Bossa Nova

[GA Russell]

I voted for Cannonball's Bossa Nova. Sergio Mendes brought his working band from Brazil to the US in '62, just a few months after Jazz Samba was recorded. So you have Cannonball Adderley sitting in with a Brazillian bossa nova band. And it's great! I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

I prefer the bossa nova from the sixties because the music lost some of its lightness as time went on and younger musicians took up the form, from what I've heard.

[Jim R]

I voted for Jazz Samba.  Getz & Byrd make it definitive in my book.

Charlie Byrd was a terrific guitarist in many ways, but... I must say when it comes to Brazilian music, he never quite showed much understanding of the rhythmic aspects of the music. After listening to Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, Oscar Castro-Neves, Baden Powell, Roberto Menescal, Durval Ferreira, and any number of other veteran Brazilian guitarists, I find it kind of difficult to enjoy those Verve recordings with Byrd anymore.

I'm not so sure that Charlie didn't understand the rhythmic aspects of the music. Maybe he's not totally "authentic" to the traditional style. But so what. I've always viewed his playing in this genre as an "american" take on Brazilian music. I mean that in the best possible way. I think he kind of boils the music down to the core and puts his own personal stamp on it. It's really a wonderul thing (that cross-pollination) that he a handful of other musicians managed to do in the early 60's. That music took off and still remains popular to this day.

His bluesy, countryesque, lines add a real warmth to the music that you just didn't hear from other more "traditional" brazilian players at the time. Take a song like One Note Samba, he totally reharmonizes the first 8-bars in a beautifully simple, effective manner. It's certainly different than what Jobim would later record, but no less compelling to my ears. Charlie Byrd played like Charlie Byrd! That's cool in my book.

A couple of points:

1. Like I said, Charlie Byrd was a terrific guitarist in many ways. No need to defend him in terms of his ability to reharmonize, play his own way, play compellingly, etc etc. My complaint is mainly with his rhythmic sense. When I used the phrase "didn't understand", I meant that he didn't display that understandiing in his playing. Sure, you can say he just did it his own way. That's jazz. This thread is about Bossa Nova... or so I thought.

2. If you think JAZZ SAMBA is "definitive" of the style (and especially if you think that Byrd is important in that way), well, you're missing the point, IMO. You're simply not talking about the real thing. Like I said above, I'm not trying to disrespect what American (or any other nationalities of) musicians did. Getz, Cannonball, Bud Shank, Zoot, Herbie Mann, Vince Guaraldi, Paul Winter, Eddie Harris, Jon Hendricks, Duke Pearson, and on and on up through more recent things by Joe Henderson, Toots Thielmans, Eddie Higgins, Vincent Herring, etc etc etc, I have a LOT of those recordings too. The point I'm making here (along the lines of what Pete said) is that the "authentic" stuff gets bypassed by most jazz fans. Everybody thinks of Getz and Astrud when they think of Bossa Nova. Yes, those recordings have been tremendously successful. That doesn't mean that they are anywhere near as important as some of the Brazilian recordings.

========

Reading through this thread again, a lot of the comments fit the standard American/jazz point of view. Joao Gilberto barely gets mentioned, and hardly appears in the introductory compilations that often get recommended. I'm just saying that (along with Jobim, the composer), he's THE guy- he's the guitarist, he's the voice, he's the genesis. Period. It ain't my opinion, it's fact. That's not to take anything away from Getz's accomplishments, or Luiz Bonfa, or Joao Donato, or whomever. The thing is, I often get the feeling that Joao Gilberto's early work being OOP for so long has made people forget (or fail to get hip to) him. Jazz and Bossa Nova fused, and it was a wonderful thing, both in the U.S. AND in Brazil. I wish more jazz fans would take the time to check out what the Brazilians were doing in the early to mid-60's. People are discovering Tropicalia, for a variety of reasons, but Bossa Nova still doesn't get the respect it deserves. You can go to Barnes and Noble and buy a biography of Caetano Veloso, but nothing is available in english on Antonio Carlos Jobim (who went WAY beyond being just a "Bossa Nova" composer, BTW). Like Ryuichi Sakamoto said in an interview during a concert in NYC, it's sad that people always stereotype Bossa Nova as lounge music... or worse yet, they think it's a dance.

