Celebrate Brazilian Jazz On International Jazz Day
The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase highlights Brazil’s musical gift to Jazz with 10 impressive songs and their stories.
Presented by AccuRadio
The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase
Our countdown to 2027’s Antonio Carlos Jobim Centennial Celebration reminds us of the incredible contributions Brazil has given to the world of Jazz.
And today, on International Jazz Day, Connect Brazil is here with 10 more to enjoy.
New, old, rare, trendsetting. These songs, plus the stories behind them, bring their own global perspective to help us appreciate Brazilian jazz.
Connect Brazil is here to serve fans like you and to support the musicians who create the music we love. If you are new to Connect Brazil, welcome!
Support these talented performers by sharing this Showcase with others. We’ve even included the social links for these ten artists so you can say “thank you”! That’s sure to bring a smile.
And… Thank you. (See?)
Scott Adams, Midday Host
The Sounds of Brazil’s streaming station at Connect Brazil
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The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase
Stan Getz and João Gilberto | ‘É Preciso Perdoar’ from Getz/Gilberto ‘76
For Bay Area Brazilian Jazz fans, each of the six nights made it a night to remember. What they experienced was nothing short of a miracle. Because there, on stage at San Francisco’s Keystone Korner, stood the jazz world’s top sax star, Stan Getz, next to João Gilberto, the Father of Bossa Nova.
It marked the end of an era, forever captured on this live album. 2026 is the 50th anniversary of that historic event and 10 years since its release. And that’s why Getz/Gilberto ‘76 holds the top spot for this year’s Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase.
The tapes sat silent for decades before club owner Todd Barkan and Heart of Brasil host George Klabin agreed to release the album on Klabin’s Resonance Records label.
But that’s just the beginning of this unique story. You’ll be surprised to learn why, as George Klabin explains in our exclusive interview.
- Read our exclusive interview with George Klabin.
Stan Getz and João Gilberto: Getz/Gilberto ‘76
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- Buy ‘Getz/Gilberto ‘76’ | Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify
Listen free: | Brazilian Jazz | All Jobim | Bossa Nova Love Affair | Our Streaming Station
Kristen Mather de Andrade | ‘Endless and Blind’ from Sem Fim
If the title of this video caught your eye, your ears are in for a real treat.
We already know Kristen Mather de Andrade as one of the world’s most gifted clarinetists. Her love of Brazilian Choro and Samba led to the critically acclaimed album Clarão, which offered a hint of what to expect when you press ‘play’ on this song.
But only a hint, because composer Daniel Freiberg and lyricist Steven Sater (both Grammy Award winners) have elevated another of Mather de Andrade’s talents: A beautiful voice married to an emotionally compelling love story.
‘Endless and Blind’ highlights the creative qualities of Sem Fim (Portuguese for Endless). Its journey through Jazz, Classical and Brazilian styles is guided by the versatility of a 15-piece chamber orchestra. Ditto for New York’s esteemed Toomai String Quintet, and Vitor Gonçalves and Eduardo Belo lead the Brazilian Jazz Quartet.
- Did ‘Endless and Blind’ challenge her? Read what Kristen Mather de Andrade has to say.
Kristen Mather de Andrade
- Buy it here: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify
Listen free on: The Sunday Brazilian Brunch | Brazilian Jazz | New Music: Brazil | Our Streaming Station
Catina DeLuna | ‘Passarim’ from Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Brazil’s contributions to the world of Jazz have been a musical constant for decades. The ‘next Brazilian Wave’ never seems far away. And every once in a while, a song, an artist, and an arrangement come together to create something truly refreshing.
We’ve included the song by Antonio Carlos Jobim above. The singer is Brazilian Catina Deluna, an accomplished pianist and educator. The arrangement is crafted by her equally talented husband, Otmaro Ruíz.
I’m sure that even Jobim would be impressed. Often referred to as a masterpiece of composition, ‘Passarim’ is the title track from his landmark 1987 album with The New Band and its stylistic choral texturing.
