Read on for a chance to win a 6-CD set from Putumayo’s Brazilian series. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Warm up your winter and celebrate Carnival in Rio (or vicariously at home!) with Brazilian Beat, Putumayo’s latest release that uncovers the roots-influenced contemporary Brazilian music scene. Glittering break beats are at home with bouncing berimbaus while rolling Afro-Brazilian rhythms, retro samba soul and velvety bossa nova vocals mesh and groove organically.

Selected from tens of thousands of songs collected by Putumayo to introduce new global music to broad audiences, Brazilian Beat chronicles the vibrant indie scene in Brazil and around the world. Musicians are taking samba, bossa nova, and MPB (Brazilian popular music) and deftly incorporating electronica, soul, funk and just about every other music imaginable.

Sultry or upbeat, the tracks on this compilation of hip, rootsy artists aim to raise listeners’ moods and introduce even die-hard fans to a new crop of Brazilian music innovators. Featured alongside unsung icons such as samba soul master Marcos Valle are rising new stars like Tita Lima, daughter of the bassist from psychedelic hipster darlings Os Mutantes.

Brazilian music has bubbled into an indie scene-to-beat-all-indie scenes in underground clubs and on small labels from São Paulo to Rome. You can go to Italy and find a hot bossa nova scene, and they have their own sound, like Roman bossa band BungaLove’s “Minha Loucura.” A diverse array of young musicians, such as Fino Colectivo, draw on Jorge Ben’s lush ’70s samba-soul sound—and transform it. It’s a realm of discovery, even for ardent followers of global music.

Brazilian Beat is available at most Whole Foods Market stores. Do you warm up your winter with music? Let us know how in the comments below for a chance to win a 6-CD set from Putumayo’s Brazilian series. Comment by February 22nd for a chance to win. We’ll choose one comment at random to receive the CDs.

Read on for a chance to win a 5-CD set of Putumayo’s Christmas music. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Looking for some new family Christmas music this holiday season?  We are excited to bring you our latest release, Celtic Christmas, an enchanting collection of Celtic music from Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada and United States. Celtic Christmas joins our other Christmas CDs: A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas, Christmas Around the World and World Christmas Party, which are sold at most Whole Foods Market stores.

Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording. The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassalling” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.’” The Gothard Sisters update the classic “Little Drummer Girl” with fiddle and guitar, while DruidStones’ rendition of the French carol “Noel Nouvelet” features harp and harmonious vocals.

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Read on for a chance to win an 8-CD set from Putumayo’s Acoustic and Café series. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

I am really excited to release our first contemporary singer-songwriter collection since 1994. It includes some of my favorite recording artists from the US, Canada, South Africa and Australia and combines the best elements of Putumayo’s successful Acoustic and Café series, which has been sold in most Whole Foods Market stores.

On Acoustic Café, Putumayo features rising young stars and new discoveries. In keeping with our global approach, the artists hail from around the globe. American singers such as Trevor Hall, Justin Townes Earle, Sarah Jarosz, are represented, while Harry Manx (Canada), Gregory Alan Isakov (South Africa) and The Waifs (Australia) are featured as well.

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Read on for a chance to win a 4-CD set from Putumayo’s Beat series and Groove series. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Putumayo continues its exploration of contemporary world music with the launch of a new “Beat” series, which follows in the footsteps of the successful “Groove” series. New releases African Beat and Latin Beat highlight the exciting blends of world music and electronica, R&B and more coming out of studios in Europe, America, Africa and Latin America. These releases are available at most Whole Foods Market stores.

On Latin Beat, we explore funky new blends of Latin music, in which electronic beats, hip-hop flavors, DJ remixes and cutting-edge grooves are fused effortlessly with Colombian cumbia, Cuban son, Mexican banda, Spanish flamenco, Afro-Peruvian roots music and more. Cuban band Moneda Dura adds the voice of Buena Vista Social Club legend Ibrahim Ferrer to a catchy breakbeat sound. Colombians Jontre and Mariposa Solar demonstrate how effortlessly groundbreaking Latin musicians are using traditional rhythms in a contemporary pop context. Spain’s Digitano takes Gypsy flamenco instrumentation and layers on electronic effects. These collaborations between modern Cuban groups and Cuban legends provide insight into how Latin music has managed to stay as popular and relevant today as it was 50 years ago.

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Read on for a chance to win a 14-CD set from Putumayo’s Kids Playground series along with Kids World Party. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Kids World Party, a global medley of fun tunes from Trinidad to South Africa, launches the new Kids Party music series for Putumayo. Like the acclaimed Playground and Dreamland collections, Kids Party is sure to please adults too!

With the release of World Playground in 1999, Putumayo Kids established its children’s music collections as passports to learning about the world’s cultures. Kids World Party marks a return to these global roots with 12 fun, danceable songs accompanied by a multilingual (English, Spanish, French, German), child-friendly booklet that explores how children worldwide celebrate special occasions. The CD comes enclosed in a new eco-friendly package without a plastic tray.

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THE CONTEST HAS CLOSED AND WE’LL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER SOON. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR COMMENTS!

Special thanks to Joel Dinerstein, Tulane University American studies professor and jazz author, for assisting Dan Storper, Founder and CEO of Putumayo, on this post.

Putumayo’s new CD release, Jazz, which is now available in most Whole Foods Market stores, features legends such as Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, Cannonball Adderley and many others performing beloved American standards. (Read on for a chance to win a 4-CD jazz collection from Putumayo.)

The late 1950s was a golden age for jazz and three-quarters of this collection was recorded in that period. Through recent sound engineering breakthroughs, most tracks have been significantly re-mastered, providing a sound quality only available in the last few years. The CD also features rare, full-page archival photos of each artist performing and extensive liner notes by Joel Dinerstein.

