Rise

Format

• ---

  NOT3CD1003 x CD  £5.00

Label

Not Now

Various Artists

Big Band Bossa Nova

When at the turn of the millennium the likes of Ricky Martin Jennifer Lopez Enrique Iglesias and Lou Bega all bid for worldwide chart domination the Latin American music revolution appeared a new sensation But as this compilation proves most elegantly the bossa nova created in Rio had swept across Brazil and then the world some four decades earlier A mix of sung samba D which itself evolved at black gatherings in Rio D and US West Coast jazz the bossa nova which literally means Onew wayO or Onew styleO is an understated easylistening form of music It has a distinctive rhythm and is relatively simple in instrumentation with less percussion than is common in AfroAmerican music It supplanted the samba the foremost style through the first half of the 20th century in popularity in the late Fifties We feature here original albums by Stan Getz Enoch Light and Luiz Bonf# They are three distinctively different individuals but each directs his talents towards a common goal And the albums all come from bossa novaOs golden year of 1962 Saxophonist Getz had learnt his trade during the Forties in the bands of such respected leaders as Jack Teagarden Stan Kenton Benny Goodman Tommy Dorsey and Woody Herman He was a collaborator of American jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd who had heard the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and others while touring in South America The charttopping OJazz SambaO album he cut with Byrd brought bossa nova into the spotlight and contained ODesafinadoO which won a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 This was followed by OBig Band Bossa NovaO the record we feature Also on the Verve label it entered the Billboard Top 40 in the first week of 1963 and climbed to a more than respectable 13th place remaining in the chart for 20 weeks He was backed by the Gary McFarland Orchestra Getz racked up several more bossathemed albums within a couple of years sales of which him one of the most successful jazzmen ever to cross over and became a household name A later collaboration with Joao Gilberto spawned OThe Girl From IpanemaO featuring the voice of Astrud Gilberto which remains bossaOs greatest hit even today Interestingly the title OBig Band Bossa NovaO was shared by two more 1962 longplayers one by Quincy Jones and the other Enoch Light If Getz and Jones approached boss nova from a jazz angle Light arrived from a different direction He was a classical violinist from Canton Ohio who dabbled in many different musical genres After a serious car accident and the advent of World War II combined to end his classical career he formed the Light Brigade a dance band he led throughout the northeastern United States until the end of the Forties But it was his passionate interest in sound and particularly the opportunities offered by the new medium of stereo that would motivate him thereafter In 1959 he formed Command Records a label whose recordings claimed to offer the highest in high fidelity He tested studios in advance and arranged musicians carefully to obtain the desired audio effects and the results not only showed off the possibilities of stereo but made ideal OdemonstrationO records for those who purchased audio equipment The formula proved right for the time and Command's first LP release 1959's OPersuasive PercussionO was a US charttopper staying at the summit for 13 weeks Subtitled OThe New Beat From BrazilO LightOs OBig Band Bossa NovaO was his 11th and last US Top 40 album entering the chart in December 1962 and peaking at Number 8 during a 29week run that lasted until the summer of 1963 Like all Command Records' sleeves it boasted striking abstract artwork Our third featured artist Luiz Bonf# was the only one born in Brazil D in Rio to an Italian immigrant father He was a singerguitarist who in 1959 was asked by director Marcel Camus to contribute songs to his film Orfeo Do Carnaval Black Orpheus Bonf#Os contributions to the soundtrack brought him instant acclaim and he moved to the United States to record albums for the American market His compositions appeared on Stan GetzOs OJazz Samba EncoreO album and he even penned a song OAlmost In LoveO for Elvis PresleyOs 1968 film Live A Little Love A Little Before that however came OKing Of Bossa NovaO released in 1962 on Verve Bonf# was a stunning performer on the acoustic guitar he even used the body of the instrument as percussion as on ODor Que Faz DoerO As Allmusic website pits it OOPlays And Sings Bossa NovaO can safely be certified a classic of the genre Elegant lyrical rhythmic and a showcase for Bonf#Os deft guitar technique and sweet unassuming singing OPlays And SingsO is an album that will sound good to almost anyone at any timeO So sit back relax and let the feelgood sound of bossa nova brighten up your life

Tracklist

• CD 1 Stan Getz –
  Big Band Bossa Nova
  
  1. Manha De Carnival
  2. Balanco No Samba
  3. Melancolico
  4. Entre Amigos
  5. Chega De Saudade
  6. Noite Triste
  7. Samba De Uma Nota
  8. Bim Bom
  
  CD 2 Enoch Light –
  Big Band Bossa Nova
  
  1. Desafinado
  2. One Note Samba
  3. Perdido
  4. E Luxo So
  5. Galanura
  6. Lullaby of Birdland
  7. Rio Junction (Bossa Nova)
  8. Sem Saudades De Voce
  9. La Puerta Del Sol
  10. Brazil
  11. Besame Mucho
  12. Take The "A" Train
  
  CD 3 Luiz Bonfá - Le Roi Du Bossa Nova (The King Of Bossa Nova)
  
  1. Bonfá Nova
  2. Cantiga Da Vida
  3. Amor Por Amor
  4. Dor Que Faz Doer
  5. Samba de Duas Notas
  6. Teu Olhar Triste
  7. Lila 8. Você Chegou
  9. Santeleco
  10. Balaio
  11. Sorrindo
  12. Bossa Em Ré