Brazil — All Formats  

The historic meeting of Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist Joao Gilberto, with the surprisingly popular inclusion of Joao's then-wife Astrud. The record created a sound that was copied endlessly, and which catapulted Astrud to unbelievable fame worldwide – even though she was only included in the session at the last minute, because Joao couldn't sing in English! Includes the classic recording of "Girl From Ipanema", plus loads of other bossa classics like "Desafinado", "Cocovado", "O Grande Amor", and "Vivo Sonhando". Getz is impeccable, as he is on most of his bossa recordings, and Joao gives some of the best performances of his career.

A very different record than the first collaboration between Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – but that's also one of the things that makes it great! The album's more of a split LP than a shared one – as side one features a live performance from the great mid 60s Stan Getz quartet that featured Gary Burton on vibes – a wonderfully cool combo that was very under-documented on record, and which makes a key appearance here. The combination of Burton's vibes and Stan's tenor is pure genius – a sound that's got all the subtle hues and cool colors of the Getz bossa recordings, but which is quite different overall. Stan's tone is amazing on these tunes – and titles include "Here's That Rainy Day", "Tonight I Shall Sleep With A Smile On My Face", "Grandfather's Waltz", and "Stan's Blues". Side two features Joao Gilberto without Stan – playing in a very groovy trio that's more straight bossa than most of his other US recordings – cool small combo grooving that's totally great! The lineup features Gilberto on guitar and vocals, Keeter Betts on bass, and Helcio Milito on drums – all working in a sweetly grooving mode on titles that include "Samba De Minha Terra", "Meditation", "Bim Bom", "Rosa Moreno", and "O Pato". CD also features 5 bonus tracks with vocals from Astrud Gilberto – "It Might As Well Be Spring", "Only Trust Your Heart", "Corcovado", "Garota De Ipanema", and "Eu E Voce" – all from the Getz Au Go Go album.

One of Joao Gilberto's first-ever albums – filled with incredibly beautiful bossa material that captures the vocals and guitar of Gilberto at their fragile early best – backed by sublime arrangements from Antonio Carlos Jobim and Walter Wanderley! The setting is perfect, and the sound is amazing – that incredible stripped-down breathy quality that made Joao a legend right out of the box – which so many others tried to copy over the years, but never got this right. A beautiful relic from the past – with a lovely image of Joao's young face on the cover – and titles that include "O Barquinho", "O Amor Em Paz", "Voce e Eu", "Coisa Mas Linda", and "Presente De Natal". CD features bonus tracks by some of Gilberto's contemporaries – including "O Barquinho" by Maysa, "Coisa Mais Linda" by Carlos Lyra, "Manha De Carnaval" by Sylvia Telles, "Bim Bom" by Oscar Castro Neves, and "O Samba Da Minha Terra" by Lucio Alves.

A wonderful album of Joao Gilberto's early bossa tracks from Brazil – loaded up here with various numbers from other great Brazilian stars! The original one of the first few that he ever recorded, and it's a masterpiece of understatement, recorded with arrangements by a young Antonio Carlos Jobim, and a soaring bossa sound that would soon make history. Tracks include "Discussao", "O Pato", "Outra Vez", "Doralice", and "Samba De Uma Nota So", "Se E Tarde", "Corcovado", "So Em Teus Bracos" and more. This version in El UK fills out the CD with covers of some of these numbers and many more by Sergio Mendes, Sylvia Telles, Walter Wanderly, Silvio Silveira, Carlos Lyra and others. 35 tracks in all!

The best of Brazil, old and new – as Joao Gilberto meets up with a younger generation of Brazilian vocalists – Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Maria Bethania – all for a wonderful session of stripped-down bossa! The work is very much in Joao's best style of the early 70s – a back to basics return, handled with even more intimacy than before – with production by Gilberto, and some beautifully understated arrangements from Johnny Mandel! Tracks are all nice and long, and allow for lots of vocal interplay between the four singers on the set. Titles include "Cordeiro De Nana", "Aquarela Do Brasil", "Milagre", and "Bahia Com H".