Okay, sorry. I'm done. Check out Joao Gilberto... please.

[Sundog]

Jim,

I will certainly defer to your extensive knowledge of Brazilian music. I realize that Charlie Byrd isn't a totally authentic representation of the style and I don't necessarily think of him as "important" in anyway whatsoever. I simply like his music. If anything, his biggest legacy might be as an ambassador for Brazilian music. Additionally, you have to admit that Jazz Samba does represent a nice snapshot of the crossover appeal of Brazilian music. So in that sense some might consider it definitive.

You have posted extensive lists of Brazilian music from time to time and I have bought a number of recordings based on these lists. Artists such as Gilberto, Castro-Neves, and Bonfa, so thanks for that. Looking forward to buying many more as time and funds allow.

[JohnJ]

Perhaps not as authentic or Brazilian as many of the above recommendations, but I think the Sinatra/Jobim collaboration is superb, a high point for both great artists.

[Pete C]

Perhaps not as authentic or Brazilian as many of the above recommendations, but I think the Sinatra/Jobim collaboration is superb, a high point for both great artists.

It was a nice match indeed, and it gave Sinatra a setting where he could tone down his bravado.

[Jim R]

Additionally, you have to admit that Jazz Samba does represent a nice snapshot of the crossover appeal of Brazilian music.

Absolutely, and thanks for clarifying. We may have to disagree slightly on Byrd, but I appreciate your point of view. Who knows, I may develop more of a liking for him over time. It's happened to me before.

I hope I don't come across like an ass on these Brazilian threads. I feel strongly about certain things, and I do have more experience with Bossa Nova than some of the people on this board, but I'm definitely not a true expert on the subject, and don't mean to suggest that I am. I'm glad if I help anybody to discover some Brazilian artists and recordings that they otherwise might have missed.

Also, I realize that not everyone is necessarily going to like "The Legendary Joao Gilberto"... (and of course, those who don't simply have no taste. ).

===========

Something else occurred to me as I was re-reading this thread. "The place to start with Bossa Nova"...? The REAL correct answer, naturally, is...

DUSTY GROOVE AMERICA ! Selection, prices, and service are as good as it gets, IMO. Those bastards have a LOT of my money. B)

[Sundog]

Jim,

I appreciate your informative and enthusiastic posts regarding among other things Brazilian Music and "all things" guitar. Keep um' coming!

P.S. Those bastards at Dusty Groove are evil!

[mikeweil]

This Cd is THE ONLY way to start with, because that's where the music started. If that isn't jazzy enough, well, you're right, since bossa nova had little to do with jazz when it was created. Sorry, but that's a fact. Jazz musicians discovered bossa nova as a perfect vehicle for their impro, but it wasn't jazz or dependent on it in its appearance.

[Jim R]

I meant to post this before, and forgot. Recently, at AAJ, somebody asked about labeling different types of music- including Bossa Nova, and more than one person responded with a definition that included the idea that it was a dance. Rather than try to explain the real meaning and history of the term myself, I relied on Google (always the prudent thing to do when your writing skills suck as much as mine do), and soon dug up this article on the Caravan Music website. Yes, it's long, but I think it's very well written, and worth reading:

BOSSA NOVA HOME AND ABROAD (as of 1987)

by C.A. Perrone

Brazilian Bossa Nova is nearly three decades old. This musical style merits special attention because it is a prime example of modernization in Latin American popular music and because of its impact in other nations, most notably the United States.

Bossa Nova must be understood against the backdrop of traditional Brazilian popular music. In the late 1950s, the working class and slum dwellers consumed carnival type of sambas emphasizing percussive accompaniment. For the middle class, the dominant form of song was the ballad form known as the samba-canção, very similar to the Hispanic bolero in musical substance and lyrical outlook. Compositions typically had a simple, catchy tune with standard harmony. Vocal performance was emphatic and most texts were sentimental, frequently melodramatic.

