Ana Mandieta

Exalted as "The George Gershwin of Brazil," Antonio Carlos Jobim was an incredibly prolific composer who wrote many songs that became standards in Brazilian and jazz circles. But in fact, Jobim also composed many great songs that aren't standards, and on this absorbing CD, Ana Caram insightfully spotlights some of the Jobim pearls that aren't nearly as well known as "The Girl From Ipanema," "Triste" or "Corcovado." Indeed, The Other Side of Jobim underscores the fact that for every "Desafinado" or "One Note Samba" he wrote, there was a lesser-known treasure like "Ana Luiza," "Olha Maria" or "Esperanca Perdida." Even those with an extensive knowledge of Brazilian music may not be familiar with "Correnteza" or "Demais," but as Caram obviously realizes, they certainly deserve to be.

A superior Brazilian jazz singer, Ana Caram takes a slight detour on this CD, stretching her repertoire while mostly still performing in a style influenced by bossa nova. One does not get to hear such songs as "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," "Smile," and "As Time Goes By" in a bossa nova setting that often. Also unusual is that Michel Freidenson plays all of the instruments other than the reeds (which are performed by Lawrence Feldman), and most of his electronic instruments sound real enough not to be an issue. The focus throughout is on Caram's lovely voice and she excels on this material, showing that it really is not what you sing but how you sing it. Recommended.