About

Samba ’68, released on Verve in 1968, introduced Brazilian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Marcos Valle to a wider international audience. Already established in Brazil through songs such as “Samba de Verão” (“Summer Samba”), Valle worked here with producer Creed Taylor on a recording that pairs Brazilian rhythmic forms with contemporary American studio orchestration. The sessions include vocals by Anamaria Valle and arrangements by Eumir Deodato, whose writing places Valle’s guitar and voice within settings for strings, brass, and rhythm section typical of Verve’s late-1960s productions. The repertoire features English-language versions of compositions co-written by Valle — including “So Nice (Summer Samba),” “Chup Chup, I Got Away,” and “Safely In Your Arms“ alongside additional material that reflects his economical writing and feather-light rhythmic approach. The album documents a meeting point between Brazilian popular music and international pop-jazz studio practice at the end of the 1960s. — (via Label)

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Samba '68 is a vibrant set of Brazilian pop, indebted to bossa nova and samba but undeniably Americanized for a domestic audience. The result is a joyous album throughout that wears its dated sound quite well. Marcos Valle interprets eleven of his own songs, including Brazilian standards like "Chup Chup, I Got Away," "Batucada," and "So Nice (Summer Samba)," as well as new tracks like "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" and "The Answer." The vocal harmonies of his wife (the Anamaria of the song title) provide a beautiful counterpoint to Valle's voice on several tracks, making Samba '68 one of the best Brazilian crossovers of the 1960s. — (via All Music)

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- Reissued as part of the Verve Vault Series on 180g black vinyl
- Mastered from analog tapes

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Label: Verve Records
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Stereo, 180-gram
Reissued: 2026 / Originally Released: 1968
Genre: Jazz
Style: Bossa Nova, Latin Jazz

File under: Latin-Influenced
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