This compilation of Jobim classics plus some lesser-known items covers both the years leading up to the bossa-nova explosion and the time when the samba offshoot took the world by storm.
The artists concerned range from the well known, such as João Gilberto and Sergio Mendes, to more specialised artists like Elizete Cardosa, who, in 1957, was actually the first to record Desafinado, the Jobim staple which tops and tails this collection.
The ultimate performer in the genre, Gilberto, is featured on six songs, including Chega De Saudade (roughly translated as “enough longing”), Insenatez (How Insensitive) and O Amar Em Paz.
The listenable Sylvia Telles is also heavily featured, rendering nicely wrought versions of Corcovado (Quiet Nights) and Manhã De Carnaval, the only non-Jobim composition present. The latter is by Luiz Bonfá, written for the 1959 film Black Orpheus, for which Jobim supplied the score. This Telles version Barney Kessel to add to its charms.
Overall, the 31 tracks do more than justice to the composer, whose presence is acknowledged as conductor on several of the tunes. A few might sound a little twee all these years down the line but for the most-part they have travelled well, offering a relaxing listening experience featuring some of the most enduring melodies of the 20th century.
Discography
Desafinado: Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Você; Fotografía; Outra Vez; Lamento No Morro; Muhler, Sempre Muhler; Chega De Saudade; Um Nome De Muhler; A Felicidade; Dindi; Meditaçao; Vida Bela; Insensatez; Eurydice; Sucedeu Assim; O Amor Em Paz: Chega De Saudade; Samba De Una Nota Só; Corcovado; Meditaçao; Eu Preciso De Você; Este Seu Olhar; Tereza Da Praia; Discussão; Chega De Saudade; Samba De Una Nota Só; Meditaçao; Outra Vez; Só Em Teus Braços; Manhã De Carnaval; Desafinado (78.01)
Various artists. Rio De Janeiro, 1954-61.
Aquarela do Brasil 531023
