Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Clare Fischer Plays Antonio Carlos Jobim and Clare Fischer - So Danco Samba (1962)

Caetano Rodrigues and Charles Gavin book has an amazing section with records from non-Brazilian artists performing Bossa Nova. Particularly, Charlie Byrd LPs are fantastic with those covers with parrots and macaws with some Brazilian spots on background.

Among the several gems available there, Caetano selected a special one, Clare Fischer - Clare Fischer Plays Antonio Carlos Jobim and Clare Fischer, So Danco Samba (1962), for World Pacific with Clare Fischer (piano, organ), Dennis Budimir (guitar), Bob West (bass) and Colin Bailey (drums). For a flawless description of Clare Fischer’s So Danco Samba, I'm gathering Caetano own words, as follow:

"This America pianist really tried to decipher the refined language of Bossa Nova. He was not one of the pioneers of the new style as great names of the international jazz scene had already tackled it. However, Fischer's merit lay in his choice of repertoire, almost entirely based on the songs by Tom Jobim, bringing elements of jazz into the traditional Brazilian flavor, despite the obvious limitations in his swing and playing technique. The truth is that Bossa Nova revitalized jazz, bringing back a cool vibe again".