Stone Flower
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 10.00

Recorded in 1970 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey under the production auspices of Creed Taylor, the arrangement and conducting skills of Deodato, and the engineering expertise of Van Gelder himself, Jobim's Stone Flower is quite simply one of his most quietly stunning works -- and certainly the high point of his time at Columbia.... Read More

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

A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness
Artist: Astrud Gilberto
Community Score: 4.50

It is striking how "dated" this record sounds. Even taking into consideration that this is a 1960s record, that is inevitably the first thing that any listener will notice. But ignoring the kitsch factor for a moment, one can recall that in 1966 when A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness came out, the bossa nova craze was at a peak, and the album... Read More

Look to the Rainbow
Artist: Astrud Gilberto
Community Score: 6.00

For this CD reissue the music on singer Astrud Gilberto's album Look to the Rainbow is combined with half of the songs from her following album A Certain Smile. The former session was one of the bossa nova singer's best (11 perfectly suitable songs on which her soft voice is accompanied by an orchestra arranged by Gil Evans and Al Cohn) while on... Read More

Elis & Tom
Artist: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Community Score: 9.50

Elis Regina, a cool, feminine Brazilian singer who died tragically of cocaine/alcohol poisoning at age 36, made this often deeply affecting album with Jobim in Los Angeles for the Brazilian market only; it was not released in the U.S. until 1989. While there is plenty of bossa nova here, the arrangements at times reflect the more cinematic, more... Read More

Elis Por Ela
Artist: Elis Regina

This best-of collection features live and studio recordings from her middle and late albums. It contains five tracks from the live Saudade do Brasil, four tracks from Live at Montreux, and five studio tracks, notably a resuscitated (finally) version of "Beguine Dodoi," whose mastering was horrifically botched on the U.S. release of Essa Mulher.... Read More

Vento de Maio
Artist: Elis Regina

This is a posthumous compilation of some works by Elis Regina, put together under no evident concept other than throwing together some songs composed by the mineiros of the Clube da Esquina, mixed with other composers. It has songs by the dance/pop composer Guilherme Arantes (launched by her), a track by Adoniran Barbosa where she is featured,... Read More

Sergio Mendes Presents Lobo
Artist: Edu Lobo
Community Score: 10.00

Edu Lobo is (unjustly) one of the least-celebrated of the major songwriting lions of the first Brazilian wave, and a talented performer in his own right -- which his first North American album makes stunningly clear. Painstakingly produced by one of Lobo's most persistent advocates, Sergio Mendes, the album overflows with cunningly devised,... Read More

Os Mutantes
Artist: Os Mutantes
Community Score: 10.00

The band's debut album, Os Mutantes, is far and away their best -- a wildly inventive trip that assimilates orchestral-pop, whimsical psychedelia, musique concrète, found-sound environments -- and that's just the first song! Elsewhere there are nods to Carnaval, albeit with distinct hippie sensibilities, incorporating fuzz-tone guitars... Read More