The Bossa Nova movement, led by guitarist-vocalist João Gilberto and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, brought innovations in performance style and structural modifications to ballad forms and to the samba in general. Bossa Nova did not replace the traditional samba but offered an alternative for the middle and upper-class listening public. Bossa Nova altered several stylistic parameters, seeking dynamic integration of melody, harmony and rhythm while de-emphasizing the vocalist as the center of attention. Instead of the traditional binary samba beat, diversified syncopation was used, and standard drum set became the norm. Rhythmic foundations set by drums and bass were complemented by syncopated plucking of acoustic guitar chords. Bossa Nova introduced new patterns of harmony or chord progressions, frequently using the altered chords associated with jazz. Melodic lines were often sparse and chromatic, seemingly difficult or dissonant to the unattuned ear. A reserved, understated vocal delivery was characteristic. This approach contrasted sharply with the emphatic style of the samba-canção. Many of these new traits resembled those of the "cool jazz" of the West Coast of the United States, which many young Brazilian musicians admired. Gilberto’s 1959 recording of "A felicidade," from the film Orfeu Negro, is an excellent example of contrast because traditional carnival samba alternates with the new Bossa Nova style.

EXCERPT

Bossa Nova texts also showed changes in attitude. Lyricists avoided the melodrama and tragic outlook characteristic of the samba-canção, instead tending to reflect the amenities of middle-class life and using a colloquial tone that corresponded to the speech-like mode of singing. Gilberto’s album title O Amor O Sorriso e a Flor reflects the clichés of Bossa Nova texts. A classic example of understated pleasantries is the internationally known "Garota de Ipanema" or "The Girl from Ipanema" by Jobim and Vinícius de Morais.

The mainstream of Bossa Nova was vocal music performed in an intimate and controlled manner. A branch of instrumental improvisation also grew within the movement. Jazz-like pieces were composed and melodies originally written for vocal performance were explored. Although several Brazilian vocalists, including João Gilberto himself, were successful in the United States in the 1960s, North American interpretations of Bossa Nova tended to be of the instrumental variety. John Storm Roberts’ The Latin Tinge discusses the impact of Bossa Nova in the United States, to which I shall later return.

On the homefront, the international appeal of Bossa Nova was exploited by its leading critic, José Ramos Tinhorão. Emphasizing the links between jazz and Bossa Nova, he argued that the music of Jobim and his associates was a culturally estranged product that contributed to the alienation of the Brazilian public by turning away from the samba, the true tradition of the people, and by encouraging adulation of North American values. These objections are tendentious at best. Bossa Nova was a natural outgrowth of urban modernization and resulting class-stratified patterns of cultural production. The music emerged in the small clubs and apartments of the beachfront districts of Rio’s south zone. The very character of Bossa Nova—intimate, soft, controlled—corresponds to the enclosed physical space in which it grew. Bossa Nova was made by and for middle-class citizens. In his sociological analysis, Tinhorão mistakenly identifies Bossa Nova’s use of altered chords as an emulation of the North American jazz idiom. In a sarcastic response, Jobim pointed out that flat fives and sharp nines are not the exclusive domain of jazz composers, that Bach also used them. Furthermore, given its various stylistic parameters, Bossa Nova cannot be simplified as the crossing of samba and jazz, itself a fluid musical concept. That Brazilian musicians had contact with jazz is undeniable, but the results of this contact are purely Brazilian, a unique synthesis of rhythmic, harmonic, melodic, and performance-bound qualities.

