Saturday, April 21, 2007

Stan Getz - Stan Getz with Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1963)

Caetano sent this album as part of his latest package of treasures to Loronixers and I need to say open and honestly it was the first time I had the chance to hear this classical record. Among the several things I could learn with Loronix, a important one is to consider Stan Getz as a Brazilian artist, such tremendous was his dedication to Brazilian music and the work he made to "announce" the great new from Brazil in the early 60's, the Bossa Nova.

This is Stan Getz - Stan Getz with Guest Artist Laurindo Almeida (1963), for Verve. This is a really amazing album and I think I cannot make better than Richard Ginell from All Music to describe this session and what was in the air during those years. Personnel includes another surprise, Edison Machado on Drums. Tracks include:

AMG Review

Three weeks after completing his meeting with Luiz Bonfá and only two days after the epochal Getz/Gilberto sessions, Stan Getz was back in the studio recording more bossa nova. Producer Creed Taylor was obviously striking while the iron was hot, getting in as many Brazilian sessions as he could, yet the quality of the music-making remained consistently marvelous. Continuing his practice of running through one star guitarist after another, this time Getz has Laurindo Almeida as the designated rhythm man, featured composer, and solo foil. The rhythm section is an authentically swinging mixture of American sidemen (including Steve Kuhn on piano and George Duvivier on bass) and Brazilian percussionists. Almeida didn't like to improvise, so his solos stay close to the tunes, inflected with a perfectly matched feeling for the groove along with classical poise. Jobim's "Outra Vez" is a particularly lovely example of Getz's freedom and effortless lyricism contrasted against Almeida's anchored embroidering. Sessions like these might have been seen as cashing in on the boom at the time, yet in the long view, one should be thankful that these musicians were recording so much cherishable material.

Personnel

Edison Machado
(drums)
Luis Parga, Jose Paulo
(percussion)
George Duvivier, Dave Bailey
(bass)
Steve Kuhn
(piano)
Laurindo Almeida
(guitar)
Stan Getz
(sax tenor)

Track List

01 - Menina Moça (Young Lady) (Luis Antônio)
02 - Outra Vez (Once Again) (Tom Jobim)
03 - Winter Moon (Laurindo de Almeida / Portia Nelson)
04 - Do What You Do Do (Laurindo de Almeida / Jeanne Taylor)
05 - Samba da Sahra (Sahra's Samba) (Laurindo de Almeida)
06 - Maracatu-too (Laurindo de Almeida / Stan Getz)
07 - Corcovado (Tom Jobim)