Astrud Gilberto Music

What's not to like? Stan Getz, Astrud, Gary Burton, all beautifully remastered (2007). Perhaps the rumors around a studio recording are understandable since in fact the new notes on the CD indicate that tracks 1,2,3 and 8 were actually recorded at Carnegie Hall! No wonder it's more difficult to hear the audience and doesn't sound like a club. Anyway, if you have any doubts, audition the links above and see for yourself. A great way to spend some mellow time enjoying people at the height of their powers!

Getz Au Go Go is a great Stan Getz album, including Astrud Gilberto and the young Gary Burton. According to Phil Schaap's research for the Girl From Ipanema Box set (6 lps or 4cds), Verve did record Stan at the Cafe Au Go Go (Ben Webster was the guest one night!), but also recorded this same group in the studio. The decision was to go with the studio recording and in "Post-Production" add audience applause to the studio tracks.

This ellegantly swinging (if I'm not mistaken, balancao is the Portugese word for swing)bossa nova-cool jazz album may or may not have been recorded in a studio instead of the club it is named after, but it is one my favorite jazz albums, far superior to much more famous (and better selling) "Getz/Gilberto" album.

Even if this is an attempt to cash in on the earlier success of Stan - Joao - Astrud blending of jazz and Brazilian music, this time it seems more relaxed and creative if you ask me; Gary Burton is certainly helpful in this respect.
All the players are great and Astrud is at her ellegant best, so less than 5 stars would be injustice (in my humble opinion).

The Astrud Gilberto Album has a better selection of songs.

Getz was surely more inspired on Getz/Gilberto and Jazz Samba.

Nevertheless, this is relaxing, enjoyable cool jazz. Astrud sings on five of these tunes. She sings very well, with the classic sound we love so well. I hate the English lyrics to One Note Samba, but that's not her fault. Anyone who knows these artists probably won't be awed, nor with they be disappointed by these performances. A solid 3½ to 4 stars.

I have no idea where the songs were recorded. Some of them are obviously studio recordings, because the acoustics are pretty dead -- with a little artificial reverb added. Also, the fact that there is no applause after the instrumental solos is a dead giveaway. Why would they paste applause recorded on a club date at the end of these studio recordings to try to fool the listener into thinking they were live tracks? I haven't a clue.

A few of the tracks are clearly live performances recorded in a small club. The sound quality is not quite up to the standard of the studio-recorded songs, but audience reactions and the acoustics of a jazz club are evident.

This is a pleasant album to add a little variety to your collection of Stan Getz or Astrud Gilberto. It is a document from an era when bossa nova burst onto the American scene, and jazz songs could actually get airtime on top 40 radio and turn into big hit records.

This is a storied recording, reported to have been a studio album with audience sounds overdubbed...it doesn't sound that way,feels like a live recording. That being said, I don't care if it was taped in a phone booth, it's a great album. Getz sounds great and Gary Burton is on hand with his vibes and Astrud Gilberto is her mesmeric self. I love, "The Telephone Song" catchy and the band seems to be having fun and when Astrud laugh at the end it charms me so. I moved to New York in the late 60's and whenever I walked by The Cafe Au Go Go, I though of this album and it would start me humming "Summertime".

I discovered Astrud Gilberto quite by accident when rummaging thru my sister's extensive jazz album collection...

Really wanted to hear her defintive interpretations of 'Corcovado' (after being captivated by EBTG's brilliant drum 'n bass remake) and the seminal standard 'The Girl From Ipanema', and am really enjoying this album.

I bought the Getz/Gilberto cd and loved the collection. It is beautiful and romantic. I won't get tired playing this all over again. Getz' saxophone expertise adds a more romantic feel to the music. You would love to dance with the one you love.

Paying $3.99 for a jazz masterpiece that you don't own is a gift. Grab it!

Wonderful and relaxing music. Very soft, wonderful sound tracks. There are two soundtracks of "The Girl From Ipanema," with the first being the ultimate recording. I would highly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys cool jazz or any relaxing International-style music.

Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Jobim, and others worked together and created a landmark in jazz and bossa nova, but that's not the reason you should listen to it. You should listen to this record because it's a great, beautiful slice of bossa nova. I don't know much about the genre, but genre matters not. This is great jazz, and they don't em' like this any more.

The playing on this record is ace, melancholy, moody, swinging. Joao plays some really good guitar, smooth, lovely, exotic, and melodic, and Getz swings and sings with the saxophone. While the lyrics by Jobim are in a different language, the music is pretty universal, and with Jobim's wife singing in English, you pretty much know what the songs are about. The rhythm section is very relaxing, and very smooth, pretty much what is demanded in an album such as this. This album of Bossa Nova is very different from what most people think when they of South American type of music (the latin stereotype probably defined by Santana).