A lovely little tribute to the genius of Joao Gilberto – and quite possibly the best album we've ever heard from vocalist Ithamara Koorax! The set's quite spare – just Ithamara's vocals and a bit of guitar to back her up – and the stripped-down setting hardly gives Koorax any room to hide – putting her right out front in the mix, to carry the tunes both in terms of rhythm and melody! She handles both beautifully, with a depth of singing that goes beyond what we've already heard in her other great records – and her interpretation of the tunes goes way past any simple bossa cliches, into a deeply personal space that really comes through on some of the album's English language tracks. Titles include "Bim Bom", "Minha Saudade", "Valsa", "Voce Esteve", "Acapulco", "Undiu", "Joao Marcelo", "Glass Beads", and "An Embrace To Bonfa".

Although Herbie and Joao are listed together in the artist credits together for the record, they don't really play together on the record – as did Joao and Stan Getz on their album together. Instead, they trade off tracks of bossa nova material, recorded with Jobim in Rio – Joao's by EMI/Odeon, Herbie's by Atlantic. The set includes a host of great light breezy bossa stuff – like "Amor Em Paz", "O Barquinho", "Bim Bom", "Bolinha De Papel", and "Deve Ser Amor". Not totally over the top, but a very nice batch of breezy bossa tracks with lots of light flute and guitar lines floating around!

One of the most heavenly albums ever recorded – a sublime post-60s session by Joao Gilberto, one with even more fluid grace than his original bossa nova classics! The setting here is extremely spare – Joao on vocals and acoustic guitar, backed by only a slight bit of percussion – and recorded with an sound that's incredibly clear and incredibly precise – so that each gentle note, each slight rasp of the guitar comes through beautifully – as do Joao's breathily personal vocals! There's a sense of poise and presence here that Gilberto hardly matched again – and that's saying a heck of a lot, given how great most of his other records already are. The whole thing's tremendous – a true treasure, and easily one of the top classics in Brazilian music from the 70s. Titles include a landmark version of "Aguas De Marco", plus "Undiu", "Falsa Baiana", "Avarandado", "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro", "Izaura", "E Preciso Perdoar", "Valsa", and "Eu Vim Da Bahia".

Pure bossa magic – and a wonderful illustration of why the early music of Joao Gilberto was so tremendous! (Actually, all of his music is tremendous, but that seems to be especially the case here!) The tracks are all fantastic – breezy, breathy, and almost effortlessly sung throughout – songs that drift in air almost of their own accord, yet also manage a gently rhythmic groove that's probably the best definition of the style of bossa that you could ever hope to find! Most numbers feature acoustic guitar upfront in the mix alongside the vocals, plus a bit of light percussion – and even when there's fuller orchestrations on the record, they're used spaciously and gently – often with some nice jazzy inflections. Titles include "Briga Nunca Mais", "Ho Ba La La", "Rosa Morena", "Bim Bom", "Lobo Bobo", "E Luxo So", "Aos Pes Da Cruz", "Saudade Fez Um Samba", and "Desafinado". This CD edition includes 3 bonus tracks, from Cantando As Musicas Do Film Orfeo De Carnaval – "A Felicidade", "Manha De Carnival" and "O Nosso Amor".

Pretty sweet stuff from Joao Gilberto – featuring a core jazz combo playing along with a larger set of arrangements, in a manner that's similar to some of Jobim's work from the 70s. The album features a nice vocal version of Jobim's "Wave" and "Zingaro", plus the tracks "Estate", "Tin Tin Por Tin Tin", and "Besame Mucho".

