George Benson ~ Inspiration (A Tribute To Nat King Cole)

George Benson has been at it for only 5 decades - you'd think after all this time, he might run out of steam. The incredible thing about his new tribute album to Nat King Cole is that just the opposite has happened. The singing and guitar work is just as strong as the heyday of his career. I'm just baffled that he hasn't fallen off after all these years. Throw in some great cameos by Wynton Marsalis, Idina Menzel and Michael McDonald (+ more) and you have a classic album in the making.
Whether or not you're familiar with Nat's repertoire (I mean, who isn't at this point?) this album is enjoyable from start to finish and makes a great addition to any record collection. Highly recommended!

tracks:

01. Mona Lisa – Lil' Georgie Benson (0:57)

02. Just One Of Those Things (2:42)

03. Unforgettable Feat Wynton Marsalis (5:05)

04. Walkin’ My Baby Back Home (2:43)

05. When I Fall In Love And Idina Menzel (4:03)

06. Route 66 (3:50)

07. Nature Boy (2:39)

08. Ballerina (2:46)

09. Smile Feat Till Brönner (3:22)

10. Straighten Up And Fly Right (3:05)

11. Too Young Feat Judith Hill (3:27)

12. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (3:04)

13. Mona Lisa (3:02)

The Girl from Ipanema ~ The Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook

tracks:
01. Stan Getz and João Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim - Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema) (5:24)
02. Sarah Vaughan - Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) (3:23)
03. Billy Eckstine - Felicidade (2:47)
04. Stan Getz and Luiz Bonfá with Antonio Carlos Jobim - O Morro Não Tem Vez (Favela) (6:54)
05. Astrud Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim - Água de Beber (2:20)
06. Antonio Carlos Jobim - Só Danço Samba (Jazz Samba) (2:22)
07. Wes Montgomery - nsensatez (How Insensitive) (3:48)
08. Shirley Horn - Once I Loved (7:01)
09. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd - Samba de Uma Nota Só (One Note Samba) (6:13)
10. Joao Gilberto - Meditação (Meditation) (4:03)
11. Ella Fitzgerald - Desafinado (Slightly out of Tune) (2:12)
12. Astrud Gilberto with Antonio Carlos Jobim - Dindi (2:43)
13. Oscar Peterson - Wave (6:04)
14. Antonio Carlos Jobim and Elis Regina - Águas de Março (Waters of March) (3:34)
15. Dizzy Gillespie - Chega de Saudade (No More Blues) (10:18)

Wes Montgomery ~ The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960)

The incredible Wes Montgomery of 1960 was more discernible and distinctive than the guitarist who would emerge a few years later as a pop stylist and precursor to George Benson in the '70s. On this landmark recording, Montgomery veered away from his home Indianapolis-based organ combo with Melvin Rhyne, the California-based Montgomery Brothers band, and other studio sidemen he had been placed with briefly. Off to New York City and a date with Tommy Flanagan's trio, Montgomery seems in his post- to hard bop element, swinging fluently with purpose, drive, and vigor not heard in an electric guitarist since bop progenitor Charlie Christian. Setting him apart from the rest, this recording established Montgomery as the most formidable modern guitarist of the era, and eventually its most influential. There's some classic material here, including the cat-quick but perhaps a trifle anxious version of the Sonny Rollins bop evergreen "Airegin," the famous repeated modal progressive and hard bop jam "Four on Six," and Montgomery's immortal soul waltz "West Coast Blues," effortlessly rendered with its memorable melody and flowing, elegant chiffon-like lines. Flanagan, at a time shortly after leaving his native Detroit, is the perfect pianist for this session. He plays forcefully but never overtly so on the bop tracks, offering up his trademark delicacy on the laid-back "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" and easy-as-pie "Gone with the Wind." With the dynamic Philadelphia rhythm section of brothers Percy Heath on bass and drummer Albert Heath, they play a healthy Latin beat on the choppy and dramatic melody of Montgomery's original "Mr. Walker." Montgomery is clearly talented beyond convention, consistently brilliant, and indeed incredible in the company of his sidemen, and this recording -- an essential addition to every jazz guitarist fan's collection -- put him on the map.

