Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz Jazz Samba [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]

Charlie Byrd and Stan Getz Jazz Samba [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED]



Guitarist Charlie Byrd was invited to travel and play in Brazil during a cultural goodwill tour sponsored by the Kennedy administration in 1961. He was completely enamoured by the music, and when he returned, he headed straight for the recording studio to make the now classic Jazz Samba. Collaborating with Stan Getz on tenor sax and backed by a band that included Gene Byrd (bass, guitar), Keter Betts (bass), and Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach (drums), Byrd forged a new and brilliant sound. American record companies were to churn out hundreds of watered bossa-pop albums that have since given the style its lounge-addled image, but this album stands as a tribute to the vitality and adaptability of jazz. --Louis Gibson

Got The SONGS

This is the album that kicked off the bossa nova craze in the US over 40 years ago. In the hands of lesser musicians this style could degenerate into lightweight cocktail music, but not here. Stan Getz's feathery, soft saxophone playing weaves beautiful melodies over the swaying, dancing Brazilian rhythms. Charlie Byrd's is terrific on the acoustic guitar and the tunes will get stuck in your head after 3 spins or less. The only possible complaint is the short playing time -- a mere 35 minutes.

The Very Best of Diana Krall takes many of the old "standards" and gives them a new presentation with her jazzy vocals, superb keyboard work, and high quality back-up arrangements by either a small combo or a full orchestra. Krall says that Peggy Lee has been a strong influence on her performance style and you can hear it on "Peel Me A Grape." But there's also a Sarah Vaughan quality to "Frim Fram Sauce," that is really delightful. Highly recommended for decompressing from a tough day or as background for a sensuous seduction plan or the successrful morning after.