01	Corcovado (Quiet Nights)						02:46
	02	O Pato						02:26
	03	It Might As Well Be Spring						04:36
	04	Samba De Minha Terra						03:09
	05	One Note Samba						03:22
	06	Tonight I Shall Sleep With A Smile On My Face						02:48
	07	Bim Bom						02:08
	08	The Singing Song						03:45
	09	The Telephone Song						01:58
	10	Here's That Rainy Day						06:19
	11	Eu E Voce						02:35
	12	Rosa Moreno						04:06
	13	Grandfaher's Waltz						04:43
	14	Only Trust Your Heart						04:29
	15	Um Abraco No Bonfa						02:52
	16	Stan's Blues						04:45
	17	Meditation						04:02
	18	Summertime						08:11
	19	Six Nix Pix Flix						01:16

Stan Getz
AKA real name: Stanley Getz
Born Feb 2, 1927 in Philadelphia, PA
Died Jun 6, 1991 in Malibu, CA
Styles West Coast Jazz, Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Bossa Nova, Cool


by Scott Yanow

One of the all-time great tenor saxophonists, Stan Getz was known as "The Sound" because he had one of the most beautiful tones ever heard. Getz, whose main early influence was Lester Young, grew to be a major influence himself and to his credit he never stopped evolving.
Stan Getz had the opportunity to play in a variety of major swing big bands while a teenager due to the World War II draft. He was with Jack Teagarden (1943) when he was just 16 and this was followed by stints with Stan Kenton (1944-1945), Jimmy Dorsey (1945), and Benny Goodman (1945-1946); he soloed on a few records with BG. Getz, who had his recording debut as a leader in July 1946 with four titles, became famous during his period with Woody Herman's Second Herd (1947-1949), soloing (along with Zoot Sims, Herbie Steward, and Serge Chaloff) on the original version of "Four Brothers" and having his sound well-featured on the ballad "Early Autumn." After leaving Herman, Getz was (with the exception of some tours with Jazz at the Philharmonic) a leader for the rest of his life.

During the early '50s, Getz broke away from the Lester Young style to form his own musical identity and he was soon among the most popular of all jazzmen. He discovered Horace Silver in 1950 and used him in his quartet for several months. After touring Sweden in 1951, he formed an exciting quintet that co-featured guitarist Jimmy Raney; their interplay on up-tempo tunes and tonal blend on ballads was quite memorable. Getz's playing helped Johnny Smith have a hit in "Moonlight in Vermont," during 1953-1954 Bob Brookmeyer made his group a quintet and, despite some drug problems during the decade, Getz was a constant poll winner. After spending 1958-1960 in Europe, the tenorman returned to the U.S. and recorded his personal favorite album, Focus, with arranger Eddie Sauter's Orchestra. Then, in February 1962, Getz helped usher in the bossa nova era by recording Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd; their rendition of "Desafinado" was a big hit. During the next year, Getz made bossa nova flavored albums with Gary McFarland's big band, Luiz Bonfa, and Laurindo Almeida, but it was Getz/Gilberto (a collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto) that was his biggest seller, thanks in large part to "The Girl From Ipanema" (featuring the vocals of Astrud and Joao Gilberto).

Stan Getz could have spent the next decade sticking to bossa nova but instead he de-emphasized the music and chose to play more challenging jazz. His regular group during this era was a piano-less quartet with vibraphonist Gary Burton, he recorded with Bill Evans (1964), played throughout the 1965 Eddie Sauter soundtrack for Mickey One, and made the classic album Sweet Rain (1967) with Chick Corea. Although not all of Getz's recordings from the 1966-1980 period are essential, he proved that he was not shy to take chances. Dynasty with organist Eddie Louiss (1971), Captain Marvel with Chick Corea (1972), and The Peacocks with Jimmy Rowles (1975) are high points. After utilizing pianist Joanne Brackeen in his 1977 quartet, Getz explored some aspects of fusion with his next unit which featured keyboardist Andy Laverne. Getz even used an Echoplex on a couple of songs but, despite some misfires, most of his dates with this unit are worthwhile. However, purists were relieved when he signed with Concord in 1981 and started using a purely acoustic backup trio on most dates. Getz's sidemen in later years included pianists Lou Levy, Mitchell Forman, Jim McNeely, and Kenny Barron. His final recording, 1991's People Time, (despite some shortness in the tenor's breath) is a brilliant duet set with Barron.