tracks 1

tracks 2

1. Airegin (4:28)

2. D-Natural Blues (5:22)

3. Polka Dots and Moonbeams (4:42)

4. Four on Six (6:15)

5. West Coast Blues (7:23)

6. In Your Own Sweet Way (4:53)

7. Mr. Walker (4:32)

8. Gone With the Wind (6:20)

Raquel Cepeda ~ I'm Confessin'

Venezuelan-born Texas talent Raquel Cepeda falls into that envious category of `Renaissance woman': she holds a degree in Geological Engineering and works full time as a geologist for the Texas oil industry, but she also is visual artist, a writer, a dancer, a beautiful woman and one hell of a chanteuse. She is to jazz what Dudamel is to classical music conducting - not a note or a subtlety slips by her without making the most musical experience imaginable. For this CD she explores almost more avenues of musical expression than the CD can hold, but here it is - four languages, American standards, Brazilian bossa novas and sambas, Latin boleros, a Venezuelan tonada, and even a ballad of her own - `Me Flechaste el Corazón , than sort of brings it all together - her musical gifts, her multicultural heritage, her sensitivity, and her intense musicality.

The ensemble who joins her in this satisfying concert is composed of Bob Chadwick, Flutes, David Cáceres, Alto Sax/Tenor Sax, Warren Sneed, Tenor Sax/Soprano Sax, Dennis Dotson, Trumpet, Paul English, Piano, Fugelhorn/Trumpet, Thomas Hulten, Trombone, Brennen Nase, Guitar, Guil Fonseca, Guitar, Jeffry Eckels, Bass, Dean Macomber, Drums, Jorge Orta (Cro-Cró), Tony Paraná and James Metcalfe, Percussion, Marcia Sterling and Oleg Sulyga, Violin, Dan Strba, Viola, and Shino Hayashi, Cello.

tracks:
01. East of the Sun (3:35)
02. Besame Mucho (7:14)
03. Chega de Saudade (3:51)
04. These Foolish Things (4:43)
05. Tonada de Luna Llena (5:52)
06. Somos Novios (4:15)
07. I Don't Know Enough About You (3:21)
08. Dream a Little Dream of Me (4:28)
09. How Deep Is the Ocean (4:09)
10. Me Flechaste el Corazon (5:02)
11. What Is This Thing Called Love (2:50)
12. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) (5:12)
13. Corcovado / Estate (6:58)

The Glenn Miller Orchestra ~ In the Digital Mood (1983)

This album contains the original Glenn Miller arrangements... the only updating was in the method of recording digitally... an aural pleasure created by the melding of yesterday's music with today's technology.

tracks
01. In the Mood (3:38)
02. Chattanooga Choo Choo (3:37)
03. American Patrol (3:26)
04. String of Pearls (3:15)
05. Little Brown Jug (3:09)
06. Kalamazoo (2:40)
07. Tuxedo Junction (3:40)
08. St. Louis Blues March (4:20)
09. Pennsylvania 6-5000 (3:12)
10. Moonlight Serenade (3:17)

Nat King Cole ~ Lush Life

This CD includes recordings that Cole made between 1949 and 1952 with arranger Pete Rugolo, a crucial time in Cole's career when he was breaking away from his jazz trio and emphasizing his singing, both on popular ballads and novelty tunes. During the period, Cole formed a close relationship with Rugolo, who was best known for his innovative work with Stan Kenton's orchestra. While never as commercially successful as Cole's collaborations with Nelson Riddle, their work represented a remarkable association between a great singer and a visionary orchestrator, with Rugolo emphasizing surprising contrasts in voicings and rich harmonies. The material ranges from Cole's bantering songs with his wife Maria, like "Hey, Not Now! (I'll Tell You When)" to a sonorous version of Alec Wilder's "Summer Is A Comin' In," and it's all imbued with the unmistakable Cole voice in its prime. The centerpiece, though, is "Lush Life," a superb rendition of Billy Strayhorn's languid hymn to wearied sophistication, with Rugolo adding Latin percussion and impressionistic textures to highlight the presence of Cole's rich baritone

