The NAC/smooth jazz market was a high priority for Mesa/Bluemoon in the late 1980s and early 1990s; NAC/smooth jazz stations didn't play the company's straight-ahead jazz releases, but they were receptive to some of its pop-jazz output. Some types of Brazilian pop are soft enough to appeal to NAC programmers, which explains why Mesa/Bluemoon went after NAC stations with this 1989 date by Brazilian singer Paulo Ramos. But Zig Zag isn't smooth jazz; this is an album of Brazilian pop, although it does contain elements of jazz and funk. African-American funk is a strong influence on this CD, but Ramos hasn't been influenced by the harder, more gutbucket funk. Rather, the Brazilian vocalist (who sings in Portuguese exclusively on Zig Zag) combines samba and funk in a smooth, polished, sophisticated way -- much like Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil. If you compared gently funky tracks like "Gotas de Chuva" and "Notas de Saudade" to the work of African-American funksters, you would think of the Brothers Johnson or Patrice Rushen rather than Parliament/Funkadelic, Rick James, or Cameo. Zig Zag sounds like it was recorded in Rio de Janeiro or São Paolo, but in fact, the album was recorded in Montreal, Canada, and mixed in Los Angeles -- which demonstrates that Brazilian pop doesn't have to be recorded in Brazil to sound authentic. In fact, a lot of Brazilian pop or MPB (musica popular braziliera in Portuguese) has been recorded outside of Brazil -- not only in North America, but also in Europe. Zig Zag isn't Ramos' most essential album, although it's a pleasing, memorable effort that has a lot going for it.
Format: Music CD, Mesa Records. Brazilian music CD release from Paulo Ramos with the album Zig Zag. Released on the label Mesa Records. Jazz music CD. This hard to find pre-owned music CD is fully guaranteed. This CD and case are almost like new.
    
Zig Zag
Lua Clara
Ritmo Tropical
Notas de Saudade
Negro
Enchanto
Silvia
Gotas de Chuva