Throughout his career Stan Getz recorded as a leader for Savoy, Spotlite, Prestige, Roost, Verve, MGM, Victor, Columbia, SteepleChase, Concord, Sonet, Black Hawk, A&M, and EmArcy among other labels (not to mention sessions with Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan) and there are dozens of worthy records by the tenor currently available on CD.


1946 All Star Series Savoy
1949 Stan Getz and Tenor Sax Stars New Jazz
1949 Stan Getz, Vol. 2 New Jazz
1949 The Brothers Original Jazz
1949 Long Island Sound Proper
1949 The New Sounds Prestige
1949 Quartets Original Jazz
1949 Prezervation Original Jazz
1949 At Carnegie Hall [live] Fresh Sound
1950 The Sounds of Stan Getz Roost
1950 Modern World Roost
1950 Getz Age Roost
1950 Roost Quartets Roulette
1950 Split Kick Japanese
1951 Chamber Music Roost
1951 The Sound Recall
1951 Jazz at Storyville [live] Roost
1951 Jazz at Storyville, Vol. 3 [live] Roost
1951 Storyville, Vol. 1 [live] Roost
1951 Storyville, Vol. 2 [live] Roost
1951 Billie and Stan Dale
1952 Moonlight in Vermont Proper
1952 Live 1952, Vol. 1 Jazz & Jazz
1952 Stan Getz Plays Clef
1953 Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet,... Norgran
1953 Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet,... Norgran
1953 Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet,... Norgran
1953 Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet,... Norgran
1953 More West Coast Jazz with Stan Getz Norgran
1953 The Melodic Stan Getz Metro
1953 Interpretations Verve
1953 Stan Getz Plays Blues Verve
1953 Diz and Getz Verve
1953 Stan Getz '57 Verve
1954 Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds Verve
1954 Another Time, Another Place Verve
1954 Eloquence Verve
1954 Stan Getz at the Shrine [live] Norgran
1954 At the Shrine Auditorium [live] Verve
1955 Hamp and Getz Verve
1955 Stan Getz Quintet Verve
1955 West Coast Jazz Polygram
1955 Stan Getz in Stockholm [live] Verve
1955 In Stockholm [live] Verve
1956 For Musicians Only Verve
1956 The Steamer Polygram
1957 The Soft Swing Verve
1957 Award Winner: Stan Getz Verve
1957 Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson at the Opera House [live] Verve
1957 The Getz/J.J. Set 1957 Verve
1957 Stan Getz & Gerry Mulligan/Stan Getz & Oscar... Verve
1957 Getz Meets Mulligan in Hi-Fi DCC
1957 Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio Verve
1957 At the Opera House [live] Verve
1958 Stan Getz with Cal Tjader Fantasy/OJC
1958 Stan Meets Chet Verve
1958 Jazz Giants '58 Verve
1958 Stockholm Sessions '58 [live] Dragon
1958 Imported from Europe Verve
1958 Live in Europe Jazz World
195 Stan Getz at Storyville, Vol. 2 [live] Roost
1960 Stan Getz at Large Verve
1960 Stan Getz at Large, Vol. 1 Jazz Unlimited
1960 Stan Getz at Large, Vol. 2 Jazz Unlimited
1960 Cool Velvet Verve
1960 Jazz Jamboree '60 Polonia
1961 Focus Verve
1961 Stan Getz and Bob Brookmeyer Columbia
1961 Rhythms Blue Ribbon
1962 Jazz Samba Polygram
1962 Big Band Bossa Nova Japanese
1963 Jazz Samba Encore! Universal
1963 Getz/Gilberto Verve
1963 Stan Getz with Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida Verve
