Brazil’s Best Music Memories Chase Summer All Year Long. Year After Year.
Our Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase features new songs, plus hits from 10, 20, 30 and 40 years ago. Enjoy!
Presented by AccuRadio
The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase
Summer never ends. It just trades hemispheres and it takes the music we love with it. Think of it as a ‘latitude adjustment’. That’s the idea behind this annual music Showcase. Blending this year’s current favorites while milestone albums from decades past.
These 10 tunes span the spectrum. From Bossa Nova to Samba. Exciting new voices to Rio’s chart-topping radio hits. From pioneers of Brazilian jazz to the innovative vocal and instrumental musicians of today.
So, while we unpack our sweaters, rake leaves, and hunker down for whatever the weather brings, Brazilian beachgoers are returning to their happy place. Soaking up the same sun we enjoyed just a few months ago along with the soundtrack that makes it all worthwhile.
You’ll find plenty to enjoy. Let’s get started!
Scott Adams, Midday Host
The Sounds of Brazil’s streaming station at Connect Brazil
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- Watch for 2026’s Best of Brazilian Music Showcase on New Year’s Day!
The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase
Sergio Mendes | ‘Mas Que Nada’ from Timeless | 20 Years Ago
The Summer of 2026 found The Sergio Mendes Band touring to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Brasil ’66. It almost didn’t happen. Here’s the story:
Ten long years. That’s how long we waited for Sergio Mendes to do… something. His tour dates trickled and we worried if Oceano really would be his sawn song. If fact, it was the quietest period of Sergio’s long, stellar career.
Then, a rumor popped up about a secret, late-night recording session at São Paulo’s Mosh Studios with Black Eyed Peas frontman, will.I.am. More names followed. India.Arie, John Legend, Jill Scott, Justin Timberlake, Q-Tip. Even Stevie Wonder. Starbucks?
Timeless released to critical crossfire. But its cross-cultural, cross-generational appeal resulted in broad international success. Nike picked up ‘Mas Que Nada’ for its 2006 World Cup media blitz, making the song a global hit.
Timeless opened a new era for Segio Mendes. It influenced each of his studio albums going forward and elevated his well-deserved status as Bazil’s greatest musical ambassador.
- Catch up with The Sergio Mendes Band on tour for 2027 here.
Sergio Mendes | Timeless (2006)
- Buy ‘Timeless’ | Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify
Listen free: | Brazilian Jazz | BossaNovaville | Bossa Nova Love Affair | XODÓ! The Rhythm Of Life! | Our Streaming Station
Bebel Gilberto with Marcos Valle | ‘Nua Idea’ from Viva Donato (2026)
You may recall Gal Costa’s debut of ‘Nua Idea’ as a swinging, Latin love song from her 1990 album Plural. But Bebel Gilberto’s version caresses each phrase with Marcos Valle’s keyboard setting the tone in tribute to its legendary songwriter, João Donato.
Maybe legendary is the wrong word to describe Donato’s songwriting contributions. When I asked a top producer where Donato ranked as a hit-making songwriter, the answer was illuminating. “It’s not that Donato wrote the most hit songs,” he said. “It’s that everyone recorded them.”
And that’s what makes Viva Donato special. This album’s guest list is star-studded. Here’s a partial list: Djavan, Ivan Lins, Gilberto Gil. Dora Morelenbaum (and her mom, Paula), Silva, and Roberta Sa. Mônica Salmaso, Antonio Adolfo, and Joyce Moreno.
And kudos to Selo SESAC, the São Paulo-based, private, non-profit institution which is fully dedicated to preserving Brazil’s cultural treasures. And to Tratore for its support.
Who knows? SESAC might very well have produced Brazil’s album of the year.
Bebel Gilberto with Marcos Valle
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- Buy it here: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify
Listen free on: The Sunday Brazilian Brunch | Brazilian Jazz | New Music: Brazil | Our Streaming Station
Gabriel Santiago | ‘For When You Arrive’ from Upright (2021)
New York? Yep. Ditto for L.A. and SoFla. Yes to Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle, Minneapolis, the Bay Area, and Atlanta. So when it comes to truly talented Brazilian guitarists, it’s time to add Denver to the list.
And if you’re not familiar with Gabriel Santiago’s music, it’s also time for an introduction. Born in Ilhéus, Bahia (the same coastal city that birthed Brazil’s most popular storyteller Jorge Amado), Santiago carries that same penchant in his music.
You’ll hear this skill throughout any of his 14 albums, including Upright, above. As a music educator, coach, and instructor, he has a knack for nurturing musicality in others.
