Search - Stan Getz :: Getz/Almeida

A Classic

bordersj2 | Boston | 05/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Laurindo Almeida is one of my favorite guitarists. He was a real talent, perhaps in the shadow of some of the other greats from Brazil when Bossa Nova was so popular like Baden Powell, Luiz Bonfa, Joao Gilberto, etc. etc. But here I think he shines brightly with none other than Stan Getz who really was "the Sound".



I can't say it enough - I love this album. Granted, it is very short - just under 30 minutes of music. But in that time you have some tracks that take you to that time, to a summer sunset. Listening to the vinyl though hold's something a bit more special to me, but both formats have all the songs from the feature - the difference being that the CD actually has an additional track - a rendition to "Corcovado". But I love Menina Moca and I think my other favorite is Maracatu-Too. It's almost impossible not to like the bossa in that song, which keeps the track so tight and moving... let alone Stan Getz's sax layered over the piano and Laurindo's guitar as the notes take off.



Definitely check this one out. I think it's woefully underrated out of all of the great Stan Getz Bossa Nova collaborations. It's purely a matter of taste but it's certainly one of my top two, if not number one (depending on the mood). And if you do like this, check out Getz/Gilberto, Stan Getz Big Band Bossa Nova and especially Getz/Bonfa, which features Luiz Bonfa's wife, Maria Toledo, with stunning & haunting vocals."

Getz's Best Instrumental Bossa Nova

Seybold | Seattle | 05/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is my favorite Getz bossa nova album. Almeida is excellent throughout, and his guitar is better recorded and more up-front than Charlie Byrd's on Jazz Samba.



I don't care for the vocals on Getz/Gilberto, and for me Getz works best without vocalists in any case--he is the vocalist. Almeida also has a voice here that's ear-catching, far more so than Byrd on Jazz Samba. I like Jazz Samba as well, but on this album, the players overall "get" the music a bit better (perhaps because it features more Brazilian musicians than Jazz Samba).



So if you like your Getz bossa nova w/o vocals, I'd suggest you start here and then check out Jazz Samba and Jazz Samba Encore--that has some vocals, but they're very good.

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