1963 Reflections Verve
1964 Stan Getz and Bill Evans Verve
1964 Getz Au Go Go Featuring Astrud Gilberto [live] Polygram
1964 Getz/Gilberto #2 [live] Universal
1964 Chick Corea/Bill Evans Sessions Polygram
1965 The Canadian Concert of Stan Getz & Gary... [live] Can-Am
1965 Mickey One Polygram
1965 Look at Yesterday Mainstream
1966 A Song After Sundown RCA
1966 Stan Getz and Arthur Fiedler at Tanglewood [live] RCA
1966 Didn't We Verve
1966 Quartet in Paris Verve
1966 Voices Verve
1967 Sweet Rain Verve
1967 What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays... Polygram
1969 Marakesh Express MGM
1971 Dynasty Polygram
1971 Communications '72 Verve
1972 Captain Marvel Koch Jazz
1974 But Beautiful Milestone
1975 The Best of Two Worlds Featuring Joao... Sony
1975 The Peacocks Koch Jazz
1975 The Master Tristar
1977 Live at Montmartre, Vol. 2 Steeplechase
1977 Live at Montmartre, Vol. 1 Steeplechase
1977 Another World Tristar
1977 Affinity Four Leaf
1977 At Montreux [live] Absord
1978 Children of the World Tristar
1979 Forest Eyes Tristar
1979 Stan Getz [1979] Prestige
1980 Live at Midem '80 RCA
1980 Autumn Leaves Records
1980 Stan Getz Live Who's Who In
1981 The Dolphin [live] Japanese
1981 Spring Is Here Concord Jazz
1981 Billy Highstreet Samba EmArcy
1982 Pure Getz Concord Jazz
1982 Blue Skies Concord Jazz
1982 Live in Paris Dreyfus
1983 Poetry Blue Note
1983 Line for Lyons Gazell
1983 The Stockholm Concert [live] Gazell
1986 Voyage Black Hawk
1987 Serenity [live] EmArcy
1988 The Lyrical Stan Getz Columbia
1989 Just Friends EmArcy
1989 Yours and Mine: Live at the Glasgow... Concord Jazz
1989 Soul Eyes Concord Jazz
1989 Apasionado A&M
1990 Live Who's Who In
1991 People Time [live] Verve
1991 In Warsaw [live] Polskie
1992 Sextet Utopia WestWind
1993 Sweetie Pie Philology
1994 Yesterday Drive
1994 Out of Nowhere Four Star
1995 Utopia
1995 Nobody Else But Me Verve
1996 Pennies from Heaven Eclipse Music
1996 Stan's Party [live] Steeplechase
1998 Cool Velvet [Japan] Import
1999 Quintessence, Vol. 1 [live] Concord Jazz
1999 Live in 1956-57 Jazz Band
1999 Autumn Leaves [WW] WW
2000 Quintessence, Vol. 2 [live] Concord Jazz
2000 Immortal Concerts: Storyville, Boston... [live] Giants of Jazz
2000 Immortal Concerts: Autumn Leaves [live] Giants of Jazz
2000 Live on the Riviera Starburst
2001 And the Angels Swing Jazz Hour
2002 Fall '61 Verve
2002 Getz for Lovers Verve
2002 Getz Plays Jobim: The Girl from Ipanema Verve
2002 Jazz in Paris: Stan Getz Quartet in Paris [live] Polygram
2002 At Storyville [live] Japanese
2002 Stan Getz and Cal Tjader Sextet JVC
2002 Body & Soul Our World
2002 Intoit Past Perfect
2002 Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds [2002 Reissue] Verve
2002 Stan Getz and Joгo Gilberto Featuring... Verve
2003 Cafe Montmartre [live] Universal
2003 Captain Marvel [Bonus Tracks] Columbia
2003 Melody Express 1948-52 Jasmine
2003 Swinging at Storville [Proper] Proper
2003 Dear Old Stockholm [Proper] Proper
2003 Hooray for Stan Getz Session
Desafinado Polydor
European Tour
Empty Shells: The Complete Cannes Concert [live] Universe
Focus [Bonus Tracks] Verve

