Compact Jazz: Antonio Carlos Jobim

Performer: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Artist: Stan Getz; Joao Gilberto; Astrud Gilberto; Elis Regina; Luiz Bonfa
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Antonio Carlos Jobim's entry in Verve's massive COMPACT JAZZ reissue series is a fine compilation of his '60s work with the label. Jobim pretty much invented bossa nova, the mixture of cool jazz and Brazilian samba, with his early work with singer/guitarist Joao Gilberto and tenor saxophonist Stan Getz. Richer than traditional samba, which consisted primarily of acoustic guitar and percussion, bossa nova was a silky smooth but still rather exotic form of music in the early '60s, and tracks like Jobim's classic "The Girl From Ipanema"--here in its full-length studio version featuring Joao Gilberto's traditional-styled Portuguese opening that leads into Getz's gently swinging solo and Astrud Gilberto's singing debut on the grammatically-challenged English verse--ignited a faddish adoration of Brazilian and Latin jazz that has never really gone away. Jobim recorded most of his best-known songs many times in a variety of settings, and aside from a variety of minor quibbles, the compilers of COMPACT JAZZ did an excellent job of picking the best version of each tune. Those wanting a quick and easy introduction to the work of Antonio Carlos Jobim should look no further.

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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