It’s also a reminder to stay in touch with us as we count down to The Antonio Carlos Jobim Centennial Celebration in January 2027. I hope you’ll join us.
Catina DeLuna
- Buy it here: Amazon
Listen free on: Bossa Nova Love Affair | Brazilian Jazz | New Music: Brazil | Our Streaming Station
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Connect Brazil Recommends:
The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase
Steve and Lori Rose Adorno | ‘New Day Samba’ from Ascencion – A Brazilian Music Fantasy Vol. 2
Are you ready? Hot on the heels of ‘Sergio’s Samba’ (last year’s fan favorite tribute to Sergio Mendes) comes Ascencion – A Brazilian Music Fantasy, Vol. 2, courtesy of Steve and Lori Rose Adorno.
Set for a mid-May release, here’s the album’s energetic Top 20 charting first single. ‘New Day Samba’ embraces the Adornos passion for exploring Brazilian rhythms and styles with a pan-Latin flair. See if you can catch the ‘Waters of March’ tease!
Like many artists we play, Steve and Lori Rose are regular listeners to our live streaming station. And every once in a while, we’ll get a text. Like this one from Steve: “Hi, Scott, today’s playlist is magic! I listened for two hours, and I must run to my studio and compose!!! Thank you for the inspiration!”
Watch for Ascencion – A Brazilian Music Fantasy, Vol. 2 on our homepage and whenever you tap into Connect Brazil’s stream.
Steve and Lori Rose Adorno
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- Buy it here: Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Cafe Copacabana | XODO | Our Streaming Station
Radamés Gnattali featuring Francisco Alves | ‘Aquarela do Brasil’ (‘Brazil’)
Want to really appreciate the history of Brazilian jazz? Go back to 1939. America was jitterbugging to Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman at the peak of the Big Band era.
Meanwhile, Brazilians were swinging to a different beat, courtesy of this Ary Barroso song and bandleader Radamés Gnattali. They called it Samba-exaltação, the Exaltation Samba, and it was born from this jazzy hit featuring Francisco Alves.
And even though Barroso’s ‘Brazil’ is listed among the 20 most recorded songs of all time, it’s better known from dozens of movies featuring this song.
It’s in Walt Disney’s animated film Saludos Amigos, starring Donald Duck and an irascible parrot named Ze’ (Jose) Carioca. Carmen Miranda sang it in The Gang’s All Here, making it a Top Ten hit.
Is ‘Aquarela do Brasil’ Brazil’s first jazz song? Maybe, but it’s debatable. Those who follow Noel Rosa can gather at a Zona Sul speakeasy, while the Barroso fans will be dancing the night away.
- Buy it here: Amazon
- Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | XODO | Our Streaming Station
Toninho Horta and Tom Lellis | ‘Mountain Flight’ from Rising Stars Foundation
Here’s a song that almost made it to our video list of 12 Influential Brazilian Jazz Albums. It missed out by thismuch, but that takes nothing away from the trendsetting style of ‘Mountain Flight’.
We have Heart of Brasil’s George Klabin and his collection of unreleased Brazilian jazz recordings to thank for this video. Klabin’s Rising Stars Foundation event captures both of ‘Mountain Flight’s’ top performers, songwriter and guitarist Toninho Horta and vocalist Tom Lellis.
Who is Brazil’s greatest guitar player? Horta would be our pick. Amazed by Horta’s harmonic intimacy, Pat Metheny called him “the Herbie Hancock of guitarists.” Lellis is supremely his vocal counterpart. So, enjoy the opportunity to hear them together. It’s the epitome of Brazilian Jazz appreciation.
Thank you, George. You definitely know how to pick ‘em (he does this on his weekly radio show, too!).
Toninho Horta and Tom Lellis
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Bossa Nova Love Affair | The Sunday Brazilian Brunch | Our Streaming Station
Enjoying The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase? Let us know!