1945 Opus de Bop Import
1947 Groovin' High Crown
1948 In Retrospect Dale
1949 Early Stan Prestige/OJC
1949 Five Brothers Prestige
1949 Stan Getz [1949] Prestige
1949 Stan Getz, Vol. 1 Prestige
1949 Stan Getz's Greatest Hits Prestige
1949 Getz Plays Jazz Classics Prestige
1950 The Greatest of Stan Getz Roost
1950 Unearthed Masters, Vol. 2 JAM
1950 The Complete Roost Recordings Roulette x
1950 Roost Years, Vol. 1: The Best of Stan Getz Blue Note
1950 The Stan Getz Years Roost
1951 The Complete Recordings of the Stan Getz... Mosaic x
1951 Stan Getz at Storyville, Vols. 1 & 2 [live] Roulette
1952 Birdland Sessions Fresh Sound
1952 Move! Live 1952-1953 Natasha
1952 The Best of the Verve Years, Vol. 1 Verve
1952 Stan the Man Verve
1952 The Artistry of Stan Getz, Vol. 1 Verve
1952 The Artistry of Stan Getz, Vol. 2 Polygram
1952 Life in Jazz: A Musical Biography Verve
1953 Compact Jazz: Getz and Friends Verve
1953 Together for the First Time Fresh Sound
1955 East of the Sun: The West Coast Sessions Verve x
1955 The Best of the West Coast Sessions Verve
1955 Battle of the Saxes Tradition
1956 Stan Getz's Most Famous Jazztone
1957 Intimate Portrait American
1958 In Denmark 1958-59 [live] Olufsen
1958 Jazz Collector Edition Delta
1958 Tenors Anyone? Dawn
1958 With European Friends Laserlight
1960 Jazz 'Round Midnight: Stan Getz Polygram
1960 The Roost Years, Vol. 2: The Best of Stan... Capitol
1960 Cool Velvet & Voices Verve
1962 The Bossa Nova Years (Girl from Ipanema) Verve x
1962 Verve Jazz Masters 53: Bossa Nova Verve
1962 Pair of Kings: Stan Getz and Horace Silver Baronet
1962 'Round Midnight: Stan Getz Verve
1964 Compact Jazz: Stan Getz Verve
1969 The Song Is You LRC Ltd
1977 Stan Getz Gold Inner City
1980 Legacy Rendezvous
1985 The Greatest Roulette
1987 Anniversary! [live] Polygram
1990 Ballads and Bossa Nova Sony Special
1992 The Essential Stan Getz: The Getz Songbook Verve
1992 Compact Jazz: Stan Getz With Strings Verve
1992 Stan Getz/Zoot Sims: Double Exposure LRC
1993 The I Like Jazz: The Essence of Stan Getz Sony
1993 The New Collection Sony
1994 Verve Jazz Masters 8 Polygram
1994 Verve Jazz Masters 25 Verve
1995 Jazz Classics Peter Pan
1995 Quintet & Quartet 1950-1951 Musidisc
1995 In Sweden 1958-60 [live] Dragon
1995 Golden Years, Vol. 2 Moon
1995 Stan Getz in Denmark 1958-1969 [live] Classico
1996 Sound of Jazz Intercontinent
1996 The Essential Stan Getz Delta x
1996 This Is Jazz, Vol. 14 Sony
1996 Jazz After Dark: Great Songs Public Music
1997 Teenage Stan, Vol. 1: 1943-1946 Masters of
1998 Jazz 'Round Midnight: Bossa Nova Polygram
1998 Ultimate Stan Getz Polygram
1998 Gold Collection [Fine Tune] Fine Tune
1998 Quartet & Quintet: 1950-1952 Giants of Jazz
1998 Carnegie Hall Concert 1964 [live] Jazz Door
1999 The Stockholm Concerts [live] Polygram
1999 Teenage Stan, Vol. 2 (1946-1947) Masters of
1999 Stan Getz Is Jazz: Live by the Sea Cannes... Music Club
1999 Riviera Concert [live] Jazz Time
1999 Volume 11 Galaxy Sound
1999 Without a Song Early Bird
2000 Quiet Now: Body & Soul Verve
2000 Nature Boy Past Perfect
2000 Chega de Saudade Giants of Jazz
2000 'Round Midnight Jazz Hour
2000 Cool Bebop: 1945-1949 Epm Musique
2000 Sessions on Verve Verve
2000 Gold Collection [Import 2 CD] Import
2000 Stan Getz' Finest Hour Polygram
2000 Jazz Collection [Delta] Delta
2000 My Foolish Heart: Live at the Left Bank Label M
2000 1946-1949 Classics
2000 Portrait: Stan Getz [Sony] Sony
2001 There's a Small Hotel Giants of Jazz
2001 Sweet Rain [West Wind] [live] Verve
2001 Jazz Collection [Sony International] Sony
2001 Loaded Savoy
2001 My Old Flame [live] Concord Jazz
2001 Too Marvelous for Words: 1950 Epm Musique
2001 Stan Getz 1950 Classics
2001 The Final Concert Recording [live] Red Ink
2001 Cabu Collection Masters of
2001 Autumn Leaves [TIM] TIM
2001 Early Autumn [Golden Stars] Golden Stars x
2002 Tempus Fugit Recall
2002 Early Autumn [Prism] Prism
2002 The Very Best of Stan Getz Verve
2002 Interlude in Bop Import
2002 The Complete Savoy Recordings Savoy Jazz
2002 California Sessions
2002 The Definitive Stan Getz Verve
2003 Rare Live Absord Music
2003 The Sound [Box Set] Proper Box x
2003 1951 Classics
2003 Bossas and Ballads: The Lost Sessions Verve
The Girl from Ipanema Polydor
'Round Midnight in Paris [live] Bandstand
The Complete Roost Sessions, Vol. 1 Vogue
The Complete Roost Sessions, Vol. 2 Vogue
European Tour/Song Is You LRC
Stella by Starlight Quicksilver
The Best of Stan Getz Columbia
Born to Be Blue Bandstand
Lover Man [live] Moon
The Essence of Stan Getz Sony Special