As Professor Dinerstein explains, “Jazz is an art form of ensemble individuality. First, a jazz artist has to develop a unique, identifiable voice — a combination of tone, style and phrasing that creates an instantly recognizable sound. Just as no one would mistake Billie Holiday’s vocal phrasing for Anita O’Day’s, Oscar Peterson’s piano style is easily distinguishable from Hampton Hawes’, as is Chet Baker’s trumpet playing from Louis Armstrong’s. A great jazz vocalist inhabits a song as if it were a one-act play told by a first-person narrator as the musical scenery constantly, subtly shifts to mirror the twists and turns of the singer’s emotional dynamics.

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We’re excited about showcasing Brett Dennen in April’s “Artist Discovery” initiative. Brett’s new CD, “Loverboy,” comes out April 12 and is already creating quite a buzz. Brett opened for John Mayer and has toured with Dave Matthews, Rodrigo y Gabriela and the John Butler Trio. He’s also made big splashes at Bonarroo, Austin City Limits, Coachella, and the Newport Folk Festival. You may also have heard his work on Grey’s Anatomy, Parenthood, House – or a slew of other shows. We hope you enjoy his music along with his tips for eating healthy while on the road.

I eat very healthy. Ninety percent healthy. The other ten percent of the time I allow myself to indulge; but for the most part, I’m healthy. I consume lots of raw foods and when I eat cooked foods, they tend to be whole foods: vegetables, sea veggies and quinoa. I am pretty much a vegetarian, except for seafood. I love sushi! I love oysters!

Whenever I explain my eating habits to people, I always hear, “How do you eat healthy on the road?” It’s actually quite easy. Every city of some significance has a Whole Foods Market, or something similar. At every venue I ask that they stock up on foods I like so that it is there waiting for me when I arrive. When I have some time to kill, I go out shopping and stock up on items to put on the bus for days off or for some of the places I may go where I know that healthy food is harder to find.

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THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMENTS! CONGRATULATIONS TO MICHAEL DIPIETRO FROM NEW YORK CITY FOR WINNING THE 5-CD SET FROM PUTUMAYO’S “DREAMLAND” SERIES.

Read on to enter to win a 5-CD set from Putumayo’s Dreamland series. Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Over the years, Putumayo Kids, which began in 1999, has released 20 CD collections to help introduce children to other cultures through fun music from around the world. Though best known for its fun, upbeat Playground series, Putumayo Kids has been quietly releasing albums that have become staples for parents to help their young children fall asleep. Surprisingly, parents have enjoyed these Dreamland CDs as much as their kids! They help just about anyone relax and wind down after the stresses of the day.

With Acoustic Dreamland, I wanted to bring together beautiful English-language songs recorded by some off my favorite performers of adult and children’s music. We’ve also included a mini-storybook featuring the lyrics of the song Dreamland that parents and children can read or sing along to. Written by Mary Chapin Carpenter and sung by Lucy Kaplansky, it’s a lovely tale of falling asleep and dreaming of distant places. I’ve tested these songs on my 5-year-old son and they have really helped him ease into sleep.

In addition to original songs, the collection also features songs written by James Taylor (You Can Close Your Eyes), Allman Brothers (Blue Sky) and Wilco (My Darling).

You’ll find Acoustic Dreamland in most Whole Foods Market stores now. Do you like to fall asleep listening to music? What are your favorite relaxing tunes? Leave a comment below by March 8th for a chance to win a 5 CD collection from our Dreamland series.

Musical powerhouses John Legend & The Roots are presenting fans with a fiery new offering, WAKE UP! This CD, available in Whole Foods Market stores now, features soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s all with an underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness- effectively telling listeners to WAKE UP! (Read on for a chance to win an autographed CD.)

The album features eleven evocative songs infused with sounds of gospel, rock and reggae inflections with hip-hop influences. The album is highlighted by familiar tracks like “Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye and “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway mixed with the more obscure selections of Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times,” and “Hang on in There” by Mike James Kirkland.

The album features one original composition, Legend’s song “Shine,” which is featured in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary film Waiting for Superman. The song, a “Stevie-Wonder-meets-gospel” stunner, clearly demonstrates the strengths of this specific group of musicians.

WAKE UP! blends Legend’s expressive, thoughtful vocal interpretations with an element of funk that only The Roots can provide. Watch to John Legend & The Roots talk about what this album means to them in this video about the Making of WAKE UP!

Got a favorite song that helps you wake up to the needs of the world around us? Leave a comment below by October 13th telling us what it is and we’ll pick three random winners to receive a CD and poster. One of the CDs is even autographed!

An inspired indie band dedicated to the environment? Music to our ears! Fifteen years into their career, Guster is operating at the peak of their creative powers,creating inspired music and practices for the entire music industry. In 2004, band member Adam Gardner and his wife Lauren Sullivan started Reverb – a non-profit organization dedicated to greening musicians’ tours. Since its inception, Reverb has helped transform the touring practices of over 100 major tours including Coldplay, John Legend, and many others.

Give a listen to Guster’s new album, Easy Wonderful — a sneak preview for Whole Story readers since the album comes out in stores next week. And check out Adam’s musing below about “What does Guster have to do with Whole Foods?”

Guster "Easy Wonderful" by guster

From Adam Gardner:

Hey there, this is Adam, Guster’s guitarist/vocalist. If you’re wondering, “What does Guster have to do with Whole Foods?” That’s a fair question. The answer is until recently, nothing. But then something changed — we realized how we share the same passion for protecting the planet and have joined forces to try to make good stuff happen on a local, national and global scale. Read the rest of this entry »