Customer Reviews

Beach Samba

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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."

As Astrud recordings go, this one is pretty much out of the normal fold. But that's not a bad thing at all.

Most of this cd is pretty smooth, soft and easy. That's true for most of her recordings, so perhaps I should elaborate. This is very ballad and "standard" oriented, and not so much Samba-ish as her other recordings.

It's a very good release. And, although I can't put my finger on it, and words as to why generally escape me, it is one of my favorites.

She's Brazilian, no doubt.
However she's never recorded even a note in Brazil.
Legend says she started by being asked to test a voice track in the famous Joao Gilberto recording with Stan Getz. The rest is history: her "The Girl from Ipanema" rendition has grown to be a master of cool Bossa Nova.

What is remarkable about this eternally fresh voice is that her recordings from the 60s have been issued until today what means you can buy nearly all her output ever since. Here @Amazon you'll find them all! Would you say it's true for most the singers around? Probably not.

There you can find the mind and finger of Creed Taylor, one the major Jazz producers in the area in his impressive collaboration with Verve Records. The ingredients were as usual carefully cooked by the Master: great Bossa Nova and non-Bossa Nova songs, great arrangements by the best arrangers in the place. Ok, this is the magical formula.

This CD 'Beach Samba' contains material from the great original album plus a bonus of 5 tracks from her album 'A Certain Smile'.

The mix for 'Beach Samba' consists of some pop hits - the beautiful Tim Hardin's 'Misty Roses' and 'You Didn't Have to Be So Nice' which she sings gracefully with her young son. Don Sebesky is extraordinarily brilliant in his arragement for 'Misty Roses'.

The Bossa Nova/Brazilian Music quota in the program includes Deodato's arrangements for his compositions 'Canoeiro' and 'Nao Bate o Coracao', also for Luis Bonfa's 'Dia das Rosas' and 'Oba Oba', and for 'The Face I Love' - the Bossa Nova standard in Brazil aka 'Seu Encanto', its original title in Portuguese.

Two standards from GAS - the Great American Songbook - were beautifully arranged by Don Sebesky - 'My Foolish Heart' in slow Bossa and the splendid cha-cha arrangement for Harry Warren's 'I Had The Craziest Dream'.

The final 5 tracks come from Ms. Gilberto's album 'A Certain Smile' with Brazilian master of the organ, Mr. Walter Wanderley, and his combo. These tracks include 'Tristeza' - a samba standard in Brazil which is credited erroneously as being a composition by Edu Lobo although the real one was Haroldo Lobo.

Ms. Gilberto sings another beautiful cool Bossa Nova rendition of 'Tu Mi Delirio' a wonderful bolero by the great Cuban writer, Mr. Cesar Portillo de La Luz.

Refer to all Verve Records material by Astrud Gilberto. All with great arrangements on great songs.

This is a rather collection of jazz standards and some Brazilian flavored tunes (including a couple Luiz Bonfa tunes- for great 60s Brazilian acoustic music, check his Verve reissues) and Astrud's sweet, gentle voice. There are maybe more instances on this record that sound a bit off as far as her performance, and I can see where the big band jazz setting seems a bit overwhelming for her voice when compared to her usually soft instrument surroundings, but it's still a worthwhile collection of good tunes. Many tunes still have a samba/bossa nova feel to them even if they are not traditional Brazilian material. Like another reviewer mentioned, A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness is still my favorite of Astrud's albums- better tunes in my opinion. The last 5 tracks here from that album offer a taste of it, even if they don't include my favorites.

It IS a lovely day when Astrud's on the stereo! Her husky, sweetly nuanced yet off-center voice goes great with rain or sunshine outside, and her choice of songs is clever, surprising and relaxing. Her duet with her young son on "You Didn't have To Be So Nice" is quite charming(and seems to be their answer to a previous duet, "The Bare Necessities", found on the CD "Windy")and "A Banda(Parade)" really gets your blood pumping. The arrangements are classy, ornate, spare and jazzy. Her delivery(and her trouble with the English language)may make some listeners unaccustomed to her pure sweetness squirm a little, but those attuned to Astrud's pithy, almost-throwaway goodness will be delighted. I was. Includes 5 bonus tracks, songs also found on "A Certain Smile". A-

I haven't been so entranced by this many songs in a row, in a long while; Astrud Gilberto has the winning formula: tone down the bossa nova roots from 'Look To The Rainbow' (1965) for just a moment, and wash away our worries with a dozen tracks of pure pop-inspired wonder. If you want lush, soothing, romantic summer fun from the late '60s, this record is for you. Play it at a party, play it for yourself. It doesn't matter. There's a reason this is one of her most popular albums, as it marked, in my opinion, the beginning of her ascent into iconic status as a recording artist and performer. Buy the Samba now. You won't be sorry!

Astrud Gilberto's first wave of success obviously came with her sensational involvement in the bossa nova standard 'Girl From Ipanema' from 1963. As her solo recording career was on the rise, it seems that 'Beach Samba' represented what I feel is the beginning of her next peak in quality, one that would continue with 'A Certain Smile, A Certain Sadness' (1967), dip a bit with 'Windy' (1968), and then come to a glorious halt with 'September 17, 1969' (1969). 'Beach Samba' is one of the most feel-good records I've ever heard. Many people criticize it's 'pop' feel, with less bossa nova sensibility. It is indeed noticeable, but doesn't detract from the LP at all, at least not for me. Even the corny duet with son Marcelo, 'You Didn't Have To Be So Nice,' is fun in a 'bonus track' sort of way. It's not meant for serious analysis; just enjoy it (and the rest of this lush pop standard) for what it is: a great album by a great singer.

Astrud sings Brazilian and American standards in a classic 60's album. Although lacking somewhat in range, and strength, Astud makes up for it in style and sensuality. She's just plain sexy! An added bonus in this CD issue are 5 additional tracks from an album she did with the great Brazilian organist, Walter Wanderley.

There are no cumulo-nimbus clouds on this release. This is gentle, rhythmic, mostly upbeat music for a beautiful summer day at the beach or anywhere else. As an unabashed Astrud Gilberto fan, I've enjoyed this album (and her others) since its initial release. Fortunately, this release is not over-orchestrated with heavy Brazilian rhythms. It would not suit the song selections.

Astrud Gilberto never tried to be Ella Fitzgerald, Sue Raney or Eydie Gorme. Her voice is more limited, but it has a child-like, dreamy innocence that is soothing and unique in its beauty. She does not bury the listener in melodrama nor is she an energetic jazz-oriented singer with a power voice. For that, I'm glad. Why wreck a good thing?

The arrangements on this album perfectly suit Astrud's voice. Misty Roses is almost ethereal. Her delicate vocal delivery is as pretty as the song title.

Highly recommended.