Joao Gilberto
Born Jun 10, 1931 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Styles Brazilian Jazz, Latin Continuum, Brazil, Bossa Nova, Tropicalia

by John Dougan

When talking about bossa nova, perhaps the signature pop music sound of Brazil, frequently the first name to come to one's lips is that of Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim. With songs like "The Girls From Ipanema" and "Desafindo," Jobim pretty much set the standard for the creation of the bossa nova in the mid-50s. However, as is often the case, others come along and take the genre in a new direction, reinventing through radical reinterpretation be it lyrically, rhythmically, or in live performance, making the music theirs. And if Jobim gets credit for laying the foundation of bossa nova, than the genre was brilliantly reimagined (and, arguably, defined) by the singer/songwriter and guitarist Joao Gilberto. In his native country he is called O Mito (The Legend), a deserving nickname, for since he began recording in late 1950s Gilberto, with his signature soft, near-whispering, croon, has set a standard few have equaled.
Born in 1931 in Juazeiro in the northeastern section of Brazil known as Bahia, Gilberto seemed obsessed with music almost from the moment he emerged from the womb. His grandfather bought him his first guitar at age 14 (much to the dismay of Joao's father). Within a year, the result of near constant practicing, he was the leader of a band made up of school friends. During this time Gilberto was absorbing the rhythmic subtlety of the Brazilian pop songs of the day, while also taking in the rich sounds of swing jazz (Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey), as well as the light opera singing of Jeanette MacDonald. At 18, Gilberto gave up on his small town life and headed to Bahia's largest city, Salvador, to get a foothold in the music industry performing on live radio shows. Although he was given the opportunity to sing, instant stardom was not in the offing, but his brief appearances on the radio brought him to the attention of Antonio Maria who wanted Gilberto to become the lead singer for the popular radio band Garotos da Lua (Boys From the Moon) and moved to Rio de Janiero.

Gilberto stayed in the band only a year. He was fired after the rest of the group could take no more of his lackadaisical attitude. Gilberto was frequently late for rehearsals and performances, and in a move reminiscent of American pop star Sly Stone, would occasionally not show up at all. After his dismissal from the group Gilberto lived a semi-nomadic life. For years he had no fixed address drifting drifted from friend to friend and acquaintance to acquaintance living off their kindness rarely if ever contributing to the household expenses. Evidently Gilberto was such charming company that his emotional carelessness and fiscal apathy was never an issue - that and he had extremely patient and generous friends. It was during this underachieving bohemian period that Gilberto kept an extremely low profile. Instead of using his time with Garotos da Luna as a springboard for other recording and performing possibilities, he became apathetic, constantly smoking large quantities of marijuana, playing the odd club gig, and refusing work he considered beneath him (this included gigs at clubs where people talked during the performance). Although gifted with considerable talent as a singer and guitar player, it seemed as though Gilberto would fail to attain the success and notoriety he deserved if only due to apathy that verged on lethargy.