tracks
01. Lush Life
02. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
03. Hey, Not Now! (I'll Tell You When)
04. I'll Always Remember You
05. Where Were You?
06. Tunnel Of Love
07. It's Crazy
08. Funny (Not Much)
09. That's My Girl
10. Roses And Wine
11. It's A Man Every Time
12. Time Out For Tears
13. Get To Gettin'
14. It Was So Good While It Lasted
15. The Way I'm Loving You
16. Ev'ry Day
17. Wish I Were Somebody Else
18. Home (When Shadows Fall)
19. You Can't Make Me Love You
20. Red Sails In The Sunset
21. Get Out And Get Under The Moon
22. My Brother
23. Land Of Love (Come My Love And Live With Me)
24. Poor Jenny Is A-Weepin'
25. Summer Is A Comin' In

The Modern Jazz Quartet ~ Scandinavia (1960)

tracks
01. Django (5:31)
02. Bluesology (4:32)
03. La Ronde (3:07)
04. I Remember Clifford (5:09)
05. Vendome (2:29)
06. Odds Against Tomorrow (6:58)
07. Pyramid (8:44)
08. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It A (5:32)
09. 'Round Midnight (3:48)
10. Bags' Groove (5:10)
11. I'll Remember April (4:50)
12. Skating In Central Park (6:08)
13. I Should Care (5:23)
14. Festival Sketch (4:23)

Bluesology

Dave Koz & Friends ~ A Smooth Jazz Christmas

Cohesiveness is what separates this all-star Christmas release from the others. During the last four years, Dave Koz, vocalist Brenda Russell, pianist David Benoit, guitarist Peter White, and trumpeter Rick Braun have hit the road spreading holiday cheer among the smooth-jazz masses and their collaborative ease is palpable throughout these 14 tracks. Benoit is featured on "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," while Koz adds one of his best solos. Braun has the spotlight on "Little Drummer Boy," where Benoit shines too, and White highlights "Silent Night." All five players are credited for arrangements on most tracks, the craftiest of which is the '50's doo-wop of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," where you can almost hear the Drifters singing in the background. Russell also does a holiday version of her hit "Get Here," which is as powerful now as it was 10 years ago.

Friends are: David Benoit (piano), Rick Braun (Trumpet), Peter White (Guitar) with Brenda Russell and Kenny Loggins on vocals. 

tracks

01. Smooth Jazz Christmas Overture (8:32)

02. The Christmas Song (4:55)

03. O'Tannenbaum O'Tannenbaum, Sleigh Ride Medley (4:04)

04. Silent Night (4:34)

05. Beneath The Moonlit Sky (3:04)

06. Little Drummer Boy (4:27)

07. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (4:09)

08. December Makes Me Feel This Way (3:39)

09. Boogie Woogie Santa Claus (3:19)

10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (3:49)

11. White Christmas (3:22)

12. Eight Candles (3:36)

13. Get Here (4:58)

14. 'Twas The Night Before Christmas (3:57)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Chet Baker ~ Albert's House (1969)

Although this album has been proscribed and described as “possibly the worst ever” the songs themselves are not terrible. Most are simple, pretty tunes written by comedian Steve Allen. Allen was a big fan of Baker, he had him on his variety show several times in the 60's. This was his way of helping Chet get his career started again. This recording inexplicably keeps getting re-issued on CD. The CD versions rename the tracks, and they are remixed at a lower speed (actually, I think this was a correction, as it sounds more natural than the LP versions). ~ chetbakertribute.com