The album is rather short, but that matters not, as there are no weak or average tracks on here. Even if you don't pay much attention, the album's mood and magic are obvious even if it doesn't require your undivided attention. The tracks that transcend merely good are excellent. The jazz standard, The Girl From Ipanpaneamsfl (AHHH!!!!!. What? I don't want to look it up, you know exactly what track I am talking about), has a great mood, and you can feel what the man is going through, the thing that crossed my mind was "______ look at him you ________! COME ON!" So Danco Samba is the most upbeat song on here, the name says it all. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars and the third track with the long as _____ name, and the second track are more standouts. It also has one of my favorite love songs, Desafindo.

Oh, excuse me if I make a lot of mistakes on naming the songs off the top of my head, because the songs are extremely long and pretty much in a language I don't understand.

This album is just something that demands to be listened to, and that's the only thing that will do it justice, as many words just don't the sound justice. The two bonus tracks are just excuses for listening to two of the songs over again, and that's perfectly fine. While a bit overrated, give it a listen. No, scratch that, get lost in it, well, for me, records aren't merely a casual listen. Great together with Jazz Samba.

8/10

It's a cd wonderful. Astrud Gilberto is a sorceress. Your interpretation of "A man and a woman" is beatifuil. Your sweet, calm and melodious voice transports to the stars.It is one of the Astrud Gilberto's best works. ¡¡¡¡¡¡Excellent!!!!!!

The Golden Japanese Album was made during Astrud Gilberto's mid- to late-60s peak, and it is one of her most consistently solid efforts. Her cover of "Mas Que Nada" alone is worth the price. Another highlight is the first track, "Street Samba." However, her version of "The Girl from Ipanema" heard here is weaker than the one on the classic Getz/Gilberto album. I would like to have known more about the making of this album; unfortunately, it being an import, my copy of the CD has liner notes written in Japanese and I can't read Japanese. However, what matters is that the songs are well-arranged and played, and Astrud's voice is great. Casual listeners will probably be at a loss as to what this album is all about, but Astrud fans should like it.

In 1969 Astrud Gilberto produced three wonderful albums for Verve. Nevertheless, in an paradoxically inexplicable and unjustifiable way, her two "official" records from that year, the published ones for the american and european market, still have not been reissued by Verve. Two authentic marvels ("I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do" and "September 17, 1969") that still are sleeping the eternal dream, hoping that someone intelligent in Verve does the correct thing: to manage his reissue by request.
The third album published in 1969 for Gilberto was her "Gilberto Golden Japanese Album" a magnificent (re)collection of special moments in which, apart from the impressive arrangements, there shines with proper light her only and unrepeatable voice of velvet capable of transmitting, from her soft fragility, the ripple of the waves in the distance, when the first rays of the morning sun so it seems to dismiss the night, a little before when everything returns to begin.
Fantastic.

This is a fantastic cool bossa nova album of Astrud Gilberto sung in japanese language and recorded with Sadao Watanabe and his orchestra in Tokio in 1969. 2/3 of the record are written by japanese musicians, 1/3 are the best bossa standard of Astrud. The whole album is melancholic bossa with sweet and tender orchestration: no redundance, great chill out music!!!
This album is a real Masterpiece

This album is not what I was expecting, but it is mostly well done. Deodato did the arrangements and conducts throughout. This is really HIS album, more than Astrud's. Astrud is absent on two songs. (One of those -- pure instrumentals -- is a tasty arrangement of Steven Stills' To A Flame.) Turrentine shows up only on only four cuts. There is probably less improvisation on this album than on Deodato's hit CD Prelude, but the Deodato touch is very familiar. He makes arrangements that are easy to listen to without becoming completely cheesy, and he leaves room for the instrumentalists to improvise. However, I didn't feel that the spotlight was on Astrud. She became a central voice in Deodato's little symphonies.

Astrud's vocals range from wonderful to a little embarrassing. Zazuiera in particular sounds tentative and sort of dashed together. She is rarely exactly in tune on this song. On the other hand, Burt Bacharach's Wanting Things is just beautiful, touching. The best cut on the album is probably Brazilian Tapestry, bringing together the best of Deodato's arranging, Turrentine's sax, and Astrud's vocals.

I don't like the way Astrud's voice was mixed. Ponteio and Traveling Light sound normal. On some of the other cuts, her lower range is boosted, and the upper middle and higher frequencies are sucked out, removing any hint of breathiness or reediness in her voice. What's left is the fundamental note, plus the sibilants at the extreme high end. It sounds heavy and thick. The audio engineering could have been improved on in this regard.

