Antonio Carlos Jobim Music

This is a great Concert from beginning to end. There are three fantastic pianist and Ron Carter proves he is still the man on the Acoustic bass. It is impossible to pick a bad Jobim tune, because he never learned how to write a tune that did not sound great. Buy this Dvd, BUT before you play it, get some popcorn, food drinks or whatever it is you like to eat or drink, then sit back and enjoy the show over and over again.

I was throwing out my old VHS tapes and I prayed that this great performance was on DVD and I'm so glad it was. Jobim was one of the greatest song writers we ever had, on the same level with Gershwin and Cole Porter. This performance is a living tribute to his brilliance. I know we all miss him. I'm sure he's creating music wherever he is.

"Tom" Jobim died only a few months after this concert, so it was one of his last performances. He was truly a legend and if you love music you really need to acquaint yourself with his. Beautifully complex rhythms and harmonies that do not wear thin with repeated listening--the hallmark of great music. Even without understanding the lyrics his music evokes combinations of deep emotions, including a sad/sweet longing that has no English translation from the Portuguese. I'll not mention all of the artists that appear in this concert, but only draw your attention to Gal Costa, who has become one of my favorite Brazilian singers. Check out her earlier CDs. You will not be disappointed!

Before watching this DVD I had never heard of Gal Costa. What a pleasant surprise to see her perform. Antonio himself appears in this one for Luiza and Wave: very nice. I couldn't appreciate John Henricks performance, too much scatting and not very good. That's just my opinion. Gonzalo Rubalcaba didn't impress me either. For me, the real standout performance was by Gal Costa. She does very cool A Felicidade with Herbie; and then an amazing So Todos Fossem Iguais a Voce. Also, Herbie is an amazing keyboard player. It is as though the instrument is part of him. Buy it!

It was a great honor to see this event on DVD. This event is a post-cardio-problem concert of Mr. Jobim. He still held his hands steadily and played beautifully while entertaining us for a short while during the tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim. He played remarkably well and one could see that he was trying to maintain his haltar on his side rib/chest area. [I remembered in 1990 he had suffered a heart attack and his concert was in jeopardy of being cancelled; however, he tended to the all-star gala in 1991! I was preparing to see him.]

I am mostly proud of all of the band members: Mr. HERBIE HANCOCK [a true and fine pianist of our era], OSCAR CASTRO NEVES, the ever delightful Miss SHIRLEY HORN, Mr. GONZALO RUBALCABA [remarkable pianist], GAL COSTA (what a delight she was in this concert! Her voice raw and purified as fine river water flowing from las montañas de Copa!!), Mr. JON HENDRICKS (My Satchmo the 2nd, his voice as crisp as his sailor hat), RON CARTER (a fine bassist as always, mimicking Mr. Eddie Calhoun)and other fine deliciously in-tune musicians. They ALL WERE REMARKABLE!! I AM PROUD TO HAVE PURCHASED THIS EVENT ON DVD. Thanks once more to all who have assisted in making this a dream for me to have in my possession forever and ever... Thank you. **AB**

If you're wary of the typical "all-star tribute"--the protracted, over-the-top, star-studded, greatest hits extravaganza that manages to leave you unable to watch another minute but somehow still hungry for more--you owe it to yourself to set aside your misgivings and experience this concert. Although you will hear some of Jobim's greatest hits, you'll also be treated to a few not-so-well-known songs that deserve to be better known, like "Olha Maria," performed solo by pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, and "Luiza," performed by Tom Jobim himself, who takes the stage mid-concert with no introduction. In fact, his entrance pretty much sums up the unassuming, sophisticated style that made Jobim and his music so special--he simply walks out, greets the band and the audience, sits down at the piano, and plays and sings. Marred only by careless film editing that sometimes shows close-ups of musicians obviously playing something other than what you're hearing, this program is a beautiful, bittersweet "good-bye" to Jobim, who continues to leave us hungry for more.

This cd could be titled "Herbie Hancock and friends", as the pianist initiated and leaded this beautiful project. Some tracks are a bit disappointed, but other are completely worth it: Chega De Saudade, whistled and sang by the great Jon Hendricks, is a real wonder....as is the last tune, Girl from Ipanema, on which the same Hendricks sings "Take the A-train".
This was also for me a good opportunity to discover the funk drummer Harvey Mason on true jazz tunes.
And last, but not least, the album cover is BEAUTIFUL :-)

Jobim recorded this live album with friends. While the music is excellent on the whole, Gal Costa's performance is really annoying, although I like Gal Costa very much. She even has a double album (Gal Costa Canta Tom Jobim) where she only things Jobim and she does it perfectly, but I think she had a bad day when this album was made.

You can't base your opinion about this album, just by listening to it..you've got to watch the live performance, it's absolutely magnificent. You get to experience such an emotional power put upon all the music.. I think that's what makes this album so great: the way Jobim, Gal and the others give themselves to their sound, it's all just so true, so natural.. Jobim's performance on Luiza made me sit still from the first note till the very last one faded.. and I'm afraid since I listened (and watched) to it, I was nevermore able to enjoy another version, althoug I recognize that, for instance, Chico Buarque's one is quite good.. but there's no way anyone will ever love that song as Jobim did, and he let it all out so truthfully that we might as well just love the man and his legacy, which includes this wonderful encounter.. Well, buy it if you want to feel it; don't, if you're planning on examining the work until the last detail..

