The world’s best record shops #069: Bazar Som Três, Salvador

Bahia dreaming.

Every week, we pick out one must-visit spot from a different city around the world with photos and a little bit of history. Think of it as a kind of 1000 places to see before you die but for record shops.

Having given you the full guide to Sao Paulo’s best record shops, and a few must hit spots in Rio, our next visit to Brazil takes us further north to the capital of Bahia and the beating heart of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Bazar Som Três

Location: Rua do Paraíso, 70, Nazaré. Salvador, Brazil

Go for: Brazilian jazz and samba

What’s the story? It’s with bit of a heavy heart that we’re sharing this one with the world, but so be it. Tucked away in between toy shops and market stalls just outside Salvador’s old town is a small retail unit stacked floor to ceiling in records.

Owned by the charming and helpful Haniel, Bazar Som Três is a bit of a goldmine for Brazilian jazz and samba from the late ’50s and ’60s, especially for any diggers a little jaded by the prices further south. If our experiences are anything to go by, here you’ll find originals of records you’ve only ever dreamt of, rarities that even Discogs can’t ID and classics on labels like Forma, Elenco and Som Livre you’ll struggle to find elsewhere.

With Haniel particularly keen on early MPB of the jazzier samba variety, collectors keen on ’80s boogie and synth-based sounds might struggle a little more to find what they’re after here, but that’s not to say it’s not worth spending an afternoon getting stuck in.

Stellar selection, first class service and affordable prices. We just won’t tell you exactly where it is…