tracks

01  Albert's House 2:25

02  Farewell San Francisco 4:40

03  Time 4:21

04  I Should Have Told You 4:20

05  How Dare You Sir 3:19

06  End Of The Line 3:16

07  Pretty People 3:21

08  Sunday In Town 4:36

09  A Man Who Used To Be 3:18

10  Never Had This Felling Before 3:24

11  Life 4:05

12  Nice Little Girls 3:48 

Jazz Manouche Vol 5

tracks
cd1
01.Django Reinhardt-Charleston 02:52
02.Rocky Gresset-Swing 48 02:38
03.Oscar Aleman-Russian Lullaby 02:57
04.Jimmy Rosenberg-Aladdins Theme 03:40
05.Birelli Lagrene-Embraceable You 02:27
06.Cyrille Aimee Daudel-Stormy Weather 03:02
07.Samson Schmitt-Tango for Piazzolla 04:46
08.Florin Niculescu-Opportunity 03:02
09.Ensemble Zaiti-Impromptu 02:56
10.Les Doigts De L Homme-Stenay Vous Bien 02:41
11.Raphael Fays-Melodie Au Crepuscule 02:43
12.Caravan Palace-L Envol 03:48
13.Moreno Trio & Angelo Debarre-Moreno Wal 02:47
14.Franck Vignola-I Surrender Dear 01:59
15.Pmb Trio & Daniel Givone-Valse D August 05:28
16.Tchavolo Schmitt-L Indien 03:39
17.Stephane Grappelli-Souvenir De Vilingen 01:47

cd2
01.Romane-Strange Eyes 02:50
02.Noe Reinhardt-Vette 03:26
03.Josho Stephan-Train to Paris 02:48
04.Yorgui Loeffler-Valse De Wasso 01:23
05.Angelo Debarre-There Will Never Be Anot 03:41
06.Christophe Lartilleux-Montagne Ste Gene 04:16
07.Oscar Aleman-Melancolica 02:44
08.Marcel Loeffler-Joshua Fit the Battle o 02:29
09.Aurelien Trigo-Shine 03:31
10.Rodolphe Raffali-Je Me Suis Fait Tout P 02:05
11.David Reinhardt-Love Remembered 04:17
12.Rosenberg Trio-Armandos Rumba Live 04:01
13.Sanseverino-Les Embouteillage 03:08
14.Marcel Bianchi-Minor Swing 03:04
15.Django Reinhardt-Liebestraum N3 03:19
16.Fapy Lafertin-Blue Lou 03:13
17.Bireli Lagrene-Vague A L Ame 06:08

Yorgui Loeffler-Valse De Wasso

Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli ~ The Gold Collection (1934 - 1937)

Classic Early Recordings by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli

tracks
01. Dinah (2:37)
02. Tiger Rag (2:36)
03. Lady Be Good (2:56)
04. Swanee River (3:07)
05. Clouds (3:16)
06. Chasing Shadows (3:02)
07. Djangology (2:58)
08. St. Louis Blues (3:30)
09. Limehouse Blues (3:11)
10. I Got Rhythm (3:13)
11. Swing Guitars (2:25)
12. Charleston (2:53)
13. You're Driving Me Crazy (3:00)
14. Ain't Misbehavin' (2:51)

Charleston

Patty Ascher ~ Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba

Ascher is the kind of interpretive singer who can handle almost any mood and almost any kind of song—from one that is narrative to one that springs from the depths of the soul. Moreover she has such an instinct for the exact nature of the song’s emotional centre that she hits the spot almost all the time. This is something like having perfect pitch; only in this instance it does not matter whether she does have perfect pitch, because her accent is on the key moment in the emotion; on the exact twist of the moment of pain or joy or whatever it is she is expressing. A marvellous example of this extraordinary ability is in the aching ballad, “How Much I Care”. So slowly do the moments pass throughout the song that it seems Ascher is caressing every word, almost making love to each beautiful twist and turn in the lyric of the song.

Appropriately Bossa, Jazz ‘n’ Samba boasts a stellar cast of musicians from Brasil, who have come together to arrange Ascher’s songs from this beloved adventure. Dori Caymmi turns Michel Legrand/Alan Bergman’s classic “The Summer Knows” into a slow-burner with a proverbial blue flame. The magnificent Gilson Peranzetta is responsible for the tortured sighs of “How Much I Care”. Cristovão Bastos conjures up a bleak desolation in “The Winter”. And there is much more breathtaking work in the arrangements throughout the album. Of course, the majesty of the arrangements comes to life with largely due to Patty Ascher’s brilliance in interpreting the songs themselves. Guitarist, Roberto Menescal is also there to make sure that it all comes to pass—every bit of music as unforgettable as the next.