A beautiful collection of work from the legendary Joao Gilberto – some of the most important bossa nova recordings ever, plus a fair bit of rarities as well! The first CD in the set features three full early albums from Gilberto – Chega De Saudade, O Amor O Sorriso E A Flor, and Joao Gilberto – each a masterpiece in understatement – with breathy vocals and light guitar from the maestro, plus light percussion and orchestrations that never overwhelm at all – but simply hang their in air, and shade the songs with these really gentle hues and colors. The second CD features lots of rare material – including work from the film Copacabana Palace, with Gilberto, Norma Benguell, Luiz Bonfa, and others – and early recordings from Elizete Cardoso, Os Cariocas, and Joao himself. The set features 64 tracks in all, packaged in two groovy record sleeves with a booklet inside a slipcover!

Beautiful! Joao Donato has long been one of our favorite-ever Brazilian songwriters, and this tasty series from Lumiar finally pays him the rich tribute he deserves! The series, like the others on Lumiar, features some of Brazil's greatest artists ever, paying tribute to Donato with loving renditions of his best songs. This third volume features "Lugar Comum" by Leny Andrade, "Minha Saudade" by Gilberto Gil, "Everyday" by Ed Motta & Joao Donato, "Luo Dourada" by Os Cariocas & Joao Donato, "Fonta Da Saudade" by Elza Soares, "A Paz" by Rosa Passos, "Depois Do Natal" by Djavan & Joao Donato.

One of the best of the Stan Getz bossa nova sessions – and a record that features the great Laurindo Almeida on guitar – playing with more virtuosity than either Charlie Byrd or Joao Gilberto did on their collaborations with Getz! The record's got a driving rhythm section, with lots of long tracks, and nice laid-back solos by both Getz and Almeida – who's getting in some of his few jazz licks of the 60s here, working in a groove similar to that of his earlier sides with Bud Shank, but which sounds almost even better in the languid company of Getz. Cuts include "Outra Vez", "Winter Moon", "Maracatu-Too", and "Samba Da Sahra". Very nice!

Some of the earliest work ever recorded by Gilberto Gil – served up here in a really great 2CD set! The first CD in the set a beautiful album of rough-hewn samba tracks, done in a really lively style! Gil's great vocals are very firmly in the lead of the album's arrangements – and some tracks use a full samba percussion and instrumental style, while others feature Gil singing in a spare setting, with mostly light percussion and acoustic guitar behind his voice. The sound is really tremendous, and although the album is a short one overall, it's still an essential treasure from some lost years of Gil's career! Titles include "Povo Petroleiro", "Vem Colombina", "Vontade De Amar", "Maria Tereza", and "Meu Luar, Minhas Cancoes". Most of the material on that disc was previously issued on the CD title Salvador 1962-1963 – but there's also a bonus cut here titled "Felicidade Vem Depois". CD 2 is even cooler – 18 early demo cuts recorded in 1966 – very stripped down and earthy, showing Gil in this beautiful space between bossa nova and some of his more personal and experimental moments to come! At points, there's a Joao Gilberto-like charm to the music – and the recording style is almost more like some of the earliest late 50s sides to come from Rio – with all the charm that might imply! Titles include "Beira Mar", "Zabele", "A Ultima Coisa Bonita", "Cantiga", "Retirante", "Lemanja", "Vento De Maio", "Rancho Da Boa Vinda", and "Minha Senhora".

Dreamy bossa pop from the A&M studios of the 60s – the Brasil 66 sound at its best! The style here is a perfect blend of real Brazilian influences and some of the hipper styles bubbling in the LA studio scene of the time – all locked together perfectly by Sergio Mendes, in the twin-voiced style that let Brasil 66 transform any tune they could get their hands on! There's some really great numbers here of Brazilian origin – including Joao Donato's "The Frog", Marcos Valle's "Batucada", and Gilberto Gil's "Roda" – not to mention Sergio's own "Look Around", which is an especially charming number! Other titles include "The Look Of Love", "Pradizer Adeus", and "Like A Lover".