After nearly a decade of aimlessness Gilberto joined forces with singer Luis Telles who encouraged Gilberto to leave Rio for a semi-bucolic life in the city of Porto Alegre. Telles, who functioned as a combination public relations guru and sugar daddy, made sure the demanding Gilberto wanted for nothing and would concentrate on his music. It turned out to be a successful, if expensive strategy. Within a few months Gilberto (who at this point had given up his prodigious hemp consumption and was now partaking in nothing stronger than fruit juice) was the toast of Porto Alegre, the musician everyone wanted to see. It was also during this extended apprenticeship that Gilberto perfected his unique vocal style and guitar playing. So breathy and nasally it is almost defies description, in many ways he uses all the things one is taught not to do as a singer and has made them into an instantly recognizable style. Not even established crooners such as Bing Crosby and Perry Como sang more quietly or with less vibrato. This, along with his rhythmically idiosyncratic approach to playing the guitar - an intensely syncopated plucking of the strings that flowed with his singing - made for some exhilarating music and by the time of his first record, Chega de Saudade (1959), Gilberto became widely known as the man who made bossa nova what it is.

True to form, however, Gilberto took the road less traveled by and after the success of his debut record and the two follow-up releases, Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor (1960) and Joao Gilberto (1961) he left Brazil to settle in the United States where he lived until 1980. During this period he recorded some amazing records working with saxophonist Stan Getz and recording music by older Brazilian songwriters such as Dorival Caymmi and Ary Barroso. He returned to Brazil in the early 80s and since then has worked with virtually every big name in Brazilian pop including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethania, Gal Costa, and Chico Buarque. He has never seen record sales like the aforementioned performers, but all of them regard him as a profound influence on their work. True to his image as enigmatic and eccentric, Gilberto lives a semi-reclusive lifestyle secure in the knowledge that, almost 40 years ago, he changed the course of Brazilian culture by making the bossa nova his music, as well as the music of Brazil.


1960 Brazil's Brilliant Capitol
1960 Gilberto and Jobim Capitol
1960 Samba de Uma Note So Capitol
1962 The Boss of the Bossa Nova Atlantic
1974 Joao Gilberto en Mexico PolyGram
1977 Amoroso Warner
1981 Brasil Warner
1988 Joao Gilberto Japanese
1990 The Brazilliance Music of Rhythm Rykodisc
1991 Aguas de Marco (Waters of March) Polydor
1991 Live in Montreux Elektra
1992 Joao Polygram
1994 Ela E' Carioca Sony
1995 Ao Vivo: Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar [Epic] [live]
1995 Ao Vivo: Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar [Sony Latin] [live] Sony
1998 Desafinado Saludos Amigos
1998 Musica! WEA
1999 Prado Pereira de Oliveira Wea
1999 Farolito: Live in Mexico Records
2000 Besame Mucho Saludos Amigos
2000 Joao Voz E Violao Universal
2002 Live On TV Pioneer
2002 Live at Umbria Jazz EGEA
2003 O Amor, O Sorriso e A Flor Odeon
2003 Chega de Saudade Japanese
Performance EMI
Bossa Nova Jubileu, Vol. 1 Tropical
Bossa Nova Jubileu, Vol. 2 Tropical
Brazil Samba Jazz, Vol. 2 Sony Discos

1958 The Legendary Joao Gilberto World Pacific
1976 Amoroso/Brasil Warner
1996 Mestres da MPB, Vol. 2 WEA Latina
1997 Coleccion Mi Historia Polygram
1998 Selection of Joao & Astrud Gilberto Golden Sounds
1999 Bossa Nova Latin Sounds
1999 Millennium: Joao Gilberto Polygram
2000 Colleccion de Oro Orfeon
Brazil Samba Jazz, Vol. 3 Orfeon
Brazil Samba Jazz, Vol. 1 Orfeon