It is never easy for a vocalist to translate emotions that are so deeply felt in the vernacular. An appropriate example would be “Saudade”. This is an emotion so unique to the Portuguese sensibility that it is next to impossible to render the word in another language—much less recreate the subtle hues of the palette of its emotions. While Ascher does make a brave attempt to do so, it might not have worked at all were it not for the extraordinary delicacy with which she renders the emotion. She appears to be on much firmer ground on the Portuguese of “Talvez”. “Pela Manhã” is another example. Although some of the subtlety of “Saudade” might be somewhat hidden in English, Ascher does make almost all of it work, thanks to a voice that soars with mysterious and magical beauty throughout.

tracks

01. Springtime (2:33)
02. The Summer Knows (3:53)
03. Girls just want to kiss (3:54)
04. Booking time (2:49)
05. How much i care (4:46)
06. The Winter (3:42)
07. Saudade (3:35)
08. Sunrise (amanhecendo) (3:18)
09. The sun (3:11)
10. Talvez (3:00)
11. Pela manhã (3:35)

Springtime

Melody Gardot ~ The Absence

2012 release, the third album from Grammy nominated singer/songwriter. Produced by Heitor Pereira, renowned for his work as a film composer and world-class session guitarist (Sting, Seal, Caetano Veloso), the Brazilian-born, US-based artist shared Melody's enthusiasm for driving off the beaten path of Western pop, jazz, blues and soul. And he was as adventurous as Melody when it came to inventive sonic ideas. From the deserts of Morocco to the streets of Lisboa, from the tango bars of Buenos Aires to the beaches of Brazil, The Absence captures the essence of each of these exotic locales, while at the same time remaining quintessentially Melody Gardot.

tracks

01. Mira (4:13)

02. Amalia (3:00)

03. So long (3:46)

04. So we meet again my heartache (4:24)

05. Lisboa (5:25)

06. Impossible love (3:47)

07. If I tell you I love you (3:32)

08. Goodbye (3:38)

09. Se Voce Me Ama (4:52)

10. My heart won't have it any other way (2:35)

11. Iemanja (4:05)

Goodbye 

So long 

Bill Evans Trio ~ Sunday at the Village Vanguard

Jazz pianist Bill Evans began a quiet revolution in the early 1960s. Before Evans, jazz piano trios spotlighted the pianist while the others essentially accompanied him or her. Evans envisioned a trio where all three musicians were on an equal footing, where they'd truly interact. Sunday at the village vanguard, recorded live in 1961, captures the original Bill Evans Trio at its peak. Drummer Paul Motian plays with grace, subtlety, and restraint that are equal to Evans's, and bassist Scott LaFaro (who also played with Ornette Coleman) has a rapport with the others that seems telepathic. Evans absorbed the bebop approach to the keys but also took inspiration from the suave pianism of Nat "King" Cole and 20th-century classical Impressionism. Sunday is piano trio jazz that's executed so beautifully one might not notice how complex it really is.

tracks

01. Gloria's Step (Take 2) (6:11)
02. My Man's Gone Now (6:24)
03. Solar (8:53)
04. Alice in Wonderland (Take 2) (8:34)
05. All of You (Take 2) (8:18)
06. Jade Visions (Take2) (3:43)
07. Gloria's Step (Take 3) (6:55)
08. Alice in Wonderland (Take 1) (7:02)
09. All of You (Take 3) (8:07)
10. Jade Visions (Take 1) (5:13)

Gloria's Step (Take 2) 

Patty Ascher ~ Bacharach Bossa Club

This CD presents 14 of Burt Bacharach’s greatest songs in Bossa Nova Style. This type of Brasilian cool soft jazz which revolutionized music in the 60’s is now ever present in the 21st Century as it’s style and charm will remain a timeless genre. Patty aces all of the 14 songs, but most notable are her renditions of “Wives and Lovers”, “Walk On By”, “There’s always something there to remind me” and many many more classics.

tracks

01. Wives & Lovers
02. Walk On By
03. I Say A Little Prayer
04. Do You Know The Way To San Jose
05. I’ll Never Fall In Love Again
06. One Less Bell To Answer
07. Rainbows Keep Falling On My Head
08. A House Is Not A Home
09. The Look Of Love
10. There Always Something There To Remind Me
11. Alfie
12. Close to You
13. This Guy’s In Love With You
14. What The World Needs Now Is Love

The Look Of Love

I Say A Little Prayer

Claude Bolling & Jean-Pierre Rampal ~ Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio

THE STORY OF A MUSICAL PHENOMENON
The idea of associating jazz with classical has often inspired musical personalities as diverse as George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck, Jacques Loussier, and even groups such as the Modern Jazz Quartet or the Swingle Singers. As far as Claude Boiling is concerned, this type of experience was first approached in 1965 with the "jazz Gang Amadeus Mozart", a savory recording in the form of a musical gag, where the "Turkish March" canters towards unbridled dixieland jazz, tinted with Spike Jones humor.

