A rare & wonderful record
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 01/05/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A nice pairing of a mellow West Coast jazz player and one of bossa nova's founders. Winter's saxophone accompaniment here is understated, though a bit staid. What makes this record so sweet is Lyra's gorgeous guitar and intimate vocals, as well as all the great songs he wrote. Sergio Mendes and Milton Banana sit in on piano and drums, respectively, and though Winter is slightly less swinging than the "authentic" bossa musicians, this is quite a nice little record... one of my favorite old-school bossa nova gems..."
Not bad for a low-rent Getz/Gilberto knock-off
jeffinho_branco | Los Angeles, CA United States | 10/05/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There are some great players on this album (originally released in 1964). Sergio Mendes plays piano, the great Milton Banana plays drums, and Brasil '66 alumni Sebastião Neto plays bass. And then there is Carlos Lyra--one of my favorites from the bossa nova era, and an important bossa stylist--on guitar and vocal. American Paul Winter plays alto saxophone--he's not bad, but very bland--he's no Stan Getz, that's for sure. You can tell this album was an attempt to capitalize on the sax/bossa nova combination that made history through Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Tom Jobim. Though it's not close to the greatness of the Getz/Gilberto album, this is nonetheless a nice batch of tracks--any early Carlos Lyra is good Carlos Lyra. Carlos even sings some in English--including some humorous English lyrics at the end of Lyra's classic "Lôbo Bôbo". Other classics include "Maria Ninguém", "Aruanda", Tém Do de Mim", "Se é Tarde Me Perdoa" and "Você e Eu". I would suggest that you look for this if you are a Carlos Lyra fan (especially his early Philips recordings)."
Winter a la Brasil
LGwriter | Astoria, N.Y. United States | 11/15/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is an excellent set, an early (1964) foray by an American into the world of Brazilian jazz, with all Brazilian musicians backing Winter. There are many great Brazilian songwriters, but Carlos Lyra has to be among the very best. His compositions truly sing, and Winter, Mendes, Neto, Banana and Lyra himself show here just how much. The lyricism is unparalleled--sensuous, lilting melodies...One caveat--SONY Special Products put out a two-album compilation on one CD which includes this and Winter's Rio, and on the first album (Sound of Ipanema) set, the second track ("Se e Tarde Me Perdoa") is exactly the same as the ninth track ("Mas Tambem Quem Mandou")--specifically, both of them are the second song. SONY is not owning up to this; if you don't mind not having one track, the SONY version is worth getting."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