Connect Brazil Recommends:
The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase
Paulo Morello | ‘Flor Do Cerrado’ from Moving
It doesn’t take long to be drawn in by Germany’s Paulo Morello. First, the song, currently atop our Music Charts and penned by cavaquinho master Waldir Azevedo. Morello’s guitar reminds us of how elegant a beautiful melody can be. Freed from its Choro-like constraints, Morello’s version comes alive as a Brazilian jazz standard, echoing his appreciation for Azevedo’s original.
Morello is the artistic director at the Jazz Institute Berlin and a professor of jazz guitar. And although he has no Brazilian ancestry, his collaborations with Brazilian stars, including Ivan Lins, Airto, Leny de Andrade, and Raul de Souza, are impressive.
There’s a lot to like about Morello’s Sambop Trio on Moving (the title is a tribute to Wes Montgomery), and as the title suggests, these 12 tunes traverse styles, tempos, and emotions. Even a hint of Coltrane underpinning João Donato’s ‘Minha Saudade’.
Moving is also a timely reminder that Brazil’s influence on Jazz is worldwide, in this case buoyed by fellow German jazzers Ronaldo Folegatti and Till Brönner.
Paulo Morello
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Bossa Nova Love Affair | Brazilian Instrumental Jazz | Our Streaming Station
Gilsons | ‘Bem Me Quer’ from Eu Vejo a Luz em Meio à Escuridão
Amid the bumba and barulho of today’s Brazilian pop scene is a strong and vital community focused on a new form of MPB. Many of the contemporary vocal hits you groove to on Connect Brazil’s streaming station are part of this mostly acoustic trend.
Gilsons are at the forefront, but the name can still confuse newfound fans. All three members are directly related to Gilberto Gil. José is his son, while Francisco Gil and João Gil are grandsons. That’s the clever play on words that created Gilsons.
‘Bem Me Quer’ (with Narcizinho) is the early single from their second album, Eu Vejo a Luz em Meio à Escuridão, which was released last month.
The group is currently touring in Brazil. But if you can’t get away right now, catch them at Italy’s Umbria Jazz Festival this July.
Gilsons
- Buy it here: Amazon
Listen free: Cafe Copacabana | Sunday Brazilian Brunch | Women of Brazilian Song | Our Streaming Station
Maria Luiza Jobim | ‘Go Go Go’
My first trip to Rio de Janeiro was in early 1987, and I thought, “Maybe I can meet Antonio Carlos Jobim!” So, without any credentials whatsoever, I called National Geographic to see if they would set up an interview. Surprisingly, they said yes. April 9th would be the date.
Several weeks later, it was cancelled. “The Jobims have a new baby girl, and they’ve left for the mountains,” said Nat Geo.
And even though we have not met, that is how I, Scott Adams, was introduced to Maria Luiza.
She made her recording debut at age 7, singing with her Dad on Antonio Brasileiro, and followed her father’s interest in studying architecture. But when it comes to music, Maria Luiza charts her own course.
‘Go Go Go’ is her current single, a soft-rock story of lingering love sung in English. Last month, she performed it at London’s Jazz Cafe as a tease for her upcoming album. You might be surprised, and some might even exclaim, “That’s not Jobim!”.
Well, yes, it is. That’s Maria Luiza.
Maria Luiza Jobim
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- Buy it here: Amazon Music
Listen free: XODO! | Bossa Nova Love Affair | New Music: Brazil | Women of Brazilian Song | Our Streaming Station
Arpi Alto | ‘Desafinado’ from Para o Meu Amor
Our happy mission is to do our best to super-serve Brazilian jazz fans. Part of that promise is music canvassing. We search worldwide for Indie artists who are doing their best to make a great first impression. Arpi Alto’s videos will do all of that and more, and her read on ‘Desafinado’ makes for a perfect introduction.
But it’s the unusual qualities of her voice that many find stunning and rare. Arpi Alto is a contralto vocalist, a perfect match for Bossa Nova and Jazz. Reports say that her voice spans several octaves, from deep contralto to the higher mezzo-soprano range.
We say, “Welcome, Arpi!” You are sure to hear more of her music on our streaming station and our Brazilian channels at AccuRadio, too!
Arpi Alto
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The 2026 Brazilian Jazz Appreciation Showcase
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