Letieres Leite’s groundbreaking Afro-Brazilian jazz album, “Moacir De Todos Os Santos,” featuring Caetano Veloso and the 22-piece Orkestra Rumpilezz will be available on vinyl. The album was recorded in Salvador in Bahia, and previously released only in Brazil in 2022, but is now receiving its first-ever international release on deluxe gatefold vinyl from the newly-established Portuguese label, Lusofonia Record Club.
Unfortunately, Letieres Leite, the creative mastermind behind “Moacir De Todos Os Santos,” passed away at the age of 61 due to COVID-19 complications before he could hear or see the final record. His untimely death has deeply affected his friends and fellow Brazilian musicians, who acknowledge his immense contributions to the Afro-jazz and Afro-descendant music of Brazil.
The album’s repertoire reimagines seven of the ten tracks from Moacir Santos‘ “Coisas” album (1965), which was one of the finest Brazilian recordings released at the time.
Letieres Leite wrote the arrangements for this new album in one go, without consulting the originals, due to his intimate knowledge of “Coisas.” The track titles were numbered originally, such as “Coisa nº 9,” translating to “thing no 9.” This numbering system is also followed in the new album, except for the title track, “Nanã – Coisa nº 5,” which features Caetano Veloso and was originally performed by Mário Telles.
Lusofonia Record Club, a label that embraces the various dialects and accents of Brazil, as well as the slang of the North and South of Portugal, the charm of each Cape Verdean island, and the linguistic heritage of the African Portuguese-speaking countries, has put together this beautiful vinyl edition of the album, set to be released on May 12th. The vinyl edition will be available at; letieresleiteorkestrarumpilezz.bandcamp.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.