A legend of Brazilian guitar, emerging on the cusp of the bossa nova boom of the 1960s. Baden Powell is a Brazilian musician with a solid international reputation. A gifted instrumentalist and composer, he bridges the gap between classical artistry and popular warmth and was a key figure in the bossa nova movement.

This five-LP box set (which has been reissued on CD) contains nearly all of Stan Getz's classic bossa nova sessions, five wonderful yet diverse LPs (Jazz Samba, Big Band Bossa Nova, Jazz Samba Encore, Stan Getz/Laurindo Almedia, and Getz/Gilberto). The cool-toned tenor is heard on his groundbreaking collaboration with guitarist Charlie Byrd (which resulted in the best-selling "Desafinado"), is showcased with a big band arranged by Gary McFarland (introducing "No More Blues" and "One Note Samba"), stars in recordings with guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Luiz Bonfa, and is heard at the famous meeting with composer/pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim, guitarist João Gilberto, and singer Astrud Gilberto, which resulted in the major hit "The Girl From Ipanema." This essential set finishes off with three previously unissued performances from a 1964 Carnegie Hall Concert, concluding with a remake of "The Girl From Ipanema." These recordings stand as proof that it is possible for good music to sell.

When it was originally released in 1964, this set of music was a bit of a hit, selling over 100,000 copies. In the early '60s when many Brazilian musicians brought bossa nova to the United States, classically trained guitarist Baden Powell took his guitar to France. Hence, the rest is history, as this Brazilian artist infused his hybrid jazz/classical/bossa nova articulations into the European scene. On various works, Powell melds a distinct sense of classicism with buoyancy and sophistication.

Issued nearly a year after Jobim's death, this three-CD set is ground zero, the place to start if you don't have any Jobim in your collection or for anyone who wants a single package of his multifaceted art. The set encompasses not only Jobim's own sporadic work for Verve from 1963 until his final 1994 Carnegie Hall concert and the two A&M albums of 1967 and 1970, but also sessions led by Stan Getz, Joao, and Astrud Gilberto in which Jobim appeared as a sideman. Guitarist Oscar Castro-Neves, who selected the music for this set, follows a unique game plan, devoting disc one to vocal renditions of Jobim's songs, disc two to instrumental versions, and disc three to multiple comparisons of a few Jobim standards by different performers…

Josee Koning, one of the most prominent ‘Brazilian’ voices in Europe, and Grammy winner Ivan Lins celebrate 25 years of friendship with a new album titled Doce Presença. The project has its roots in 2006 when the two of them performed the title track live in concert. Sixteen years later, during a walk on the beach together, Ivan wondered why the song never got released. Josee told him she was thinking of recording a new album, and Ivan decided instantly he would be the producer. To 11 new takes the 2006 live recording was added as a bonus track and a circle rounded. Abraços!

Verve finally made a good remaster of the old Carlos Jobin classics. All the original songs like the famous "The Girl From Ipanema", "Wave", "Triste", "Desafinado" and many other are very well restored giving full frequency and dynamic range to the music.
It has been said that Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim was the George Gershwin of Brazil, and there is a solid ring of truth in that, for both contributed large bodies of songs to the jazz repertoire, both expanded their reach into the concert hall, and both tend to symbolize their countries in the eyes of the rest of the world. With their gracefully urbane, sensuously aching melodies and harmonies, Jobim's songs gave jazz musicians in the 1960s a quiet, strikingly original alternative to their traditional Tin Pan Alley source.

This is a surprising release from Kenny Burrell, for the veteran guitarist plays half of the selections on acoustic guitar and does a very effective job giving a bossa nova rhythm (à la Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd) to some of the tunes. The set, which also features bassist John Heard, drummer Roy McCurdy, and percussionist Kenneth Nash, is mostly laid-back, although the renditions of Billy Strayhorn's "U.M.M.G." and "Stolen Moments" swing. Best are the more lyrical pieces (such as "My Ship" and an unaccompanied "Lost in the Stars"), which allow Burrell to show off his pretty tone.

Legendary Brazilian singer and activist. Her inventive style interpreting classic bossas and sambas justice have made her a national icon.
Owner of a distinctive, harsh voice, Elza Soares is one of the most swinging samba singers. From the time she issued her debut single - "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" in 1959, and on which she introduced scat singing à la Louis Armstrong, to samba - she became a successful recording artist. Her second album, A Bossa Negra, from 1961, is considered a treasure of Brazilian music at home and abroad. With her voice and songs, Soares has always celebrated the gritty aspects of peasant life. It is her birthright, as she was born in a favela…

Rather than play a watered-down version of bossa nova in New York studios (which was becoming quite common as the bossa nova fad hit its peak in 1962), flutist Herbie Mann went down to Brazil and recorded with some of the top players of the style. Guitarist Baden Powell and the group of then-unknown pianist Sergio Mendes, which included drummer Dom Um Romao, formed the nucleus for this generally delightful album. Antonio Carlos Jobim himself dropped by to sing two of his compositions, including "One Note Samba," and even on the token jazz standard "Blues Walk," the music is as much Brazilian as it is jazz.

Legendary Brazilian singer and activist. Her inventive style interpreting classic bossas and sambas justice have made her a national icon.
Owner of a distinctive, harsh voice, Elza Soares is one of the most swinging samba singers. From the time she issued her debut single - "Se Acaso Você Chegasse" in 1959, and on which she introduced scat singing à la Louis Armstrong, to samba - she became a successful recording artist. Her second album, A Bossa Negra, from 1961, is considered a treasure of Brazilian music at home and abroad. With her voice and songs, Soares has always celebrated the gritty aspects of peasant life. It is her birthright, as she was born in a favela…

After making her professional debut as the cool, breathy voice behind the historic 1964 crossover smash “The Girl from Ipanema”, Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto became a major force in popularizing the bossa nova sound. Her understated yet magnetic delivery is spotlighted on this collection, showcasing her instantly-recognizable approach to songs drawn from a variety of sources—Brazil, pop hits and standards.