Both these Brazilians released fine American product before, and it quickly got remaindered. Now, here they are again, making the same good uncommercial music.

Nascimento is a composer, an arranger and an eerily high-pitched singer. He shows an astounding emotional and technical slant on pop throughout his Brazilian Odeon records, elevating easy listening to poetry. A lot of his art comes through here, too, enough so that I can recommend Milton; to my purist ears, though, it lacks a certain edge. Recorded in Los Angeles, the LP seems to support my theory that when a Brazilian musician leaves Brazil, he always leaves something musically incisive behind him.

Slaves Mass I'm not so sure about. I haven't heard Pascoal's Brazilian recordings, but on his American records he throws too many ingredients into his musical stew. He loves his roots, complicated composition, sound effects (here, live pigs held by percussionist Airto) and angular jazz solos and voicings. How all this comes together is nice in spots (the charming "Little Cry for Him," the dreamy "That Waltz"), but still spotty; Pascoal often bites off more than makes musical sense. (RS 240)

MICHAEL ROZEK