With regard to the ideology of Bossa Nova lyrics, many people shared Tinhorão’s basic concerns, and there was some polarization over the issue, as seen below. Whatever controversies Bossa Nova may have provoked, it became enormously popular in the sixties, in Brazil and abroad. In Mexico and other Latin American nations, Bossa Nova was a commercial success and an influential development among musicians. Versions such as "La Chica de Ipanema" are still remembered as "jits". American lyricist Gene Lees visited Chile in 1962 and was told that "the young intellectuals of Latin America had adopted João Gilberto as a symbol of taste, lyricism and intelligence." Future research may be interested in tracing the spread of Bossa Nova in Latin America to determine to what extent it was received spontaneously as the music of a sister nation and to what degree the adoption and promotion of Bossa Nova by the North American musical industry had an impact on reception in other Latin American nations.

In Brazil, the ascendance of Bossa Nova coincided with growing nationalism and activism. In the early sixties, popular music became increasingly identified with a surge in political activity and socio-economic awareness. Dissatisfied with the apolitical, inconsequential and frequently banal discourse of mainstream Bossa Nova, songwriters began to expand their perspectives and express social concerns of local and national import. Composition of protest and topical songs gave rise to a trend known as "the content line" in opposition to the original "formal line." As the ideology of national liberation and populism spread, there was heightened emphasis on the social function of song, on message-oriented art integrated in a process of transformation.

Popular music, like all sectors of Brazilian society, was affected by the right wing coup of l964. Authoritarian rule sharpened sociopolitical awareness and motivated further protest in song. Despite stricter application of censorship laws, some forms of dissent were still tolerated, and social discourse in song was widespread by 1965. Committed artists began to gain larger followings, aided by the expansion of the music industry, which could service diverse interests. Protest through musical messages was but one symptom of general discontent with the military regime.

After 1964, participation, nationalism and regionalism were prime concerns in Bossa Nova. Many still cultivated the established style of Gilberto and Jobim, but the so-called "second generation" of Bossa Nova implemented various modifications. A successful rock and roll movement known as Jovem Guarda was perceived by many to be an unmediated import and fostered concern with the authenticity or national character of popular music. Interest in social problems, especially those of the rural Northeast, led to changes in musical material too. Songwriters began to blend elements of the more "primitive" samba de morro in Bossa Nova frames. Others, led by Geraldo Vandré from the Northeastern state of Paraíba, incorporated some regionalist features into their Bossa Nova sound and used folk diction in texts. Increasingly, musicians turned away from jazz-like configurations to draw on traditional and rural genres. In many cases, only the characteristic instrumentation or syncopation of Bossa Nova was maintained. Some performers moved towards a more forceful manner of presentation, eschewing the self-effacing finesse of early Bossa Nova. More aggressive performance approaches were consistent with protest thematics. Texts often focused on the urban working class, injustices in the interior, or the plight of the backlands. Urban middle class music-makers emphasized rural settings in lyrics and identified with the country as a whole through such musical means as the use of typically Brazilian instruments, the utilization of different regional rhythms, and the imitation of popular melodies. This folk or traditional orientation usually implied what might be termed cultural nationalism but not always a committed political ideology.

Given the extent of changes in musical approach in the second generation of Bossa Nova musicians, by the mid-1960s the term "Bossa Nova" no longer signified a distinct style or unified concept. With songwriters drawing on diverse sound sources and often focusing on social phenomena in their texts, "Bossa Nova" came to represent a compositional spirit opposed to escapist and simplistic imitations of North American rock and roll. In a broad sense, the words "Bossa Nova" represent an epoch of change and musical fertility.

Other Latin American nations had direct contact with significant songwriters of this second generation. When military repression became severe in Brazil in 1969, Geraldo Vandré fled to Chile. Oswaldo Rodríguez speaks of his encounter with Vandré in his book Cantores que reflexionan. A Spanish version of the song that led to Vandré’s persecution, the militant "Caminhando", was recorded by musicians involved in nueva canción during La Unidad Popular. "Funeral de um lavrador" by the well known Chico Buarque was recorded by Los Quatro de Chile as early as 1967. Today Buarque is known throughout Spanish America through recordings by Daniel Viglietti and Soledad Bravo, his own LP in Spanish, several appearances in Cuba, and his landmark performance at the Central American Peace Concert in Nicaragua.