Most of this album is wonderful, with great performances by Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, and Shirley Horn. Gal Costa is good, but she lets the quality of her voice waver a bit too much at times. Jon Hendricks is a bit obnoxious on his tracks, and while I have the deepest respect for Jobim as a composer and musician, his vocals (especially in his later years) seem a bit forced and melodramatic--totally against the underlying feeling of the music he helped give birth to, bossa nova. Pick it up if you love everything about Jobim and bossa nova, but casual listeners should probably pass and get the verve compilations of Gilberto/Getz/Jobim.

A Composer has a number of hurdles to overcome before they are taken seriously.

Hopefully they are young enough to enjoy their accomplishments, and the world appreciate how far they have come.

I admire Jobim's meteoric rise to radio and TV in the 1950's.

The 27 tracks off the album Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa' reveal certain size microphones and microphone placement to cut and record 78 rpm's for play on the large crystal tube radios popular in homes before smaller transistor radios overtook the beach, and widespread use of the lighter weight Stereo LP.

The treasure trove of 27 tracks, all rarities, are highlighted by songs performed by the original cast members of Jobim and de Moraes' play Orfeu da Conceicao, which features a small cluster of motifs our Composer loved to return to throughout his most distinguished career.

Bonfa' help construct the music for de Moraes and Jobim's play, the songs A Felicidade and Manha De Carnival aren't on this CD, they are on the Black Orpheus soundtrack.

In de Moraes' play, the song Someone To Light Up My Life was used to celebrate Orpheus had met his better half, his soulmate Eurydice.

Fans of Wave will be delighted to find Lamento was originally a vehicle for Orfeu to pour his heart out.

Much like Porgy and Bess, Orpheus and Eurydice's time together is short lived, but their union will define who they are, and what they are about for the rest of their lives.

You are forewarned here, Orfeu da Conceicao is a Tragedy, Orfeu has to reconcile himself to his fate, nothing is permanent, the lilting melodies may cause some heartache.

Jobim and Vinicius were supposed to have written a number of the songs for their play transcontinental over the phone.

I remember the big phone recievers and heavy round cords, the image makes me love Ma Bell and large hunks of plastic even more!

I've noticed the film Black Orpheus by Marcel Camus has aged well, it's still very contemporary.

The songs A Felicidade and Manha De Carnival are the centerpiece of Black Orpheus. Bonfa' wrote Manha De Carnival when Jobim needed help completing the Soundtrack.

While performing cuts off her new dynamite album, Into White, Miss Carly Simon told the QVC television audiance Manha De Carnival is one of the two or three songs recognised and loved the world over by the most people in spite of the language barriers because the beautiful melody speaks to everybody's heart.

Big Time!

Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa' is a good companion piece alongside the album, Antonio Carlos Jobim Sinfonia Do Rio de Janeiro, both items are featured on El Records and their Subsidiary label Cherry Red Records.

Purchase the CD Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Floriano Bonfa'... break the shrink wrap open... admire the attractive one piece swimsuits on the front cover our ancestors enjoyed for a day in the sun, and fall in love all over again!

I have bought two different DVD versions of this concert and threw them both away because the video and sound quality was abysmal compared to the laser disc version which I transferred to DVD long ago. In general, Laser disc video quality was over-rated, but not its sound quality. It's unfortunate that first time buyers on DVD are hearing and seeing the degradation of what was a terrific performance.

Please do not buy this dvd. If you have the laserdisc (or the original VHS )(original title: Jazzvisions: Rio revisited) you will have a very best image and sound converting it to DVD with an apropiate program and a computer.
Who are this guys and why are they making this garbage ?

I've been a fan of Jobim's music for years -- his songs contain so much beauty and emotion, and his influence is (deservedly) widespread. The problem I had with this DVD is that for some reason, he chose to sing the entire show in English -- and does so having to constantly refer to notes lying on his piano. I've long enjoyed listening to his songs sung in the original Portuguese -- I don't speak the language (I know only a few words), but that, to me, is part of the beauty of these songs (and other 'world music' as well). The native language of a song is part of the soul of the work -- when it's 'watered down' for American listeners it takes away so much from the original (at least for me).

The musicians are first-rate, the playing and arrangements are fine, and technically (picture and sound) the recording is first-rate. If the language issue isn't an important one to you, then I can recommend this DVD -- it was just too much of a 'deal-killer' for me.

I own (and love) the laserdisc version (Rio Revisited), so when I saw this version in the store in the DVD format with 5.1 sound, I thought I was buying a sharper, improved product (image and sound). Well, guess again. The image is fuzzy (I believe my laserdisc offers a slightly crisper image) and the 5.1 sound turned out to be tinny.

I believe that the technology is out there to provide a better product. Take as an example the new James Bond dvds.

Anyway, if you own the laserdisc, stick with it. And lets wait for someone to do this one RIGHT!! Jobim deserves better!!!!

You can't go wrong with the masterful performance of Jobim and his exceptional musicians and singers. And a svelte Gal Costa[1987 show in Los Angeles]! But, buy the Rio Nights dvd instead. It has a better film quality plus you get to have a terrific looking Sergio Mendes show up to tell ya how much he loves Jobim. On that we can all agree!

A nice CD that pays tribute to the master himself. However it doesn't do an adequate job as a few of the remakes are drawn out and dull. But the jazzy One Note Samba, cast of neat musicians and terrific price lift this CD up over the half way mark.

I agree that some parts of this album are cheesy, but the instrumental tracks, along with "Meditation" and "One Note Samba," are good enough to warrant buying the album. Plus with the low price you aren't taking much of a risk...