One of Sadao Watanbe's excellent late 60s bossa albums – beautifully rich, but mellow readings of bossa nova numbers – in a way that takes music that had already been introduced to Japan a few years earlier, and gives it even wider exposure with Sadao's wonderfully soulful, jazz-based approach! Sadao plays both flute and alto sax – and backing is from a small combo that mixes in Brazilian-styled guitar and percussion next to the piano from Masabumi Kikuchi and drums from Masahiko Togashi – who you'll know from other Japanese jazz of the time! Watanabe's reeds have a raspy, off-kilter quality that's almost more human than many Brazilian jazz efforts of the time – and titles include "O Grande Amor", "Felicidade", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Agua De Beber", "White Wave", "From Russia With Love" and "So Danca Samba". (Jazz, Brazil) CD