454 - Stan Getz - Getz/Gilberto

[csberry]

Listening to this album, that is the foundation of bossa nova, I alter between two places in my mind. Either I'm listening to the album in my high-rise apartment in mid-town Manhattan waiting for my Pan Am stewardess date to show up or I'm enjoying the breeze while lying next to the pool-side cabana in the Caribbean. This music is able to encapsulate both relaxation and sophistication.

There is "The Girl From Ipanema" which is truly beautiful. Beyond the mood, there are some interesting musical choices. I kept paying attention to how the mic picked up his breath and reed vibration on "Para Machuchar Meu Coracao." There are songs where there is an give and take between the rhythm being shuffled along by the guitar and drums and the piano taking up that duty. I do wonder how much I may have enjoyed there being more songs in English. While I'm grateful to be free from having to pay attention to the lyrics and focus on how the the voice sounds during the singing. However, I do think that with the only English track ("Corcovado" has an English first verse, but everything else is Portuguese) being the first one makes it too easy for listeners to turn the album into background music as it progresses. The 33 minute runtime does help in this regard.

Songs I knew I liked: "The Girl From Ipanema"

Songs I didn't know but now like: "Para Machuchar Meu Coracao," "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)," "So Danco Samba," and "Vivo Sonhando (Dreamer)"

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: None I would avoid.