known to only the most hardcore collectors of Brazilian albums. He’s a guitarist-composer-producer-arranger whose tasty charts have graced albums by Jorge Ben, Ivan Lins, Celia (not Cruz!) and MPB-4 among many others, but this is the only album he ever released under his own name, an album that was a mere rumor to me until I actually saw it in Brazil a few years ago. Unfortunately, the guy who had it simply refused to sell it at any price, so the reissue is most welcome (ed’s note: Greg was asking us every day for two weeks if it came in) as we all get a chance to hear this amazing album. It doesn’t hit you viscerally, instead insinuating itself by stealth and finally winning you over with its timeless sound qualities. If you’re a fan/student of the great lost art of arranging (as opposed to today’s programming) you’ll find a lot here to sink your teeth into. “Pelas Sombras” and the brilliant “Presente Grego” constitute the LP’s funkiest moments, the latter sporting the kind of horn chart that was once standard sample fodder in hip hop. “Na Boca Do Sol” sounds like a Charles Stepney arrangement, as does most of the album, in fact. Check out the spaced folkiness of the album’s first cut “Caboclo,” one of multiple Stereolab-like moments here. The all-instrumental trippy jazz jam in 3/4, “Karina” must be heard to be believed, evoking everybody from Sun Ra to Mingus to Gil Evans. After several listens, the various reasons why this was worth reissuing become clear as day. Expand your horizons!

• Turntable Lab exclusive
• clear vinyl pressing
• half-speed remastered at Abbey Road Studios
• housed in gatefold sleeve
• limited edition of 500
• original release year: 1972
• music label: Mr Bongo 2023
• TTL Editions 093

reviewed by Greg Caz 2005