I don't know how popular is this album worldwide, but certainly it is one of the most, how can I say, identified with Bossa Nova, at least in the USA. A Certain Smile and A Certain Sadness was released in 1966, a time when Bossa Nova mania was on its peak. I have been browsing some statistics and Astrud Gilberto is one of the most popular artists at Loronix, Walter Wanderley also. This cover artwork has its charm, showing Astrud Gilberto surrounded by Walter Wanderley (left), Claudio Slon (right) and probably Bobby Rosengarden (center).I could not check, but Joao Gilberto guitar is possibly on this album, playing in all tunes. Caetano is providing this LP to Loronixers on CD quality, with tracks from the original 1966 issue.
This is Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley Trio - A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness (1966), for Verve, featuring the voice of Astrud Gilberto and Walter Wanderley trio, which is Walter Wanderley (organ, piano), Claudio Slon (drums), Jose Marino (bass) and Bobby Rosengarden (percussion), produced by Creed Taylor. Astrud sings in Portuguese and English. Tracks include:
01 - A Certain Smile (Fain / Paul Francis Webster)
02 - A Certain Sadness (Carlos Lyra / John Court)
03 - Nega do Cabelo Duro (David Nasser / Rubens Soares)
04 - So Nice (Summer Samba) (Marcos Valle / Paulo Sergio Valle / Vrs. Norman Gimbel)
05 - Você Já Foi a Bahia (Dorival Caymmi)
06 - Portuguese Washerwoman (Lucchesi / Popp)
07 - Tristeza (Goodbye Sadness) (Haroldo Lobo / Niltinho Tristeza / Vrs. Norman Gimbel)
08 - Call Me (Hatch)
09 - Here's That Rainy Day (Babcock / Burke / Van Heusen)
10 - Tu Mi Delirio (C. Portillo de La Luz)
11 - It's a Lovely Day Today (Irving Berlin)
Nice post! I especially like the color-scheme of the cover :D
ReplyDeleteThis record has my favorite version of the Cuban "Filín" tune, "Tu mi delirio."
ReplyDeleteI still remember the day I found this in a used record shop in Chicago. It stayed on my turntable for months, until I found a sealed copy of "Samba '68" by Marcos Valle.
Abraços
oh, i love this record. astrud voic is really really nice and ... well... what else can you say? walter rocks!
ReplyDeleteps.the cd edition has some extra material which is lovely too.
REVIEW: It is striking how "dated" this record sounds. Even taking into consideration that this is a 1960s record, that is inevitably the first thing that any listener will notice. But ignoring the kitsch factor for a moment, one can recall that in 1966 when A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness came out, the bossa nova craze was at a peak, and the album marked a collaboration between two of its biggest stars, vocalist Astrud Gilberto, brought to fame by her rendition of the classic "The Girl From Ipanema," and organist Walter Wanderley. Even though the album is good, it is not as exciting as one might hope. While the music is remarkably innocent and sweet, with just a little underlying touch of sadness beneath the joyous, even naïve, surface, Gilberto and Wanderley do not always seem to work together on these tracks — it often appears as if each is performing in a universe of his or her own. That being said, there are many bright sides to the album, too: Wanderley's organ playing is as enthusiastic and fluffy as ever, while Gilberto's singing (in both English and Portuguese) remains smile-inducing. Both manage to create an incredibly warm sound, and when Wanderley plays some piano (as on the beautiful "A Certain Sadness"), you can sense a spark between the two. So, while A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness might not be the most successful album of all time, it is still a nice record that fans of either Gilberto or Wanderley will want to have. And — even though one tends to use the word "cocktail lounge music" — their rendition of "Tristeza" is simply irresistible, easy listening or not. - Chris Genzel, AMG
ReplyDeleteWhat a great combination! This album always lifts my spirits when I'm down. Her version of Tristeza (along with Elis' & Rita Reys') is one of my favorite versions of this oft-covered standard. Sure she is nowhere near a technically perfect vocalist, but the way she delivers her songs is charming & endearing. Just lie back, listen and smile! Thanks again Zeca
ReplyDeletePS Her cover photo is so darn cute!
Zeca, you know that Astrud is not my cup of tea,... BUT I love the version of "So nice" in this LP. Drums, organ, echo effect, ... and yes, Astrud's voice.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, in this same song you can realize the limitations of Astrud's voice when she had to sing the highest notes.
Great and historic album, anyway.
é bom sim. Deve ser coisa da decada 60, mas esse pianinho eletronico mata algumas músicas(pahk pahk pahk, argh parece aqueles arquivos midi)...Começa "Goodbye Sadness". vai tão bem, até que "#$ten!@ $#tek@# $#tek@# $#tek@#" anfh, o jeito é ficar no mono, escutar só o lado esquerdo da música, hehehe. com exceção de alguns sons de guitarra (que não sejam estridentes como um teclado, como a do santana) eu odeio eletronicos!
ReplyDeleteIt's striking how outdated Chris Genzels review sounds...Usual AMG-bs...;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a great record and probably one of the internationally best know bossanova-records from that era.
Oi Zeca: É verdade que João Gilberto toca o seu violão em algumas faixas deste album (acho que nao toca em todas). Comprei este album em cd há um ano e meio, e aí aparece a ficha técnica, onde consta essa informação. Infelizmente nao tenho o cd comigo, mas se nao me esquecer até lá, nos finais de Outubro (quando volto a ver o album) posto aqui a ficha tecnica.
ReplyDeleteEste é um album que aconselho a quem nao conhece muito da bossa nova, está lá o orgão inconfundível de Wanderley, a voz maravilhosa de Astrud, recém chegada aos Estados Unidos e já em pleno apogeu da sua carreira, a batida do violão do então seu marido, Joao Gilberto. Lembro-me que na crítica inserida na capa do cd (que penso ser fiel à edição original do album, pela americana Verve) diz lá qualquer coisa sobre a batidinha bossa nova de algumas musicas, comparando-a à batida do coração.
E nao posso deixar de aproveitar esta ocasiao pra dizer: excelente trabalho, zeca, CONTINUE!!!
Edgar