Later on, the young pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier, winner of the Tchaikovsky prize, who had performed with Claude Boiling in several televi­sion programs, asked him to compose a piece based on a dialogue between two pianos, one jazz, the other classical. From this exchange between two musical languages joining together in a single creation, the "Sonata for two pianists" was born in 1972, the first landmark in what the Americans would soon call "Crossover Music". Claude Boiling recalls, "The Sonata had just been released when I met Jean-Pierre Rampal whose truly exceptional talent I much appreciated. He told me 'I love jazz without knowing how to play it, but I dream of working with jazz musicians. Write something that stays in the classical field for my flute and in the jazz idiom for you.' I took this request seriously, considering it a real challenge. It was a rather crazy bet!"  As the weeks passed, three themes emerged from Claude Boiling's mind. Jean-Pierre Rampal heard them, liked them, and encouraged the composer to continue. When the number of compositions necessary for an album was achieved, the two accomplices decided to move on to the recording, adding Max Hediguer on double bass and Marcel Sabiani on drums. The "Suite for Flute" was born.

tracks

1. Baroque And Blue (5:18)

2. Sentimentale (7:45)

3. Javanaise (5:22)

4. Fugace (3:54)

5. Irlandaise (3:03)

6. Versatile (with Bass Flute) (5:09)

7. Véloce (3:39)

Baroque and Blue

Dusko Goykovich ~ In my dreams

tracks
01 In My Dreams 7:26
02 St. Germain de Pres 6:50
03 Sequoia Song 4:11
04 Introduction 4:57
05 Skylark 7:59
06 One Morning in May 5:17
07 All My Love 4:09
08 Little Theo 5:11
09 I Miss You So 7:30
10 Ballad For Belgrade 5:47
11 All My Love (4et version) 4:10

lineup
Dusko Goykovich- trumpet / flugelhorn
Bob Degen - piano
Isla Eckinger - bass
Jarrod Cagwin - drums

Dusko Goykovich ~ Swinging Macedonia

Swinging Macedonia was recorded in Germany with american sidemen, including Mal Waldron on piano, but the focus here is on Dusko's own compositions that attempt to fuse the sensibility of Balkan music with jazz. Several elements are at play here: most obvious are, of course, the skewed rhythms of 5/4 and 9/4 that are native to the dances of southeastern Europe - Romanian, Macedonian, and gypsy music.Macedonia and The Nights of Skopje are written in 5/4. Secondly, it's the modal harmonic elements: Saga Se Karame (later recorded as Slavic Mood) is built on Phrygian; Balkan Blue and Macedonia are modal tunes. Finally, there are structural elements; very few of the tunes utilize the AABA form so ubiquitous in jazz. American jazz was already experimenting with many of these features - odd meters of Take Five and Don Ellis recordings, modal music etc., but here they are very naturally fused into a single unity, the first recording of what later became known "Balkan jazz".


tracks
01. Macedonia (7:28)
02. Old Fishermans Daughter (5:06)
03. Jumbo Uganda (3:52)
04. The Gypsy (4:15)
05. Macedonian Fertility Dance (2:21)
06. Bem-Basha (4:33)
07. Saga Se Karame (4:19)
08. Wedding March of Alexander the Macedonian (4:06)
09. The Nights of Skopje (5:23)
10. Balcan Blue (4:45)

The Crusaders ~ Rhapsody and Blues (1980)

tracks
01  Soul Shadows (8:17)
02  Honky Tonk Struttin' (4:26)
03  Elegant Evening  (6:08)
04  Rhapsody and Blues (8:49)
05  Last Call (6:43)
06  Sweet Gentle Love (4:54)

