Wave
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 10.00

When Creed Taylor left Verve/MGM for his own label under the auspices of A&M, he quickly signed Antonio Carlos Jobim and they picked up right where they left off with this stunningly seductive record, possibly Jobim's best. Jobim contributes his sparely rhythmic acoustic guitar, simple melodic piano style, a guest turn at the harpsichord, and... Read More

El Rumbero del Piano
Artist: Eddie Palmieri

Grand master Palmieri and his ensemble, usually a tentet or slightly larger, explore punchy horn charts, the "son" song form, hot percussion grooves, a Mexican folk and straight jazz tune, and the infectiously distinctive Latin jazz (no one plays montuno better) or "Afro-World" (Palmieri's definition) music that few have mastered. Certainly no... Read More

Mr. Bongo
Artist: Jack Costanzo

Afro Cuban compiles some of Jack Costanzo's best tracks, showcasing Costanzo's powerful bongos and Eddie Cano's piano. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide Read More

Chameleon
Artist: Badi Assad

Badi Assad (bah-JEE ah-SAHJ) is very chameleon-like in her protean, changing character. On the fun, energetic opener "Rhythms of the World" Assad gives us world-beat, acoustic guitar pieces with jazzy, almost scat-like vocals. Things are peaceful and serene for the instrumental (acoustic guitar, flute and percussion) "Butterfly." Lee Ritenour... Read More

Coleccion Mi Historia
Artist: Elis Regina
Buena Vista Social Club
Artist: Buena Vista Social Club
Community Score: 7.37

This album is named after a members-only club that was opened in Havana in pre-Castro times, a period of unbelievable musical activity in Cuba. While bandleader Desi Arnaz became a huge hit in the States, several equally talented musicians never saw success outside their native country, and have had nothing but their music to sustain them during... Read More

A Toda Cuba Le Gusta
Artist: Afro-Cuban All Stars
Community Score: 6.17

A lively, spontaneous record that manages to sound both relaxed and forceful at the same time, A Toda Cuba Le Gusta shows off the talents of many of Cuba's elder statesmen of Afro-Cuban jazz. Over gently pulsating conga grooves and low-register ostinatos, such luminaries as pianist Ruben Gonzalez and singer Manuel "Puntillita" Licea float... Read More

Jazz 'Round Midnight: Astrud Gilberto
Artist: Astrud Gilberto
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

Amoroso/Brasil
Artist: Joćo Gilberto

Two of the influential Joćo Gilberto's LPs (Amoroso and Brasil) are combined on this single CD. The former session is pretty definitive with Gilberto interpreting four of Antonio Carlos Jobim's compositions (including "Wave" and "Triste") and four other songs (highlighted by "Besame Mucho," "Estate," and an odd 31-bar rendition of "'S... Read More

The Best of Irakere
Artist: Irakere
Community Score: 10.00

For Latin jazz fans, this is a succinct and nearly complete roundup of Irakere's two North American albums, a brief peek through Cuba's door before politics slammed it shut again for another generation. Irakere is represented by four tracks, including the lengthy, uncut "Black Mass," and Irakere II by six tracks. The live Irakere was an exciting... Read More

Dafos
Artist: Mickey Hart
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

Omelete Man
Artist: Carlinhos Brown

On his second album, produced by Marisa Monte, Carlinhos Brown succumbs under the weight of the generalized expectancies that transformed him into an overnight Brazilian superstar. He really represents (together with so many good people) one of the paradigms of being Brazilian -- when he plays his fantastic percussion, he delivers the rich... Read More