Unreleased albums are, famously, hit or miss. This one is brilliant, and it’s a 1976 collaborative effort from master percussionist Nana Vasconcelos, bassist and producer Mauricio Maestro, and Joyce.
The closest point of comparison for Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Joyce Moreno (known throughout most of her career as “Joyce,” or Joy-cee) would probably be Joni Mitchell, though it’s not exactly an apt comparison. Both were fearlessly creative women making very personal, jazz-inflected pop music in the 1970s.
Recorded in Paris, Visions of Dawn was made just before her big breakout record, Feminina, which is rightly considered a classic in Brazilian music. It is utterly dreamlike, and contains early versions of songs (like the groovy “Banana” and very sweet “Clareana”) which would become beloved hits in Brazil before the decade was out. This is morning music or afternoon music, but you can feel the sunshine. It was rediscovered and released in 2009 by Far Out Recordings in London, a label specializing in Brazilian music. (Unfortunately, even the 2015 repress is out of print.)
Originally published at Late Republic Nonsense.