Soul Shadows

Verve Jazz Masters ~ Antonio Carlos Jobim

The first Jobim tune I ever heard was "Desafinado". Dizzy Gillespie performed it at the Sutherland Lounge in Chicago in the winter of 1961-62, when Lalo Schifrin was playing piano with the group. Later, at my apartment, Lalo played the tune again on my piano, showing me the chord changes. Though he is from Argentina, he had lived in Brazil and was well aware of a new music that had emerged in Rio de Janeiro.
Soon after that I heard an imported album by Joao Gilberto, whom many people consider the father of the bossa nova (it really means nothing more than new thing), and this only intensified my interest in this remarkable, swinging, subtle, lyrical music, particularly the tunes of one Antonio Carlos Jobim.

When early in 1962 an opportunity came to me to spend six months in Latin America, including Brazil, I seized it, partly because I had long felt that we in North America knew far too little about the millions of people we share the Western Hemisphere with. In that regard, things haven't changed much. But part of the reason I wanted to go was to find out about this new music, this bossa nova.

And so in May or thereabouts, which is our spring but their autumn, I was in Rio de Janeiro. A music publisher had given me the telephone number of Joao Gilberto. He spoke no English and turned over the telephone to his wife, Astrud, who spoke it at least a little. She gave me Jobim's phone number, I called, and he invited me that evening to his home a short distance from the sea at Ipanema, a long, curved sand beach which is one of the glories of that city.

When I entered the small house, Joao Gilberto was sitting on a sofa surrounded by a vocal quartet called the Carioca Boys. He was playing guitar and, with them singing harmony, rehearsing a song by Jobim called "So Danco Samba". By now I had made a study of Jobim's tunes, and I understood a lot of the Portuguese lyrics. He and I went to the kitchen and he poured Scotch for both of us. I remember standing by the refrigerator with him when he said, "I'm crazy, but he" — indicating Joao in the other room — "is more crazy." Most of our conversation was in French, however. Jobim spoke little English then and I little Portuguese. His ancestry is French, hence the name. I told him I believed many of his songs could be translated into English, and I thought I knew how to do it. He encouraged me to try, and before I left Brazil, I had written English lyrics for "Corcovado" and "Desafinado", which became known respectively as "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" and "Off Key".

When Jobim came to New York for a Carnegie Hall concert, I introduced him to Gerry Mulligan, whose music—by the testimony of both Antonio and Joao—was an important influence in the development of bossa nova. Jobim told me: "The authentic Negro samba in Brazil is very primitive. They use maybe ten percussion instruments and four or five singers. They shout and the music is very hot and wonderful.

"But bossa nova is cool and contained. It tells the story, trying to be simple and serious and lyrical. Joao and I felt that Brazilian music had been too much a storm on the sea, and we wanted to calm it down for the recording studio. You could call bossa nova a clean, washed samba, without loss of the momentum. We don't want to lose important things. We have the problem of how to write and not lose the swing."
They didn't lose it. And they influenced American jazz almost as deeply as American jazz had influenced 

them. As the years went on, Jobim continued to develop. The samba is by no means the only rhythm indigenous to Brazil. Africa's influence runs very deep, particularly in the north, and the musical folklore is very rich. In later years Jobim reflected in his music this varied musical tradition; the bossa nova years were behind him. Increasingly his songs reflected his interest in the ecology of the planet and its disruption. "We are building a desert, my friend," he said to me once in Los Angeles.

tracks

01. Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) (4:17)

02. Vivo sonhando (Dreamer) (2:39)

03. So danco samba (3:39)

04. Desafinado (Off Key) (2:47)

05. Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) (3:35)

06. O grande amor (5:29)

07. Agua de beber (2:53)

08. Chovendo na roseiro (Double Rainbow) (3:15)

09. O morro nao tem vez (6:55)

10. Fascinating Rhythm (2:12)

11. Insensatez (How Insensitive) (2:57)

12. Inutil Paisagem (Useless Landscape) (3:11)

13. Favela (3:25)

14. Por todo minha vida (2:06)

15. Triste (2:43)

16. Borzeguim (4:23)

Aquas de Marco

Borzeguim