It's cosmic
Bruce London | 04/01/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a rather charming recording for serious fans of the genius Tom Jobim. The sound quality is decent, but Jobim sings not, conducts not, plays piano nor guitar-not. But we live in the Cosmos. Rather scary down here but always strilingly beautiful. Cosmetic-to make pretty-comes from the word cosmos. Mysteriously, certain places seem full of a spirit, a cosmic vibration: Detrit, Mi. and Motown, Cali and Columbia's Salsa, Havana in Cuba, Kansas City and big band jazz, 52nd St. in New York and Bebop, Merenque from Dominican Republica, and-Brasil-the whole damn fine place! A young music professional, Jobim wrote [or co-wrote] this music ands it's informative of Brasil just as Bossa Nova was to be born. Like a charming travelouge, even the schmaltzy accordinoista, plays charming schmaltz. Hell, Jobim created the greatest schmaltz ever and did it in heavenly beautific fashion! Enough philosophy, I suggest you get Ruy Castro's wonderfully idisyncratically Brasil-ish book-Bossa Nova-The Music That Seduced the World. This audio cd makes a nice accompaniment and features many of the Brasilian artists of that time."