The Best Of Astrud Gilberto: 20th Century Masters Of The Millennium Collection

Performer: Astrud Gilberto
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Composer: Astrud Gilberto. The discount-priced compilation 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Astrud Gilberto is a reasonable highlights disc drawn from Gilberto's recordings for Verve Records originally released between 1964 and 1967, her period of greatest visibility in the U.S. About the length of an old LP, the 12-track set of course includes Gilberto's big novelty hit with Stan Getz, "The Girl from Ipanema," along with plenty of other Brazilian pop of the era, including three more songs composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim. The selection also illustrates Gilberto's move into American pop, with covers of such songs as folk-rock singer/songwriter Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses," the traditional pop standard "Fly Me to the Moon," and the movie theme "The Shadow of Your Smile." Gilberto's artless singing style is displayed best on the earlier tracks, but she maintains her charm throughout, making this a good, reasonably priced addition to the collection of any jazz-pop fan who doesn't already own a similar disc. ~ William Ruhlmann The 20TH CENTURY MASTERS series sums up Astrud Gilberto's career in 12 tracks, focusing on the recordings she made for Verve in the 1960s. Gilberto rose to prominence after her vocal turn on the 1964 smash hit "The Girl from Ipanema" by saxophonist Stan Getz and her then-husband vocalist/guitarist Joao Gilberto. (Her contribution was somewhat accidental--she was not originally scheduled to perform on the song, but was the only Brazilian in the studio able to sing the English verses.) Verve cashed in on the bossa nova craze of the '60s by recording several more albums with Gilberto, whose warm, guileless vocals never fail to charm. THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION features "The Girl from Ipanema," of course, and "Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)," another memorable tune from the GETZ/GILBERTO album. The rest of the set is a mixture of bossa nova gems (including several additional compositions by Antonio Carlos Jobim), standards ("Fly Me to the Moon"), and other covers (Tim Hardin's "Misty Roses"). The breezy accessibility of these bossa nova/pop combinations still appeals, as does Gilberto's unique blend of sensuality and innocence. THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION distills the highlights from the peak of the singer's career, and should satisfy the needs of any casual fan.

Brazilian vocalist Astrud Gilberto was a key figure in the bossa nova movement that moved beyond Brazil to sweep the world in the early-to-mid 1960s. As a featured vocalist on the landmark 1963 GETZ/GILBERTO release by American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz and Astrud's then-husband, guitarist/singer Joao Gilberto, the young lady from Bahia took the music world by storm, especially on the huge hit "Girl From Ipanema," destined to become a standard. Influenced as much by American "cool jazz" as by the Brazilian composers like Antonio Carlos Jobim whose work she interpreted, Gilberto had a sultry, low-key style that stood out amid the overblown pop productions of the era, and her blend of pop, jazz, and Brazilian sounds helped sow the first seeds of what we now know as "world music."

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