Pure Bossa Nova

Performer: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: A towering figure in the annals of bossa nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim composed some of the genre's best-known songs, most of which subsequently became popular standards recorded by an international array of artists. This sampler collects some of Jobim's finest work, including "Wave," the almost impossibly relaxed "Corcovado," and the classic "Desafinado," all of which define him as bossa nova's premier songwriter. Unlike other volumes in Verve's Pure Bossa Nova series, which focus the spotlight on artists with few good compilations outside Brazil, the disc on Antonio Carlos Jobim has dozens of rivals. And at 14 songs, it's a rather brief collection compared to the best. Still, it includes his best versions of his standards "Wave," "Corcovado," and "Vivo Sonhando" (all recorded in the '60s), along with representations of his later days in the '70s and '80s. Of the 14 tracks, only ten are from Jobim himself, the others being his songs recorded by Gal Costa, Sylvia Telles, and Caetano Veloso (who appears twice). ~ John Bush

Antonio Carlos Jobim is one of the founding figures of bossa nova. Starting with his work with guitarist Joao Gilberto in the late 1950s ("Chega de Saudade," "Desafinado"), Jobim composed a string of unforgettable songs that combined subtle rhythms, modern harmony, and poetic lyrics, and which quickly found their way from Brazil to the rest of the world. His music has been performed and recorded by countless musicians, and by the time of his death in 1994, Jobim was widely regarded as one of the great composers of popular song.

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