Music from Joao Gilberto, Luiz Bonfa, Baden Powell & others.

One of the best of the Stan Getz bossa nova sessions – and a record that features the great Laurindo Almeida on guitar – playing with more virtuosity than either Charlie Byrd or Joao Gilberto did on their collaborations with Getz! The record's got a driving rhythm section, with lots of long tracks, and nice laid-back solos by both Getz and Almeida – who's getting in some of his few jazz licks of the 60s here, working in a groove similar to that of his earlier sides with Bud Shank, but which sounds almost even better in the languid company of Getz. Cuts include "Outra Vez", "Winter Moon", "Maracatu-Too", and "Samba Da Sahra". Very nice!

Groovy stuff – with a great 60s Capitol finish! Jack Marshall arranged this set of 10 songs, half of which are Jobim songs, with other songs written by Joao Gilberto, Menescal, Luiz Bonfa and 2 songs credited to Jack Marshall. Songs include "Girl From Ipanema", "Manha De Carnival", "Meditacao", "Here Lies Love", "Ho-Ba-La-La", "Bim-Bom", "Desafinado", "Corcovado", "One Note Samba", "These Are The Ways Of Love", and "O Barquinho".

A beautifully spare album from Caetano Veloso – one of his greatest albums of the 80s, and quite unlike anything else he did in the decade! The sound here is almost a bit like Joao Gilberto's classic 1973 album for Polydor – mostly just acoustic guitar and vocals, recorded with a slight echo and a really warm feel overall – a quality that offers up a whole new side of Veloso's genius, with only a bit of added percussion on a few tracks. Caetano's vocals are wonderful – personal, intimate, and very rich, despite the quite setting – and titles include "Get Out Of Town", "Terra", "Nega Lauca/Billie Jean/Eleanor Rigby", "Luz Do Sol', "Trilhos Urbanhos", "Odara", and "Saudosismo".

One of Astrud Gilberto's greatest albums of the 60s – a classic session produced for Verve by Creed Taylor, and featuring sweet gentle arrangements from Marty Paich, co-arranged with Antonio Carlos Jobim, who also plays guitar on the session next to the piano of Joao Donato! That's a mouthful of heavy-hitters, we know – but the result is a totally great session that has Astrud's light and gentle vocals drifting over some of the most magical bossa backings you'll ever hear. The whole thing's great, stuffed with bossa classics done in English – and titles include "Once I Loved", "Aqua De Beber", "O Morro", "Dindi", "Dreamer", and "Photograph".

One of Astrud Gilberto's greatest albums – and quite possibly our personal favorite! The record features beautifully understated arrangements by Joao Donato, Don Sebesky, and Claus Ogerman – and the instrumentation is a haunting mix of bossa rhythms with darker orchestrations that bring out an emotional side of Astrud that you don't always get on other LPs. The track list is excellent, and includes some of her best tracks for Verve, like "Non Stop To Brazil", "Fly Me To The Moon", "O Ganso", and "Aruanda". Not to be passed up, and one that we never tire of listening to!

Maybe the best work we've heard from Gilberto Gil in years – a really beautiful live performance that mixes his acoustic guitar and vocals with a special string section and some tight live rhythm work as well! The blend of simple and majestic is really wonderful – a performance that's got all the earnest, honest qualities of some of Gilberto's solo sets – yet one that also has an added dimension that really enriches the sound, too – a blend that's quite different than an "with strings" session, and which is more like having someone underscore all the best elements in Gil's core performance upfront – in this case the great Jacques Morelenbaum, a master of subtle feeling and understatement. The set includes some great classics from Gilberto's late 60s/early 70s years – and titles include "Quatra Coisas", "Quanta", "Futurivel", "Eu Descobri", "Saudade Da Bahia", "Domingo No Parque", "Eu Vim Da Bahia", "Panis Et Circensis", "Oriente", "Um Abraco No Joao", and "Tres Palabras".