What we're left with is an album with many good individual tracks that make for pleasant Sunday brunch-style jazz listening, but is not in any sense a cohesive whole. I recommend the album. In fact, I've enjoyed it very much. I just wasn't prepared for Deodato being the mastermind.

By the way, I would recommend the European Import "Master Series" version, ASIN: B0000AM6RE, currently available through Amazon marketplace sellers for less than $9 plus shipping. Look carefully through the Amazon listings, and you will find it. It contains three bonus tracks, not very consequential ones, but still. Also, the overal sound quality is quite pure and clean, apart from the heaviness apparent on some of Astrud's vocals. (It is an HDCD disc.)

I have been listening to this album since I was 3 years old when my father first brought this home from the record store in 1972. It is just incredible. Astrud's voice and laid-back delivery are better here then on her earlier (and better-known) Verve albums. The real treasures of this ablum though are the outstanding arrangements by Eumir Deodato, who once again proves he is the master of this type of music. Nearly every track is full of interesting, complex, yet beautiful instrumentation. He blends mellow low strings with lots of Fender Rhodes electric piano, plenty of electric and acoustic guitar, and a wide variety of Brazilian percussion instruments. It's just a rich tapestry of sound that never fails to intrigue me, even though I've probably heard the album a hundred or more times. Stanley Turrentine is all over this record, and his solos are soulful, strong, and melodic as always. If you can get past a couple of the Carpenters songs that are included, you'll find it to be a timeless album. This is one you'll want to listen to this one over and over.

This is another great album of Astrud Gilberto... This one seems to be more instrumental compared to some of her other albums, which is nice in my opinion. This music is very relaxing and soothing.
This or any of her other albums are great for those that are already familiar with her style and those who are not.

I first purchased this LP on vinyl in '79. The record became a favorite when I was in a mellow, laid-back mood but still wanted to hear good jazz players, solo's etc.. Stanley Turrentine plays sensitively, but, shows his testosterone throughout. One reason to buy this CD is to simply get more of the phenomenal musician "Toots Thielemans". Like Art Tatum, Toots never played a bad note. Add-in Ron Carter, a team of great percussionists, Gtr. solo's by Bob Mann, Astrud's soft, innocent vocal approach, Deodato's arrangements and Creed Taylor's production and you get a very cool session.

Some tracks are a bit sappy like "Solo el fin (For all we know)" and "Historia de amor (Love Story)", but 5 or 6 other tracks make up for it and hell, when's the last time you bought a record where over half the tracks are keepers? Standouts are "To A Flame" (Turrentine sings), "Zazueira" (infectious rhythms behind Astrud and Turrentine), "Ponteio" (I learned to play bass by) that features Toots throughout, fine melodies sung by Astrud & more of Turrentine, "Brazilian Tapestry" (starts mellow, but, has an upbeat, pretty instrumental ending) and "Traveling Light" that features nice solo work by Mann.

The record is hard to categorize. Brazilian Pop? Jazz? Soundtrack background? For me, it works.

What doesn't work: if you loved the vinyl (and have BiG ears) the reissue is a HUGE disappointment, a travesty to the Artists, Creed Taylor & Rudy Van Gelder. Whomever of these have left this earth must be rolling in their graves. The Mixes suck. One example in detail: on "Traveling Light" there's a whole section of Bob Mann's ripping solo that is almost buried in the mix. I can't imagine the idiots who put up the original tapes and didn't hear this. Instead of keying in on the featured Guitar solo, they let it muster and instead let Deodato's Fender Rhodes (strictly a background part) take over. Too bizarre for words. The only upshot to this track was they let the song play out longer than the original. You get more music. You also get a couple bad notes by Mann, kinda' rare to hear in the ultra-safe world of Pop.

The rest of the record sounds thin. Nothing like the vinyl. Maybe this is an homage from the Producer's to the old days of Vinyl? The CD is so uneven I often wonder if there's a hidden message.

Still, the record is an achievement, and though a bit dated sounding, contains great performances.