Gabriel Santiago is at his best when performing live, and he’s a popular draw at local clubs and major festivals, where the setting can expand from trios to Big Band and Orchestral works.
His story is as remarkable as his music. Check out 10 Questions with Gabriel Santiago here.
Gabriel Santiago
- Website | Brazilian Guitar Institute | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram | Concerts | Music Charts
- Buy here: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify | Bandcamp
Livestreams: Listen free on: Bossa Nova Love Affair | Brazilian Jazz | New Music: Brazil | Brazilian Jazz Instrumentals | Our Streaming Station
Enjoying The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase? Let us know!
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The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase
Cama de Gato | ‘Melancia’ from Cama de Gato 40 Years ago
If you’re looking the answer to the question ‘Where did the contemporary Brazilian jazz we love today begin?’ look no further. This is the album.
Cama de Gato was a creative magnet for several of Rio’s ‘young lion’ jazz-fusion instrumentalists. Sax and flute player Mauro Senise, bassist Nilson Matta, drummer Pascoal Meirelles, keyboardist Rique Pantoja and guitarist Romero Lubambo formed the group in 1982.
Lubambo and Matta left for New York in 1984. The addition of Arthur Maia’s bass transformed the group’s sound and style, setting the table for unprecedented success.
Released in late 1986, Cama de Gato’s self-titled debut jolted Brazil’s Music scene. It broke the industry’s glass ceiling for instrumental music by selling more than 70,000 copies.
Yes, Azymuth is older by decades. Ditto for Antonio Adolfo and Banda Black Rio. Albums by guitarist Ricardo Silveira (Bom de Tocar) and trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos (Carioca) preceded Cama de Gato with musical merit. And new jazz fusion groups like Zil followed soon after.
But none succeed like Cama de Gato.
There’s even an early Connect Brazil ‘connection’. A few months after its release, I found myself sitting ‘front-row, center’ at Ipanema’s Jazzmania nightclub. Headlining was Cama de Gato.
My passion for Brazilian jazz began that night, years before Connect Brazil was even an idea. It was my very first night in Rio. And it changed my life.
Cama De Gato
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Brazilian Jazz Instrumentals | XODÓ! The Rhythm Of Life! | Our Streaming Station
Seu Jorge featuring Marisa Monte | ‘Quando Chego’ from The Other Side (2026)
It’s been a busy year for Brazilian music. In fact, by the time this early May release hit our streaming station’s playlist, we had surpassed that same number of new music adds from 2025.
Collaborations are why. Whether it’s Bossa Nova, Brazilian Jazz, or Brazilian pop, each of these one-off pairings reveals a different side to the performers.
In this case, it’s a favor returned by Seu Jorge, who joined Monte on her Portas album a few years ago. Both Jorge and Monte are listed as co-writers for the song which comfortably nestles into the album’s creative theme. Maria Rita and Beck also guest.
As intended, ‘Quando Chego’ (When I Arrive) pulls Seu Jorge into Monte’s musical milieu. And it brings us along, too. The relaxing ‘rhythm and guitar’ bed is patiently inviting, building slowly throughout. Like floating down a summery, slow-moving stream.
That’s the beauty of combining talents like these. Enjoy.
Seu Jorge
- Buy here: Amazon | Apple Music | Spotify
Livestreams: Listen free on: Bossa Nova Love Affair | New Music: Brazil | The Sunday Brazilian Brunch | Our Streaming Station
Lourena with Jorge Vercillo | ‘Atemporal’ (2026)
Is pop music changing in Brazil? It depends on who you ask (and how quickly), because Brazil’s field of emerging artists has never been greater.
And while MPB’s stars are fading into retirement, Jorge Vercillo consistently finds and collaborates with new voices and rising stars, bringing them into the pop spotlight.
Here, Vercillo mainstreams rap and Funk Carioca star Lourena by re-setting her silky smooth style into an original tune co-written for Brazilian contemporary adult radio stations.
Released in late August, it’s no surprise that this song has become a springtime hit for Antenna 1 and Alpha FM in São Paulo and for JB FM and Paradiso FM in Rio de Janeiro.
Lourena
- Buy here: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify
Livestreams: Listen free on: Bossa Nova Love Affair | New Music: Brazil | XODÓ! The Rhythm Of Life! | Our Streaming Station
Enjoying The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase? Let us know!
Connect Brazil Recommends:
The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase
Leo Gandelman | ‘Me Deixa Em Paz’ from Pérolas Negras (Black Pearls) 30 Years Ago
By 1994, saxophonist Leo Gandelman had achieved something unheard of. Both his Solar and Made In Rio albums sold more than 100,000 copies each, making him Brazil’s first – and only – Platinum-selling Instrumental star.
