Between the release of his first album in 1962 and today, Marcos Valle has released twenty-two studio albums traversing definitive bossa nova, classic samba, iconic disco pop, psychedelic rock, nineties dance and orchestral music. He has also had his songs recorded by some of the all time greats, including Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Sergio Mendes, Elis Regina, and (last but not least), Emma Button of the Spice Girls. He has also had his music sampled by Jay-Z, Kanye West, Pusha T and many more.

With his twenty-third studio album Túnel Acustico, Valle set out to bring it all together.

“I believe my music is many things. It goes in different directions. I have many different ways of writing music, sometimes it’s melodies and harmony, sometimes the groove is the focus. But all the music I have made over my sixty year career is unified. It is all natural and it is all sincere. And this is what I wanted to bring to my new album.”

A prominent feature of Valle’s career has been his dual residence between Brazil and the USA. Originally moving over in the mid-sixties on the back of bossa nova’s international proliferation, Valle toured with Sergio Mendes and became hugely in demand as a composer and arranger. But the Vietnam War loomed and the threat of being drafted saw him return to Brazil. He spent the following years in Rio writing music for TV and film, as well as four cult favourite albums in collaboration with some of Brazil’s most groundbreaking musicians including  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/milton-nascimento" rel="nofollow - Milton Nascimento ,  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/azymuth" rel="nofollow - Azymuth ,  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/som-imaginario" rel="nofollow - Som Imaginario  and O Terco.

By 1975, Brazil's military dictatorship was at its most oppressive, making living and working increasingly difficult. Valle moved back to the US where he would reside in LA, writing songs for, and collaborating with the likes of  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/eumir-deodato" rel="nofollow - Eumir Deodato , Airto Moreira, Chicago, Sarah Vaughn and Leon Ware, amongst others.

Túnel Acústico features two songs originally conceived during Valle’s time on the West Coast: “ https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/all/products/marcos-valle-leon-ware-feels-so-good-2024" rel="nofollow - Feels So Good ”, a stirring two-step soul triumph written in 1979 with soul icon Leon Ware, and the sublime AOR disco track “Life Is What It Is”, composed around the same time, with percussionist Laudir De Oliveira from the group Chicago.

Built around an unfinished demo Marcos found on a shelf in his house 44 years after it was made, the “Feels So Good” demo was restored with the help of producer  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/daniel-maunick-dokta-venom" rel="nofollow - Daniel Maunick , who also utilised AI stem-separation to remove the placeholder vocal ad-libs. Valle added Portuguese lyrics to sit alongside Ware’s vocal hook, as well as extra keyboards and percussion.

Also written in late seventies LA, “Life Is What Is It” was co-penned by Laudir De Oliveira from the band Chicago and first released on the bands’ Chicago 13 album with lyrics by Robert Lamb. Another nod to his good times in LA, Valle recorded his own version for Túnel Acústico, upping the tempo and deepening the groove for a blast of irresistible summer soul.

On Túnel Acústico, Valle's core band features two members of the renowned Brazilian jazz-funk group Azymuth:  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/alex-malheiros" rel="nofollow - Alex Malheiros  on bass and Renato Massa on drums. The rhythm section is completed by percussionist Ian Moreira, with additional contributions from guitarist Paulinho Guitarra and trumpeter Jesse Sadoc.

The contemporarily composed music on Túnel Acústico features an impressive lineup of guest lyricists, including renowned Brazilian artists:  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/collections/joyce-moreno" rel="nofollow - Joyce Moreno  (Bora Meu Vem), Céu (Nao Sei), and Moreno Veloso (Palavras Tão Gentis) as well as Valle's brother Paulo Sergio Valle (Tem Que Ser Feliz).

The album closes with "Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)", a tribute to the legendary composer who passed away in 2023.

Túnel Acústico will be released on 20th September 2024 via Far Out Recordings. Valle is set to  https://www.faroutrecordings.com/blogs/news/marcos-valle-announces-2024-european-tour" rel="nofollow - tour Europe  and  https://www.jazzisdead.com/news/marcos-valle-tour" rel="nofollow - North America  in support of the album.

Credits:

1. Todo Dia Santo
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Percussion & FX: Daniel Maunick

2. Life Is What It Is
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle & Laudir De Oliveira
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Guitar: Paulinho Guitarra

3. Assim Não Dá
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle
Marcos Valle: Keys & Vocals
Patricia Alvi: Vocals
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Guitar: Paulinho Guitarra

4. Para De Fazer Besteira
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Keys & FX: Daniel Maunick

5. Bora Meu Bem
Composition by Marcos Valle
Lyrics by Joyce Moreno
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Keys & FX: Daniel Maunick

6. Túnel Acústico
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Keys & FX: Daniel Maunick

7. Feels So Good
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle and Leon Ware
Vocals: Leon Ware
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Additional Vocals: Patricia Alvi
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Percussion & FX: Daniel Maunick

8. Não Sei
Composition by Marcos Valle
Lyrics by Céu
Keys & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Trumpet: Jesse Sadoc

9. Palavras Tão Gentis
Composition by Marcos Valle
Lyrics by Moreno Veloso
Keys, Acoustic Guitar & Vocals: Marcos Valle
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira
Additional Keys & FX: Daniel Maunick

10. Tem Que Ser Feliz
Composition by Marcos Valle
Lyrics by Paulo Sergio Valle
Marcos Valle: Keys & Vocals
Patricia Alvi: Additional Vocals
Drums: Renato Massa
Bass: Alex Malheiros
Percussion: Ian Moreira

11. Thank You Burt (For Bacharach)
Composition and Lyrics by Marcos Valle
Marcos Valle: Keys & Vocals
Trumpet: Jesse Sadoc

12. Feels So Good (Instrumental)

13. Life Is What It Is (Instrumental)

Produced & Arranged By Daniel Maunick
Co-produced & Arranged By Marcos Valle

Project Coordinator : Patricia Alvi
Executive Producer : Joe Davis

Recorded & Engineered @ Castelo Studio By Daniel Maunick & Marcelo Friseiro,
Kassin Studios By Daniel Maunick & Mauro Araujo,
Valle Studio & Azymuth HQ By Daniel Maunick, in Rio, Brazil.

Mixed By Daniel Maunick @ The Sugar Shack, Carluke, Scotland.
Mastered by Caspar Sutton Jones @ Gearbox Records

from www.faroutrecordings.com