Astrud Gilberto
Born Mar 30, 1940 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Styles Mood Music, Brazilian Jazz, Brazil, Vocal Pop, Bossa Nova

by John Bush

The honey-toned chanteuse on the surprise Brazilian crossover hit "The Girl from Ipanema," Astrud Gilberto parlayed her previously unscheduled appearance (and professional singing debut) on the song into a lengthy career that resulted in nearly a dozen albums for Verve and a successful performing career that lasted into the '90s. Though her appearance at the studio to record "Girl from Ipanema" was due only to her husband Joao, one of the most famed Brazilian artists of the century, Gilberto's singular, quavery tone and undisguised naivete propelled the song into the charts and influenced a variety of sources in worldwide pop music.
Born in Bahia, Gilberto moved to Rio de Janeiro at an early age. She'd had no professional musical experience of any kind until 1963, the year of her visit to New York with her husband, Joao Gilberto, in a recording session headed by Stan Getz. Getz had already recorded several albums influenced by Brazilian rhythms, and Verve teamed him with the cream of Brazilian music, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao Gilberto, for his next album. Producer Creed Taylor wanted a few English vocals for maximum crossover potential, and as it turned out, Astrud was the only Brazilian present with any grasp of the language. After her husband laid down his Portuguese vocals for the first verse of his and Jobim's composition, "The Girl from Ipanema," Astrud provided a hesitant, heavily accented second verse in English.

Not even credited on the resulting LP, Getz/Gilberto, Astrud finally gained fame over a year later, when "The Girl from Ipanema" became a number five hit in mid-1964. The album became the best-selling jazz album up to that point, and made Gilberto a star across America. Before the end of the year, Verve capitalized on the smash with the release of Getz Au Go Go, featuring a Getz live date with Gilberto's vocals added later. Her first actual solo album, The Astrud Gilberto Album, was released in May 1965. Though it barely missed the Top 40, the LP's blend of Brazilian classics and ballad standards proving quite infectious with easy-listening audiences.

Though she never returned to the pop charts in America, Verve proved to be quite understanding for Astrud Gilberto's career, pairing her with ace arranger Gil Evans for 1966's Look to the Rainbow and Brazilian organist/arranger Walter Wanderley for the dreamy A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness, released later that year. She remained a huge pop star in Brazil for the rest of the 1960s and '70s, but gradually disappeared in America after her final album for Verve in 1969. In 1971, she released a lone album for CTI (with Stanley Turrentine) but was mostly forgotten in the US until 1984, when "Girl from Ipanema" re-charted in Britain on the tails of a neo-bossa craze. Gilberto gained worldwide distribution for 1987's Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra.


1963 The Boss of the Bossa Nova Atlantic
1964 The Shadow of Your Smile Verve
1964 The Warm World of Astrud Gilberto Atlantic
1965 The Astrud Gilberto Album Verve
1965 Look to the Rainbow Verve
1966 A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness Polygram
1967 Beach Samba [2002 Reissue] Universal
1967 Beach Samba Polygram
1967 The Deadly Affair [Original Soundtrack] Verve
1968 Windy Japanese
1969 I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do Verve
1969 Astrud Gilberto (September 17, 1969) Verve
1971 Gilberto with Stanley Turrentine CTI
1972 Now Sanctuary
1987 Astrud Gilberto Plus the James Last Orchestra Polygram
1990 So & So: Mukai Meets Gilberto Denon
1996 Astrud Gilberto Iris
1999 Live in New York MVP Japan
1999 Girl from Ipanema [Brilliant] Brilliant
2001 A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness [Japan... Verve
2002 Jungle Magya
2002 Look To The Rainbow [Import/Original LP... Verve
2002 Girl from Ipanema [Prestige] Prestige Elite
2002 Girl From Ipanema [Rajon] Rajon Singles
2003 The Girl from Ipanema [Iris] Iris
2003 Gilberto With Stanley Turrentine [Germany... Import
Astrud Gilberto & the Walter Wanderley Trio Verve
Astrud Gilberto [Kardum] Kardum
Gilberto Golden Japanese Album Verve