The rise and fall of Bossa Nova in the United States is a fascinating chapter of the history of jazz. The reception and fate of this foreign music reflects, through production and consumption of the musical medium, commonly held misconceptions about Latin America, some paternalistic mentality, and the manipulative inner workings of the North American recording industry. The crossing of samba and jazz has been traced as far back as 1953 when Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida did a series of recordings with West Coast saxophonist Bud Shank. These collaborations continued through the fifties as isolated, individual efforts. Some copies of these recordings circulated among Brazilian musicians during the 50s. With this evidence, some bandwagon music critics of the early 1960s claimed that Bossa Nova actually began in the USA. This kind of short sighted history is written by chroniclers with sparse or no knowledge of musical developments in Brazil. Simply put, João Gilberto is the source of Bossa Nova, and he developed his particular style of guitar playing on his own; it is far from the classically based style of Almeida. It should be further noted that no percussion was used on the Shank-Almeida recordings, and they therefore cannot have served as models for Bossa Nova’s characteristic alterations of syncopation. Gilberto has said that his singing style was influenced by baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, but this does not justify crediting Bossa Nova to American ingenuity. Yes, American cool jazz did affect musical consciousness in Brazil but as Robert Thompson had to remind less open minded readers: " to the extent that we do not measure this expression against Brazilian criteria we damn ourselves and we damn a very special art."

Bossa Nova’s arrival in the USA can be ascribed to the interest and promotion of sincere musicians. In 1961, under the auspices of Kennedy’s Good Neighbor programs, guitarist Charlie Byrd made a Good Will tour to Brazil and experienced Bossa Nova in loco. He was taken by the music and recorded, with Stan Getz, the now historic Jazz-Samba LP upon his return to the USA. This album raced up the charts and began an immediate wave of imitations. The most prominent event in the ascendance of Bossa Nova occurred in 1962. An entourage of Brazil’s best new musicians played Carnegie Hall in New York. This event touched off a veritable explosion of Bossa Nova on the radio air waves, in recordings and, to the surprise of xenophobic music producers, of sales. What was unusual about this development was that a music in the jazz category, of foreign origin, was achieving the mass popularity usually associated with pop music. What was inevitable was the deformation of the musical experience, of an international exchange, by the record industry. As an articulate musician involved in this process said, "almost all the Bossa Nova to which the American public has been exposed has been false and shallow." Elsewhere, he notes: " the remarkable and significant Brazilian musical development [...] that had promised to have a refreshing and healthy influence on the sick American music business, was ravaged and ground into the turf." The process of spontaneous and gradual assimilation of musical concepts by composers and performers was truncated. Dozens of jazz artists were hurriedly encouraged or pushed into slapping together Bossa Nova albums, many of which had very little to do with the style whose name was exploited.

Even more embarrasing were the pop renditions of Bossa Nova. In the early sixties, new dance crazes were promoted at every opportunity to create profitable consumer fads. The twist is the best example. Bossa Nova is a soft, sophisticated vocal music for listening or instrumental improvisation, decidedly not dance music. Nonetheless, record promoters tried to make of Bossa Nova another fad, another dance craze. Vocalist Edie Gormé recorded the pop tune "Blame It on the Bossa Nova," a song in which the style is depicted as a dance. Other songs like "Bossa Nova Baby" by Tippy and the Clovers moved Bossa Nova into the realm of what is today called "bubble gum music." The sensitive music critic of the Saturday Review called the industry’s version of Bossa Nova "one of the worst blights of commercialism ever to be inflicted on popular art."

