Jazz Samba

Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa - Jazz Samba Encore! (1963) {2018 Verve Japan UCCU-90290}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 255 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 100 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 50 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1963, 2018 Verve / Universal Music Japan | UCCU-90290
Jazz / Bossa Nova / Cool / Brazilian Jazz / Saxophone / Guitar

Hardly an "encore" of the first Stan Getz Jazz Samba album – as this set's got a slightly different feel, and lots of great elements that make it really unique! This time around, Brazilian musician Luiz Bonfa is on guitar – already a skilled proponent of the bossa by the time of the record, and arguably one of the few who really got it going back home in Rio. Stan's tenor sounds wonderful – as carefully and soufully blown as on the first set, but also with some new colors and tones too. Bonfa's wife Maria Toledo sings a bit on the record – hinting at Stan's work to come with Astrud Gilberto (this album was cut right before the Getz/Gilberto collaboration) – and the record also features added work on piano and guitar from the great Antonio Carlos Jobim – more than enough proof that the album's got a pure bossa pedigree!

Partly because of its Brazilian collaborators and partly because of "The Girl From Ipanema," Getz/Gilberto is nearly always acknowledged as the Stan Getz bossa nova LP. But Jazz Samba is just as crucial and groundbreaking; after all, it came first, and in fact was the first full-fledged bossa nova album ever recorded by American jazz musicians. And it was just as commercially successful, topping the LP charts and producing its own pop chart hit single in "Desafinado." It was the true beginning of the bossa nova craze, and introduced several standards of the genre (including Ary Barroso's "Bahia" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado" and "Samba de Uma Nota Só" [aka "One Note Samba"]). But above all, Jazz Samba stands on its own artistic merit as a shimmering, graceful collection that's as subtly advanced - in harmony and rhythm - as it is beautiful…

Bud Shank & Clare Fisher - Bossa Nova Jazz Samba (1962) {2013 Japan Jazz & Bossa Nova Best & More Series CD07of8}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (image)+CUE+LOG -> 213 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 70 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 36 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1962, 2013 Pacific Jazz / Universal Japan | TOCJ-66627 | 24bit remaster
Jazz / Bossa Nova / Cool / Latin Jazz / Hard Bop

Reissue with the latest 24bit remastering. Features original cover artwork. Comes with a descripton in Japanese. A sublime little set all the way through – an early 60s date from the west coast scene – and one that was almost as important to that side of the country as the Verve bossa records were to New York! Bud Shank's in the lead on alto sax – no flute at all this time around – blowing sharp and soulfully, in a way that's even more deft than most of his other albums! But the equal star here is the young Clare Fischer – who plays piano in the group, and also contributed a host of original tunes to the set – fresh numbers that are way different than the usual "bossa-ized" standards, or American remakes of Brazilian classics. Ralph Pena is a key member of the group on bass – and Larry Bunker plays some vibes as well. Titles include "Joao", "Pensativa", "Samba Guapo", "Samba Da Borboleta", and "Que Mais?".