Customer Reviews

Herb Alpert Presents

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a milestone for Bossa Nova and for what was going to be known as Brazilian Jazz; no serious Bossa Nova collection would be a real one without this jewel by Maestro Sergio Mendes.
I've had the album for a while and I'm so glad to see the CD already out.
To my opinion, "Samba de Uma Nota So", "Tim Dom Dom", "Agua de Beber" and "Berimbau" versions in this album, are the best, among all the other available versions ever. If you don't believe it, get this CD and verify it.
One of the best Sergio Mendes albums and by far..............

this album introduced me to both sergio mendes and his wonderfull band..including his two girl singers who were on a par with anything the supremes did!
this album contains both vocal versions of 'spanish flea" and "day tripper' as well as some of the best samba music of all time.
rich and full production..herb alpert knew what he was onto when he gave this album kudos back nearly 40 years ago..and the album maintains its greatness all through the decades.buy!

I remember hearing this music as a mere 6 year old and it has stuck with me for the last 37 years! I can't really express to you what this music means to me personally. I have become a true Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66 junkie in the last 10 years. I actually had to go and find this album, along with Equinox, and Crystal Illusions, and have them converted to cd in order to savor what I knew was going to be a true delight! My love affair with Lani Hall's haunting and gorgeous voice goes on endlessly. I have actually brought my students( I teach high school band), particularly my jazz ensemble members, into the Brazilian Jazz fold by playing many of the cuts available on sheet music. It's still delightful today and will be for many years to come. It's a MUST HAVE!!

This is a milestone for Bossa Nova and for what was going to be known as Brazilian Jazz; no serious Bossa Nova collection would be a real one without this jewel by Maestro Sergio Mendes.
I've had the album for a while and I'm so glad to see the CD already out.
To my opinion, "Samba de Uma Nota So", "Tim Dom Dom", "Agua de Beber" and "Berimbau" versions in this album, are the best among all the other available versions ever. If you don't believe it, get this CD and verify it.
One of the best Sergio Mendes albums and by far..............

From the frenetic opening song 'Mais Que Nada,' to the comforting 'Berimbau,' this record is a surefire winner. If you're new to Mendes and his five million incarnations of 'Brasil (insert year here),' then this album just might be the perfect starter, as 'Mais' is no doubt his best-known hit single. Of course, you could always check out the NEW version of that song on his new 'Timeless' album with Black-Eyed Peas, but if you're not crazy about the funky urban reinvention (as am I), then by all means check this original one out. It'll melt all your worries away within seconds!

Apparently when I was 2 years old I loved to dance so my mom bought me this lp and played it for me all the time. Now, 37 years later, I still listen to this CD every week. It is just classic arrangments and the girls voices are sent from heaven. Not really a jazz fan, but this is a fun album that I will love until the day that I die!

I would submit this review for any and all of the recent A&M and Verve releases from the Brasil '66, beginning with Segio Mendes's debut disc (here) with the band. Unlike his contemporaries from the post-Bossa Nova wave in American jazz circles, Sergio Mendes carved a whole new genre, stylizing Brasilian sounds with jazz, and accesible popular tunes of the period. These works were greatly accentuated by the amazing vocal talents of Lani Hall, which breath new life in this pristine re-mastering. On another level, however, the running lengths of these discs are bothersome. At just over 30 minutes, it is hard to imagine why any record label could justify not issuing two-for-ones. At a retail cost of 5 or 6 bucks, there would be no room for complaint. But at $9 to $12, it seems unlikely these discs will be in print for very long.

This is one of the very first albums I remember as a child growing up in San Francisco. My father is part Portuguese and along with my mom, who is Latina, we would go to Brazilian parties with me in San Francisco. When we got home, this album seldom left our turntable. As I grew up, I was told I was dancing before I was walking to bossa nova. In 1968, with my mom about to give birth, so she could not attend, my dad took me, at age 3, to the Circle Star theater to see an in the round performance of this group. Legend has it, I danced in the aisle the entire time.

I even remember, a few years later, gathering my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles in our living room so my brother and I could put this album on and lip sync and air guitar to it using small plastic electric guitars.

Needless to say, by now, the original vinyl version, which I still own, is well worn out, but I have since purchased on iTunes and Amazon all the MP3s and burned them in the original album order for endless more hours of fun.

It is nearly impossible not to smile, tap your feet and get up and dance to this album. The songs are hummable and very well arranged and recorded. Any fan of music must get this. The small 30 second samples do not do it justice. This album benefits greatly from being played on full range speakers at high volume. It will take any party you throw to a whole new level.

Thank you Sergio for bringing to my life the first tastes of great music, blending jazz, bossa nova, pop, rock and beyond into one of the most delicious aural blends imaginable.

I first heard this great album on vinyl, and it was wonderful. Lead singer Lani Hall was made famous, thanks to Brasil 66, and it's hard to believe that she wasn't born in Rio De Janeiro. There is a great fusion of sounds, here, since Herb Alpert joined forces with Brasil 66 producer and mastermind Sergio Mendes. Some of my favorite songs, here, include "Mas Que Nada," "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea," and their take on the Beatles' hit "Day Tripper." The group combines beautiful Brazilian instrumental with more contemporary jazz influences. I feel like I am sitting in a sultry jazz club somewhere, mojito in hand. I love it. My only qualm is that this beautiful, melodious journey through music comes to an end way too quickly.

Comparing the CD to my original LP, the vocals seem louder and the bass a bit less, but the differences are so small that they could just be due to the frequency response differences of the phono cartridge. All I really miss is the ticks and pops, and gladly so.