Average Rating: 
Rating: - The essence of bossa nova.
If I were given a choice of just one CD to take with me in the after-life, I would choose Getz/Gilberto. This album is a rare gem of a recording. And what incredible music it contains! I first heard this album in the early 70's. Back then, I already knew how to play the acoustic guitar. However, hearing João Gilberto's play the guitar changed my style, and indeed, my musical direction altogether. More than twenty years later, I still play those wonderful chords that João had imprinted on my musical psyche. With the exception of Para Machucar Meu Coraçao and Doralice, all the songs were written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. Astrud Gilberto's unpretentious singing of The Girl From Ipanema and Corcovado is a fine example of sincerity in musical expression. She sings both songs in English. João Gilberto's authoritative singing of the other songs in Portuguese remains to this day, the essence of bossa nova. His phrasing on Desafinado is delicate. On So Danço Samba, his guitar-playing is simply marvelous. Stan Getz's superb solos bring each song to musical heights. Listen to his closing notes on O Grande Amor. Don't they tear right into your soul? The unassuming Jobim plays a brief but beautiful piano solo on The Girl From Ipanema. Tommy Williams (bass) and Milton Banana (drums) provide the steady rhythm that gives this album its eternal life. The performance is simply incredible. The sound quality on this 20-bit remastered edition is even more brilliant than the original CD reissue. Moreover, the fading notes on some of the selections have been extended, thus prolonging the listening pleasure just a bit more. This CD proves that music is indeed a universal language. You don't need to know Portuguese to understand, let alone, appreciate this album. All you need is the ability to admire beauty, and this CD has plenty to offer
Rating: - Ageless pleasure
A college friend recommended this album to me once while shopping for some new music. He told me he didn't think I would go wrong with it, that it was pretty good. I had no idea what it was or who Jobim, Getz, or Gilberto were at the time but I figured his recommendation was as good as the reviews I read on the backs of the album covers for music I had never heard, so I bought it. That was over 30 years ago and I still listen regularly to this "Getz/Gilberto" album......I don't understand a word of the Portuguese but the music is as fresh today as it was back then. It continues to touch my soul and smooth me (especially after a day with lots of rough edges), it lifts me, it soothes me and bathes me in warmth and hope...it is light, whimsical, deep, and so...very...rhythmically balanced. Thank God for CD's, the old vinyl disc was worn so badly..... I listen and I want the music to go on forever...and for me, so far, it has....."Quiet nights of quiet stars!, quiet chords from my guitars, floating on the silence that surrounds us, quiet thoughts and quiet dreams, quiet walks by quiet streams,and the window that looks out on Corcovado.." This music brings me ageless pleasure, and...as we (the music and I) recede farther and farther from 1963, its velvety chords just getter better and better........"Oh, how lovely".......
Rating: - the best
How many albums can boast a line-up as amazing as Getz, Gilberto (both Joao and Astrud), and Jobim? Add in the fact that EVERY song is a keeper, and you have a truly amazing set. Stan Getz, possessor of the most beautiful tone in jazz (sorry, Johnny Hodges), is hard to top. His playing evokes several emotions while staying true to the music at all times. Joao Gilberto's guitar playing and singing were extremely influential, and his wife became a star with her effortless vocals on "Girl from Ipanema" and "Corcovado." Jobim's sparse piano enhances the atmosphere of the album, and Tommy Williams and Milton Banana provide flawless rhythmic support. How can you NOT love this album? Highly recommended to all music lovers.
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