Wave Antonio Carlos Jobim

Antonio Carlos Jobim's Finest Hour is an excellent collection of jazz bossanova recordings by one of the leaders of the bossanova sound. Jobim's solo and accompaniment with vocalist Astrud Gilberto and legendary saxophonist, Stan Getz, offers a melodic and sensuous effect to his lush Brazilian sound. The cd's crispsness makes the recordings timeless, but not without a thought of 1960s cocktail sounding nostalgia (dependent on your age, these are tunes you heard your father play on the good ol' hi-fi system). The songs make you imagine you're on a beach with the palm trees gently swaying back and forth, or simply lounging on the patio listening to tracks, such as the all too familiar, "The Girl From Impanema," my favorite version of "Meditation," or the delicious hipster trappings of "Desfinado" with Getz's exceptional sax solo. Finest Hour will not disappoint those listeners looking for the quiet jazz sounds that whisper in your ear or simply let you relax. So, grab yourself a copy, and while you're at it, mix a cocktail or two and add one of those little umbrellas.

Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (Portuguese pronunciation: [tõ ʒoˈbĩ]), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, songwriter, arranger and singer.

The first of three richly-orchestrated, mostly instrumental albums from the late 1960s by bossa nova pioneer Antônio Carlos Jobim. On "Wave", released in 1967, Jobim explores jazz influences, recording with jazz legends like Ron Carter and Urbie Green and a large string section under the direction of conductor/arranger Claus Ogerman. The album, engineered by Rudy Van Gelder, became an international hit and appealed to both jazz and easy listening audiences.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs. The first or maternal family name is Brasileiro de Almeida and the second or paternal family name is Jobim.

The sequel to the popular The Girl from Ipanema anthology basically reshuffles the deck, duplicating nine of the earlier CD's songs and adding six new ones, using mostly the same performers with a few additions. The new wrinkle is that the artists perform different tunes, a game that one imagines could be continued indefinitely on future issues. Among the highlights: Ella Fitzgerald has a marvelous time bouncing to the rhythms of "So Danço Samba," Wes Montgomery – the consummate musician – scores again with a lovely "Amor Em Paz," and Oscar Peterson is a surreal speed demon on "Triste."