A telling example of that blight is this product: "Brazilian Detour", by Paul Smith and Orchestra. While the name of the lead musician suggests distance from any Latin music, we can make no fair judgement on that basis alone. The packaging of this artifact, however, bares the limits of commercial Bossa Nova and implies the very attitudes that spelled the downfall of a "foreign" music for mass audiences here. The title, cover art, headlines and liner notes appeal not to intrinsec musical interest but to a desire for secure and non-challenging sampling of an exotic product. The colorful art work on the cover suggests a tropical land of wild vegetation, tribal peoples and deregulated behavior. This is a chromatic and formal abstraction of stereotypes and misrepresentations of South America which began with the Carmen Miranda phenomenon in the 1940s, when North America learned through music and film that samba came from Mexico or Argentina, tango from Brazil, and that Buenos Aires was the capital of Brazil, which had a "whole lotta coffee" and women dancing about with enormous collections of fruits on their heads, especially bananas. This image, of course, has nothing to do with the urban, middle class and cosmopolitan music of Bossa Nova. Yet the artist’s depiction does tie into the promotional scheme. The bold type of the album’s back jacket offers this: "An exciting trip to the land of bossa nova. Paul Smith and orchestra escort you on a swinging BRAZILIAN DETOUR." These words, as if from a travel brochure, offer the consumer entertainment, distraction, and, most significantly, protection and security. The suggestion is not that Bossa Nova is here, in the United States. Rather, the record represents a safe trip abroad to hear the natives. The home bred musicians will "escort" the listener to the wild and unpredictable tropics, and the experience will be only a "detour," nothing to shake comfortable routine or question the validity of more familiar sound structures. This example is admittedly extreme, yet there are countless instances of record reviews, promos or jackets giving a distorted or misinformed view of Bossa Nova and its land of origin. One clear sign of falsity was the use of Spanish language titles and promo plugs. Worthwhile interpretations could hardly be expected from composers and promotors who did not even know which was the language of Bossa Nova.

It must be noted that even as Bossa Nova died as a pop fad, it gained force in the jazz world for a few more years. The best Bossa Nova recordings, featuring João Gilberto, Jobim and other Brazilians, often in collaboration with North American artists, were made after 1963. The vast majority of songs recorded were of the intimate, "amor-sorriso-flor" variety that typified the first generation of Bossa Nova. Around 1965, a few North American releases included songs by the second generation of Bossa Nova composers with regional touches or socially relevant texts. Even when such songs were recorded, their original meaning was not illuminated, neither through English versions nor through liner notes. In a review of Wanda de Sa’s recording of "Berimbau", for example, Robert Thompson notes "The Portuguese text talks topical politics behind a mask of folklore. The liner notes, of course, offer no hint of what’s happening." Not here nor elsewhere in later Bossa Nova in the United States. Brazilian music’s appeal and selling point would remain its rhythmic, sonorous and performative vocal features.

Bossa Nova became a permanent part of the jazz repertory, to judge by the number of compositions by Jobim in the "real book", the collection of lead sheets and charts professional musicians most often consult. There are 12 of Jobim’s songs in that book; only one North American composer has more in the same source. But if Brazilian popular music made an indelible imprint in the jazz scene, a minority domain, the mainstream reception of the same music from abroad made other revelations. That taking commercial advantage was an overall priority and that only a select and sincere few were interested in understanding that music in its natural habitat, whether it express banalities or social discontent.

 

[Jim R]

Just to add one thought to that- as much as I admire the author's skill in putting that together, I do have a little trouble with that second-to-last paragraph, especially the line: "The best Bossa Nova recordings, featuring João Gilberto, Jobim and other Brazilians, often in collaboration with North American artists, were made after 1963." ??? I'm not sure where he's coming from with that, unless he meant to say "Bossa-influenced jazz recordings". At any rate, I know that sometimes confusion results from the fact that the Brazilians (in general) do not keep very good track (if they keep track at all) of recording dates. Even for some of the classic sessions on Elenco, I've seen conflicting information spread around regarding the dates of recording.