Gotta confess, I ordered this album without reading the details when I saw the name Gilberto thinking it would be Joao and not Astrud together with Stanley Turrentine. Well it was a mistake, but not a disaster.
I have never been a big fan of Astrud Gilberto's voice, and this CD has not changed my opinion. But, fans of Turrentine will enjoy the smooth sax interludes that pepper this recording. I like him most on To A Flame, Ponteio and the Milton Nascimento instrumental composition Vera Cruz.
I really like most of the CDs that were originally issued as albums on the CTI label. But overall,Gilberto with Turrentine falls short of the high standards set on most of those recordings. It is too commercial for my taste and features nothing unusual to recommend it. As background music, it is unobtrusive but nothing you'd want to listen to every day. Three stars to Turrentine for his fine sax work in the face of mostly weak material. Too bad Turrentine isn't around to do an album with Joao Gilberto, now that would be of interest.

This album is not what I was expecting, but it is mostly well done. Deodato did the arrangements and conducts throughout. This is really HIS album, more than Astrud's. Astrud is absent on two songs. (One of those -- pure instrumentals -- is a tasty arrangement of Steven Stills' To A Flame.) Turrentine shows up only on only four cuts. There is probably less improvisation on this album than on Deodato's hit CD Prelude, but the Deodato touch is very familiar. He makes arrangements that are easy to listen to without becoming completely cheesy, and he leaves room for the instrumentalists to improvise. However, I didn't feel that the spotlight was on Astrud. She became a central voice in Deodato's little symphonies.

Astrud's vocals range from wonderful to a little embarrassing. Zazuiera in particular sounds tentative and sort of dashed together. She is rarely exactly in tune on this song. On the other hand, Burt Bacharach's Wanting Things is just beautiful, touching. The best cut on the album is probably Brazilian Tapestry, bringing together the best of Deodato's arranging, Turrentine's sax, and Astrud's vocals.

I don't like the way Astrud's voice was mixed. Ponteio and Traveling Light sound normal. On some of the other cuts, her lower range is boosted, and the upper middle and higher frequencies are sucked out, removing any hint of breathiness or reediness in her voice. What's left is the fundamental note, plus the sibilants at the extreme high end. It sounds heavy and thick. The audio engineering could have been improved on in this regard.

What we're left with is an album with many good individual tracks that make for pleasant Sunday brunch-style jazz listening, but is not in any sense a cohesive whole. I recommend the album. In fact, I've enjoyed it very much. I just wasn't prepared for Deodato being the mastermind.

By the way, I would recommend the European Import "Master Series" version, ASIN: B0000AM6RE, currently available through Amazon marketplace sellers for less than $9 plus shipping. Look carefully through the Amazon listings, and you will find it. It contains three bonus tracks, not very consequential ones, but still. Also, the overal sound quality is quite pure and clean, apart from the heaviness apparent on some of Astrud's vocals. (It is an HDCD disc.)

I have been listening to this album since I was 3 years old when my father first brought this home from the record store in 1972. It is just incredible. Astrud's voice and laid-back delivery are better here then on her earlier (and better-known) Verve albums. The real treasures of this ablum though are the outstanding arrangements by Eumir Deodato, who once again proves he is the master of this type of music. Nearly every track is full of interesting, complex, yet beautiful instrumentation. He blends mellow low strings with lots of Fender Rhodes electric piano, plenty of electric and acoustic guitar, and a wide variety of Brazilian percussion instruments. It's just a rich tapestry of sound that never fails to intrigue me, even though I've probably heard the album a hundred or more times. Stanley Turrentine is all over this record, and his solos are soulful, strong, and melodic as always. If you can get past a couple of the Carpenters songs that are included, you'll find it to be a timeless album. This is one you'll want to listen to this one over and over.

This is another great album of Astrud Gilberto... This one seems to be more instrumental compared to some of her other albums, which is nice in my opinion. This music is very relaxing and soothing.
This or any of her other albums are great for those that are already familiar with her style and those who are not.

I first purchased this LP on vinyl in '79. The record became a favorite when I was in a mellow, laid-back mood but still wanted to hear good jazz players, solo's etc.. Stanley Turrentine plays sensitively, but, shows his testosterone throughout. One reason to buy this CD is to simply get more of the phenomenal musician "Toots Thielemans". Like Art Tatum, Toots never played a bad note. Add-in Ron Carter, a team of great percussionists, Gtr. solo's by Bob Mann, Astrud's soft, innocent vocal approach, Deodato's arrangements and Creed Taylor's production and you get a very cool session.

Some tracks are a bit sappy like "Solo el fin (For all we know)" and "Historia de amor (Love Story)", but 5 or 6 other tracks make up for it and hell, when's the last time you bought a record where over half the tracks are keepers? Standouts are "To A Flame" (Turrentine sings), "Zazueira" (infectious rhythms behind Astrud and Turrentine), "Ponteio" (I learned to play bass by) that features Toots throughout, fine melodies sung by Astrud & more of Turrentine, "Brazilian Tapestry" (starts mellow, but, has an upbeat, pretty instrumental ending) and "Traveling Light" that features nice solo work by Mann.

