Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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126 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The album all Brazilians own, November 24, 2003
Locals consider Elis Regina the most gifted Brazilian singer ever. She died too soon, in 1980. Tom Jobim is one of the creators of Bossa Nova and the conductor that made the genre famous worldwide. This combination alone would make this CD remarkable. But there's more. A lot more. Elis was in her top shape in 1974 when the CD was recorded. The arrangements are subtle, delicate. Jobim's piano is sublime here. The recording is flawless, the textures, the tones, everything is crisp and present. Many takes are FIRST TAKES. The emotion was captured raw and sincere, very few overdubs were done. A rare gem. If you go to a Brazilian's home and browse through his/her CD collection, chances are this CD will be there. If you ask a musician from that country what are the top 10 albums ever, chances are this will be listed. If you have to own ONE Brazilian CD, this should be it.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Subtle melancholy magic, May 15, 2000
A lot of people call this music "easy listening" but if one pays attention to the subtleties, they'll notise it's really not. It's very sophisticated, fascinating music that grows better with age, like a fine wine. Case in point: "Elis & Tom" This album was not released in the U.S. (even though it was recorded in Los Angeles) until 1989. What a travesty. For those who loved "Wave," this one is for you. Elis Regina's voice fits Jobim's music like a glove: laid back, occasionally light-humoured, and sometimes sad. The accompaniment is equally amazing. Stark guitar smoothed landscapes without a trace of high hat are occasionally and lightly (and I mean LIGHTLY; nothing like Claus Ogerman's occasionally schmaltzy orchestra on "Wave") accented by an orchestra. Jobim's piano playing takes on a more accenting role: it makes points, rather than epounding on them. And then there is Elis. She could be the Brasilian Ella Fitzgerald. She laughs and growls in "Aguas de Marco", but overall she isn't as heavy, and is more subtle than Ella. I love Jobim's music as instrumentals, and think that vocalisation often renders it musak-y or schmaltzy, but not in this case. Nothing could be further than the point.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the Best, May 7, 2000
If there is a finer Brazilian vocal recording in existence, I haven't heard it yet. Elis Regina is, simply, one of the finest vocalists of this century. This recording is a tour de force of emotional nuance sung with total conviction. Her delivery of "Retrato Em Branco E Preto", an incredibly difficult piece of music, is nothing short of astonishing, and if you think you've heard "Corcovado" before, listen to her reading and forget everything you've ever heard. Elis imbues several of the tracks with the trademark relaxed, breathy, conversational sensuality characteristic of the style ("Triste" is excellent), but she explores so many levels of feeling over the course of the recording that one is left breathless by the final notes of "Inutil Paisagem". I'm a jazz singer, and Elis Regina's emotional honesty and sensitivity of phrasing are benchmarks toward which I constantly strive in my own performances. If you're a fan of fine vocalists, and you don't have "Elis & Tom", don't miss the chance to add it to your collection.
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