Search - Harry Allen :: I Won't Dance (Eu Nao Quero Dancar)

A young genius

R. LaRue | Crozet, VA United States | 03/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Harry Allen may be the best living tenor player on the planet. If you thought that of Getz and Zoot, then Harry is your man.This particular album is a sort of tribute to Stan Getz's classic "Getz & Gilberto" album that, along with "Jazz Samba", started the Bossa Nova craze of the early '60s.Harry revisits many of the same Jobim songs, with much the same instrumentation--complete with male and female vocalists, performing in the original Portugese--but no English lyrics on this record. The style and arrangements are Harry's own, both different and delightful. As an aside, with a wonderful irony that cannot have escaped the personnel involved, the guitarist is the male vocalist, and his wife is the girl singer. Shades of Jao and Astrid Gilberto!Anyway, this is a terrific album of bossas, with a couple of standards thrown in, thought these are still played with a Brazilian feel--and the collection even includes a litle Latinized piece by J.S.Bach. It also has the rarely covered, haunting Jobim composition "Retrato Em Branco E Preto" (a.k.a."Zingaro")in a particulary soulful rendition that features mostly the excellent piano player, Larry Goldings.And by the way, all the side men (and women) on this album are great, too. Harry sure knows how to pick 'em.Get this one. If you don't like it, I might just buy it from you. I've already bought several as gifts to give to some of my jazz-loving friends. Great ear candy."

Harry does bossa nova: Nice!

Bomojaz | South Central PA, USA | 02/25/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Sometimes a whole album of bossa nova renditions can get tiresome, but not in this case. Harry does a fine job with these bossa tunes. His sound is warm and compelling. "Corcovado" and "Once I Loved" are particularly good. If you enjoy the sound from Brazil, you'll like this CD a lot."