Beach Samba

by

Astrud Gilberto

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"I still believe that the simplest thing to do is what pleases you. I sing what I like, whether the song is American, French or something else. I feel a song should give you pleasure, whether or not you're dancing and even if you've heard it many times before." ~ Astrud Gilberto ~

Put some brilliant arrangers, talented instrumentalists, an unbelievably musically sensitive songbird with a unique vocal style together, add seventeen lovely standard pop songs in a recording session and the end result would be an outstanding and remarkable compilation CD such as this. You can't go wrong with this one, very highly recommended.

The brilliant arrangers are Don Sebesky and Eumir Deodato. The talented instrumentalists are Toots Thielemans (harmonica), Ron Carter (bass), Hubert Laws (flute), Bobby Rosengarten and Grady Tate (drums), Ernie Royal (trumpet) and Walter Wanderley (organ), among many others. And of course the songbird with a unique voice is Astrud Gilberto.

The first 12 tracks are from the original recording of "Beach Samba" and tracks 13 through 17 are bonus tracks and were originally issued on the album "A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness."

Listen to her interpretation of Harry Warren and Mack Gordon's dreamiest song "I Had The Craziest Dream," which was introduced in a 1942 movie "Springtime In The Rockies," and you'll totally agree with me that it's the best version of this classic gem. Don Sebesky did an excellent job on the bossa nova arrangement. One of my all-time favorites is Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's rainy-day mood song, "Here's That Rainy Day," and hers is my top favorite for female vocals and for male vocals, it's Kenny Rankin from "The Kenny Rankin Album." Another rainy-day mood music is a poignantly beautiful song by Tim Hardin "Misty Roses."

One of the highlights is the wonderful duet arranged by Don Sebesky "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" (a very popular song by the Lovin' Spoonful in the Sixties), her son, Marcello, steals the limelight from Ms. Gilberto and features the hauntingly beautiful harmonica playing of Toots Thielemans on the background.

The rest of the spotlights are Tony Hatch's "Call Me," Irving Berlin's evergreen "It's A Lovely Day Today" and last but not least my very favorite from the musical treasure chest of Victor Young and Ned Washington, a gem of gems "My Foolish Heart," another Don Sebesky's awesome arrangement using cellos, French horns and woodwinds making it the most beautiful and to-die-for version I've ever heard!

"The night is like a lovely tune

Beware my foolish heart

How white the ever constant moon

Take care, my foolish heart."

This record, excluding the bonus tracks, is ballads, mostly jazz standards. If you are looking for bossa nova, this is not the album for you.

Astrud Gilberto has a wonderful voice, and the arrangements are pretty. If memory serves, all songs are sung in English. There are two tracks I really don't like. 'A Banda (Parade)' because just don't like the song, and 'You didn't have to be so nice', which she sings with her son (way too cute). On the other hand, 'Misty Roses' and 'I had the Craziest Dream' and quite nice.

The five bonus tracks are more to my taste. They all come from the album 'A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness', which is available on CD, and is more in the bossa nova style. I particularly like 'Goodbye Sadness', both for the song and the performance by Astrud and the Walter Wanderly Trio.

The CD comes with a reproduction of the original album artwork, which is entertaining and endearing.