Elis & Tom

Performer: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Artist: Oscar Castro-Neves
Engineer: Humberto Gatica
Producer: Aloysio Oliveira; Aloysio de Oliveira
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: /Elis Regina. Personnel: Antonio Carlos Jobim (vocals, piano, acoustic guitar); Elis Regina (vocals); Cesar Camargo Mariano (piano, electric piano); Helio Delmiro (acoustic & electric guitars); Oscar Castro Nieves (acoustic guitar); Luizao Maia (bass); Paulo Braga (drums). Recorded at MGM Studios, Los Angeles, California between February 22 and March 9, 1974. Includes liner notes by Neil Tesser. Includes bonus DVD audio disc containing 5.1 mix. Personnel: Antonio Carlos Jobim (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, piano); Elis Regina (vocals); Helio Delmiro (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Oscar Castro-Neves (guitar, acoustic guitar); C�sar Camargo Mariano (acoustic guitar, piano, electric piano); Paulinho Braga (drums); Chico Batera (percussion). Audio Remasterer: Seigen Ono. Liner Note Author: Neil Tesser. Recording information: MGM Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA (02/22/1974-03/09/1974); MGM Studio, Los Angeles, CA (02/22/1974-03/09/1974); MGM, Los Angeles, CA (02/22/1974-03/09/1974). Author: Elis Regina. Arrangers: Antonio Carlos Jobim; C�sar Camargo Mariano. In 1974, bossa nova innovator Antonio Carlos Jobim teamed up with Elis Regina, one of Brazil's finest and most beloved singers, for a recording that ranks among the best Brazilian pop albums ever. Jobim's compositions are renowned for their melodicism and intricacy, and they are beautifully showcased here. This is largely due to Regina's masterfully subtle and breathy performances (listen to her slow reading of "Corcovado" for a case study in perfection), but everything about this disc, from the clear, tasteful arrangements to the way the voice of Jobim and Regina interact, is a delight. Alongside select albums by Joao Gilberto and Caetano Veloso, ELIS & TOM is a must-have for even the most casual Brazilian fan. This beautiful -- and now legendary -- recording date between iconic Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and composer, conductor, and arranger Tom Jobim is widely regarded as one of the greatest Brazilian pop recordings. It is nearly ubiquitous among Brazilians as a household item. Regina's voice is among the most loved in the history of Brazilian music. Her range and acuity, her unique phrasing, and her rainbow of emotional colors are literally unmatched, and no matter the tune or arrangement, she employs most of them on these 14 cuts. Another compelling aspect of this recording is the young band Jobim employs here and allows pretty free rein throughout. He plays piano on eight of these tracks, and guitar on two others, but the fluid, heightened instincts of these players -- guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, Luizao Maia on bass, drummer Paulinho Braga, and pianist C�sar Mariano -- reveal them to be at the top of their game for this rather informal date that does include a few numbers with a full orchestra. That said, most of these songs were completed as first takes with very little overdubbing. The ballads are stunning -- check"Modinha," written and arranged by Jobim. The chart, even with an orchestral backing, is amazingly terse because the composer knew Regina worked best within minimal settings. Only two minutes and 16 seconds in length, it nonetheless captures the Portuguese notion of "saudade" perfectly. Of course, most of these tunes are bossa novas. The opening "Aguas de Mar�o" features a deceptively simple cat-and-mouse vocal call and response, kicking the disc off on a light, cheerful note; it's a delightful and very sophisticated number, but it feels effortless. "Triste" is one of Jobim's finest tunes, and there is scarcely a better version of it than this one. Even with electric guitars (complete with a semi-funky solo in the middle eight) on top of the nylon strings, the gauzy yet pronounced rhythms and the languid melody delivered by Regina are gorgeous. "Corcovado" is done with an orchestra, full of lilting flutes and a deep string backdrop. It is mournful and sensual. Jobim plays guitar and piano here, and adds a hushed backing vocal to Regina's refrains. It's an unusual reading, but a stellar one. "Brigas, Nuncas Mais" is a wonderfully accented -- if brief -- bossa nova with all the percussion just above the threshold of hearing. It's all guitars, bass, and Regina in the first verse before the Rhodes piano and counterpoint enter near the end. She does more to express the true elegant sensuality of the bossa nova in a minute and 13 seconds than some singers have in a lifetime. Jobim's classic jazz ballad "In�til Paisagem" is very difficult to deliver well, because it requires incredible restraint and emotion. Accompanied only by Jobim's piano -- and his all-but-whispered backing vocal -- this is truly one of Regina's greatest performances of the 1970s. It closes the album on a stunning high note, leaving nothing to be desired by the listener. [Strangely, although it was recorded in Los Angeles in early 1974 -- during one of Jobim's long stays in United States -- it was not released in the States until 1990, and then only briefly. Thanks to Verve's excellent Originals series, in 2008 it was made available in gloriously remastered digital sound.] ~ Thom Jurek

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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