This album followed two years later to honor a handpicked dozen of Afro-Brazilian songwriters who pioneered Brazilian pop music through the decades. Well, actually eleven. I’ll explain why later.
Gandelman’s talent as an arranger and producer bring out contemporary nuance with these tunes. Each showcases the songwriter’s ability to craft a compelling (and catchy) melody that makes each of these ‘Black Pearls’ timeless.
And different. Jorge Ben’s ‘Mas Que Nada’ and Cartola’s ‘As Rosas Não Falam’. ‘Nanã’, penned by Mário Telles and Moacyr Santos. Others by Djavan, Milton Nascimento, Pixinguinha. And Banda Black Rio’s ‘Mr. Funk Samba’.
Even Monsueto’s ‘Me Deixa Em Paz’ (Leave Me In Peace) from 1951, plaintively sung by Luiz Melodia which became a big radio hit in the Brazilian summer of 1997.
And the 12th songwriter? Gandelman turned to Stevie Wonder for ‘Overjoyed’. Just because.
- Be sure to catch Leo Gandelman’s new single ‘Cosmos’ on Brazil Back2Back, Friday, November 6th.
Leo Gandelman
- Buy it here: Amazon Music
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Bossa Nova Love Affair | XODÓ! The Rhythm Of Life! | Our Streaming Station
Dora Morelenbaum | ‘A Melhor Saída’ from Pique (2024)
How is it that this two-year old song currently holds #1 on Connect Brazil’s Top 20? Simple. Every once in a while, we come across a previously released song that merits greater exposure, and we give it a chance.
Guided by the hand-me-down, generational talent of the Morelenbaum clan, both melody and lyrics were penned by Caetano Veloso’s youngest son, Tom. The title translates as ‘The Best Way Out’ with Luiz Otávio’s Hammond organ giving the track a jazz-funk and R&B groove.
It was no surprise to see Pique nominated for a Latin Gammy last year as ‘Best MPB Album’. Dora won a Latin Grammy in 2022 as a member of the vocal quartet, Bala Desejo.
And keep your ears open for Dora’s new single, ‘Et Des Mandolines’, which enters our streaming station’s playlist in early November.
Dora Morelenbaum
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- Buy it here: Amazon Music | Bandcamp
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Bossa Nova Love Affair | Brazilian Instrumental Jazz | Our Streaming Station
Trio da Paz | ‘Outono’ from 30 Ten Years Ago
Fans agree: In the lexicon of Brazilian jazz, Trio da Paz has earned its place of reverence. And in 2016, the legendary trio returned to the studio to mark three decades of music making.
And it’s their music which allows us to know them as old friends. Guitarist Romero Lubambo, bassist Nilson Matta, and drummer/percussionist Duduka da Fonseca.
Even better when it’s a weekend visit to their New York stomping grounds, a well-worn path from Dizzy’s to the Village Vanguard or the Blue Note (and of course, their annual Washington, D.C. engagement to Blues Alley every September).
But each of the ten tracks on this album remind us of the rare artistry and intimacy of their combined talents. Synergy and spontaneity are this group’s trademark, and ten years ago, they reminded us of why.
Trio Da Paz
- Buy it here: Amazon
Listen free: Brazilian Jazz | Bossa Nova Love Affair | Brazilian Instrumental Jazz | Our Streaming Station
Ana Clara | ‘Isso Não Vale’ from A Gente Sempre Ganha (2019)
Here, Bossa Nova is #1, but in Brazil, Samba is King, and it’s not even close. From the Samba Enredo that ignites the passion of Carnaval, to the swinging energy of Pagode, Samba rules the day. For Brazilians, Samba is life.
Ana Clara is a fan favorite on our streaming station and the channels we program for AccuRadio. Her smooth, flowing vocals are easy on the ears, and every new single attracts new fans. So let’s look back.
By 2018, Ana Clara had become a breakout artist in the male-dominated world of Pagode. Universal Music gave her the opportunity to shine by releasing the star-studded album, A Gente Sempre Ganha (The People Always Win).
And listeners keep winning. ‘Isso Não Vale’ is one of several hit singles from this album that still resonate with Ana Clara’s talent and passion as a leading advocate for encouraging females to enter the Pagode universe.
Ana Clara
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- Buy it here: Amazon Music
Listen free: Bossa Nova Love Affair | Preciso Brazilian | New Music: Brazil | XODÓ! The Rhythm Of Life | Our Streaming Station
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The 2026 Endless Summer Brazilian Music Showcase
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