[marcoliv]

well, i haven't voted on this one as the options are not bad at all but they don't truly represent what is Bossa Nova.

i was sure that Jim would recommend the Gilberto one. it's a milestone so it´s the one to get to be duly introduced to Bossa Nova. this morning i was listening to the first 2 albums of Jorge Ben (Samba Esquema Novo & Sacudin Ben Samba) and Brandon is also on the right way suggesting Samba Esquema Novo (easily available here)

i was lucky enough yesterday btw getting some OOP albums from Jorge such as Solta o Pavao, Força Bruta and many others.

a great singer of Bossa Nova is Pery Ribeiro, the son of 2 masters of the Brazilian Music, Herivelto Martins & Dolores Duran. his album "Pery Muito Mais Bossa" is one of my favorites. the same album is available with english lyrics so be sure to get it in portuguese.

of course Jobim should be the next step.

Jim knows more than me about this so just follow his indications

Marcus

[chris olivarez]

If I have to vote for anybody it has got to be Tom Jobim but I've got to admit there are many excellent recommendations on this list. I'm on a mission to add Joyce to my cd collection.

[Jim R]

Marcus, the day when I know more about this music than any musically-inclined resident of Brasil is... well, it's very far off! I don't even understand much portuguese, so I can't know the meaning of many of the original lyrics. Someday I'll study portuguese in my rocking chair. ... and that may not be too far off!

Pery Ribeiro is one of my favorite Brazilian singers, by the way. I have these titles:

Pery E Todo Bossa (Odeon) / Sings Bossa Nova Hits (Copacabana) (2 LP's on one CD)

Gemini V (Live at the Porão 73) with Leny Andrade and Bossa Tres (Odeon)

Pery Ribeiro & Bossa Tres- "Encontro" (great EMI CD reissue of the Odeon album)

and a EMI "serie BIS" 2-CD compilation released a few years ago. (no discographical details).

I would like to find that "Pery Muito Mais Bossa", as well as a few others:

"Pery" on Odeon from 1965

"Os Grandes Successos Da Bossa Nova" on Copacabana from 1980

and "Pra Tanto Viver" with Luiz Eça, on Continental from 1985

His first album on Odeon, "PERY RIBEIRO E SEU MUNDO DE CANÇÕES ROMÂNTICAS" would also be nice to find, although it looks more like a samba-cançao collection:

[marcoliv]

Jim, it is so hard to find inprint albums from Pery Ribeiro!! at least here i mean.

EMI reissued 2 of Bossa 3 albums but copy controlled and i refuse myself (so far...) to buy a CC disc.

don't waste your time learning portuguese. it's not an easy language at all and useless in every part of the globe. on the internet you can find a lot of lyrics translated to english so don't care about it.

my Jobim recommendation will always be "Inédito". for me it´s Jobim at the peak of his powers and the band was fantastic at this time.

Joyce is a favorite of mine and i would recommend from her the following titles:

.Tom Jobim - Os Anos 60 (1987) her rendition for Corcovado on this one is amazing. 13 tracks sticking only with Jobim's world.

.Vinicius de Moraes - Negro Demais No Coraçao (1988) after her tribute to Jobim, this was dedicated to Vinicius. great performances on Canto de Ossanha, Samba da Benção, Deixa e Sabe Você

.Joyce Ao Vivo (1989) - live performance where she sings beautifully Todos Os Instrumentos, Mistérios, Triste, Aos Pés Da Cruz, Feminina

on Toninho Horta's Diamond Land released by Verve in 1989 she performs a nice duet with him on Beijo Partido. on this album you can find Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Nico Assumpção, Armando Marçal, Jacques Morelembaum, Marcio Montarroyos, Robertinho Silva. i had it on vynil just because of Beijo Partido.

when Jon Lucien (a brilliant singer IMHO) after a long absence returned in 1991 with the album Listen Love, released by Mercury, Joyce and him are a perfect matchup singing Mistérios. the album is bad but their performance is very good.

about Jon Lucien, he did the best version ever for me of Jobim's Dindi on his album Song For My Lady in 1976 released by Columbia.

enough Marcus

[mikeweil]

Just to add one thought to that- as much as I admire the author's skill in putting that together, I do have a little trouble with that second-to-last paragraph, especially the line: "The best Bossa Nova recordings, featuring João Gilberto, Jobim and other Brazilians, often in collaboration with North American artists, were made after 1963." ??? I'm not sure where he's coming from with that, unless he meant to say "Bossa-influenced jazz recordings". At any rate, I know that sometimes confusion results from the fact that the Brazilians (in general) do not keep very good track (if they keep track at all) of recording dates. Even for some of the classic sessions on Elenco, I've seen conflicting information spread around regarding the dates of recording.