The record is hard to categorize. Brazilian Pop? Jazz? Soundtrack background? For me, it works.

What doesn't work: if you loved the vinyl (and have BiG ears) the reissue is a HUGE disappointment, a travesty to the Artists, Creed Taylor & Rudy Van Gelder. Whomever of these have left this earth must be rolling in their graves. The Mixes suck. One example in detail: on "Traveling Light" there's a whole section of Bob Mann's ripping solo that is almost buried in the mix. I can't imagine the idiots who put up the original tapes and didn't hear this. Instead of keying in on the featured Guitar solo, they let it muster and instead let Deodato's Fender Rhodes (strictly a background part) take over. Too bizarre for words. The only upshot to this track was they let the song play out longer than the original. You get more music. You also get a couple bad notes by Mann, kinda' rare to hear in the ultra-safe world of Pop.

The rest of the record sounds thin. Nothing like the vinyl. Maybe this is an homage from the Producer's to the old days of Vinyl? The CD is so uneven I often wonder if there's a hidden message.

Still, the record is an achievement, and though a bit dated sounding, contains great performances.

Gotta confess, I ordered this album without reading the details when I saw the name Gilberto thinking it would be Joao and not Astrud together with Stanley Turrentine. Well it was a mistake, but not a disaster.
I have never been a big fan of Astrud Gilberto's voice, and this CD has not changed my opinion. But, fans of Turrentine will enjoy the smooth sax interludes that pepper this recording. I like him most on To A Flame, Ponteio and the Milton Nascimento instrumental composition Vera Cruz.
I really like most of the CDs that were originally issued as albums on the CTI label. But overall,Gilberto with Turrentine falls short of the high standards set on most of those recordings. It is too commercial for my taste and features nothing unusual to recommend it. As background music, it is unobtrusive but nothing you'd want to listen to every day. Three stars to Turrentine for his fine sax work in the face of mostly weak material. Too bad Turrentine isn't around to do an album with Joao Gilberto, now that would be of interest.

Gilberto with Turrentine has always been a top notch album for Ms. Gilberto. Everything about it: the selections,the arrangements, the renditions, is high quality typical of Creed Taylor, Deodato and Gilberto. But the bonus tracks really threw me off guard. Not that they didn't live up to the original Gilberto with Turrentine quality, but that they exceeded it in a manner. Gilberto's singing of these bonus tracks are very impressive. She still sang them in a straight-toned, non-vibrato way but there was a tad of histrionics -- in a very good and satisfying way. Her singing of these tracks proves she can "really" sing. She can belt out without really belting out and still come home as sweet as ever.
I own other Gilberto with Turrentine CDs but this version, with the Italian and Spanish bonus tracks, with the Love Story in English, is truly worth the price. I am glad I bought it.

This is one of the master albums by Astrud Gilberto, with her famous cool and little voice. Here with Deodato arrangements and the great Stanley Turrentine on sax.

Program follows the magical Creed Taylor formula as usual - a mix of Brazilian typical samba and Bossa Nova songs more some American Song standards. This CD also includes a generous list of bonusses. Generous for its quantity and for its rarity.

The original album included 'Love Story', the famous Francis Lai theme for the famous movie in a Spanish version. This CD also offers an alternative English rendition of it.

The American song set of the album includes two not so obvious Burt Bacharach songs with beautiful arrangements. Also a Bob Dylan song within the bonus track list.

Another great performance is 'Mulher Rendeira', a great hit from the 50s in Brazil. Notice the rhythm different than samba - it is the old "baiao" - a typical dance from the Brazilian Northeastern region - wrapped in a spectacular arrangement by Deodato and in a brilliant sax solo by Turrentine. Also features beautiful flute lines by Mr. Hubert Laws.

'Zazueira' is a big standard of popular samba in Brazil, as composed by Jorge Ben, the same composer of 'Mas Que Nada'.

Also, the CD offers two very rare-to-find tracks which Ms. Gilberto has recorded in Ennio Morricone's soundtrack for the film 'Le Casse' - the tracks "Argomenti' and 'Una Donna che ti Ama'. Wow!

Another must-have album by Ms. Gilberto.

I had a vinyl record of the same title with exactly the same picture, that I bought in 1969. It was a truly great album. I was excited when I saw this on CD. As it turns out, the songs are not the ones on the original album, and they're just not as good. Extremely disappointing. I do still love Astrud though, she has a most amazingly smooth and sexy voice like no other.