The brilliant Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim's collaborations with singer Joao Gilberto, guitarist Charlie Byrd, and saxophonist Stan Getz spearheaded the bossa nova sound in the 1960s with such hits as "The One Note Samba" and "The Girl from Ipanema." But, as this rich, 1973 reissue amply illustrates, Jobim was capable of creating music that revealed the full encyclopedic scope of his eclectic genius. Jobim's achy vocals and spare guitar and piano work are backed by an all-star orchestra, conducted and arranged by Claus Ogerman, featuring bassists Ron Carter and Richard Davis and percussionist Airto Moreira. The plaintive "Aguas de Marco/Waters of March," "Maite Pere," and "Ana Luiza" ring with the haunting feel of saudade--the Afro-Portuguese equivalent of the blues. But, as his award-winning soundtrack of Black Orpheus proved, Jobim was also an exceptional film composer, and his evocative score for "Cronica de Casa Assassinada/Chronicle of the Murdered House" on this disc is filled with faraway train sounds and dreamy Ravel-Debussy impressionism. The angelic instrumentals "Um Rancho Nas Nuvens," "Tiemp do Mar," and "Nuvens Douradas" highlight the cool, continental confluence of Villa-Lobos, Gershwin, and Ellington that made Antonio Carlos Jobim's music timeless. --Eugene Holley Jr.
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