The Composer of Desafinado, Plays
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 10.00

In his first American album, Antonio Carlos Jobim presents a dozen of his songs, each one destined to become a standard -- an astounding batting average. Jobim, who claimed to have been out of practice at the time of the session, merely plays single notes on the piano with one hand, punctuated by chords now and then, sticking to his long,... Read More

Wave: Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim

The sequel to the popular The Girl from Ipanema anthology basically reshuffles the deck, duplicating nine of the earlier CD's songs and adding six new ones, using mostly the same performers with a few additions. The new wrinkle is that the artists perform different tunes, a game that one imagines could be continued indefinitely on future issues.... Read More

Antonio Carlos Jobim and Friends
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim

Jobim made his last Brazilian concert appearance -- and the penultimate one of his life -- at this warm, star-studded affair in which American jazz musicians jetted down to the Free Jazz Festival in Sao Paulo to pay effusive homage. The miracle is how easily the jazzers were able to capture the yearning essence of Jobim's idiom without really... Read More

The Man from Ipanema
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 8.00

Issued nearly a year after Jobim's death, this three-CD set is ground zero, the place to start if you don't have any Jobim in your collection or for anyone who wants a single package of his multifaceted art. The set encompasses not only Jobim's own sporadic work for Verve from 1963 until his final 1994 Carnegie Hall concert and the two A&M... Read More

Girl from Ipanema: The Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim

The first of several tribute albums issued just after Antonio Carlos Jobim's death, this one generally sticks to his most famous songs as interpreted by several Brazilian and American artists from PolyGram's archives. Jobim himself appears on such obvious choices as the best-selling Stan Getz, Joćo Gilberto, and Astrud Gilberto hit "The Girl... Read More

Compact Jazz: Astrud Gilberto
Artist: Astrud Gilberto

For listeners new to Gilberto's classic Verve work, this edition of the label's Compact Jazz sampler series makes for a perfect introduction. Along with Verve's equally fine Silver Collection of Gilberto's prime sides, this 16-track set includes cuts from most of the singer's different projects. From her classic Getz date ("The Girl From... Read More

Brazilian Byrd
Artist: Charlie Byrd
Community Score: 10.00

The arrangements by Tommy Newsome for strings, brass and woodwinds may be a bit sweet and the 13 performances (which on the CD reissue includes a previously unreleased take of "Engano") may be overly concise (often under three minutes), but the resulting music is strangely pleasing. Acoustic guitarist Charlie Byrd always had a strong affinity... Read More

Bossa Nova - ORIGINAL JAZZ CLASSICS
Artist: Bola Sete

Tremendous guitar solos, authentic Brazilian fare done in a mainstream jazz context. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide Read More