Thanks for posting that fine article, and I'd say you're right with your conclusion. Most jazz fans think of the - in some way, from a Brazilian perspective - watered-down Getz/Gilberto recordings first, and Brazilian encompass the US recordings just as well.

And discographical documentation never played an important part in Brazil. Songs had to be newly written for each Carnival season, and by printing recording dates on record sleeves the labels would have admitted they published a "dated" song, when they simply wanted to profit on an existing recording. The audiences knew their classic favourites, anyway.

[Jim R]

my Jobim recommendation will always be "Inédito". for me it´s Jobim at the peak of his powers and the band was fantastic at this time.

I agree 100%. A gorgeous collection of performances that shows off Jobim's wealth of talent as a composer. It's interesting how things go in cycles. Jobim wrote some great music long before the Bossa Nova era began, and right now I'm listening to "Jobim Sinfonico", which his son Paulo helped to produce in 2002. It includes a variety of his compositions, from the early "Orfeu da Conceiçao" to some of his later works.

Joyce is a favorite of mine and i would recommend from her the following titles:

.Tom Jobim - Os Anos 60 (1987) her rendition for Corcovado on this one is amazing. 13 tracks sticking only with Jobim's world.

.Vinicius de Moraes - Negro Demais No Coraçao (1988) after her tribute to Jobim, this was dedicated to Vinicius. great performances on Canto de Ossanha, Samba da Benção, Deixa e Sabe Você

.Joyce Ao Vivo (1989) - live performance where she sings beautifully Todos Os Instrumentos, Mistérios, Triste, Aos Pés Da Cruz, Feminina

on Toninho Horta's Diamond Land released by Verve in 1989 she performs a nice duet with him on Beijo Partido.

This reminds me- I have most of Joyce's recordings, and I think my favorite is "Sem Voce", which is an entire album of duets with Toninho Horta (the best I've ever heard him play), and it's all Jobim tunes.

[Pete C]

Some of my favorite 60's recordings are the airchecks from the Elis Regina's TV show No Fino da Bossa (co-hosted with Jair Rodrigues). Among the guests on these recordings, if I remember offhand, are Jorge Ben, Baden Powell, Gilberto Gil, Pery Ribeiro and Wilson Simonal.

[scottb]

I always liked Joe Pass' TUDO BEM. I enjoy Pass' playng on this one. It's a bit lighter than most of his work that I have. It seems HE was really enjoying it too.

What do the guitarist on the board think of this one?

[Jim R]

I like TUDO BEM also. Pass was definitely "on" that day (as if there were days when he wasn't ). His solos sound even more effortless than usual- especially since he's out of his more typical swing/jazz setting. And speaking of the setting, he's surrounded by some of the best Brazilian musicians on this. I love Castro-Neves as an accompanist, and Bailly and Slon are true veterans, going back to the 60's bossa scene. I like the choice of material, with a few lesser-known Brazilian classics like "razao de viver" (aka "tears"), "chuva delicada" ("the gentle rain"), "morrer de amor" (I live to love), and "preciso aprender a ser so" ("if you went away") mixed in with some mega-hits by Jobim and Roberto Menescal. There are a few things I might have changed (electric piano and electric bass, for example), and I think track 6 ("Que Que Ha") is kind of out of place on this, but that's a minor complaint. Overall, this is a treasure, with such a fleet and fluent electric guitar soloist like Pass supported with a backdrop of authentic Brazilian rhythms. Not really a common thing.

Edited May 14, 2004 by Jim R