Customer Reviews

Guitar From Ipanema

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This classic Bossa Nova album has finally been produced on CD. The great late Laurindo Almeida plays acoustic and electric guitar on this collection of bossa tunes. Best cuts are "Um Abraco No Bonfa" and "Manha De Carnaval." Also "Choro For People In Love" is a pretty slow tune. This is a must-have for all bossa lovers.

Just adding to the others, the unknown silky smoothed voice female vocalist I believe is Irene Kral

There is no doubt that Laurindo's guest vocalist on the two tracks "Winter Moon" and "Old Guitaron" is the late, great Irene Kral. If this album is your only exposure to the beauty of her voice, then you're missing one of the greatest female vocalists in 20th century jazz. To hear Irene at her best, check out the best albums released under her own name such as "The Band And I" and "Kral Space." They are both available on CD and both are terrific. Clint Eastwood had the fine taste to honor Irene by including two cuts from yet another great album called "Better Than Anything" on his sountrack to "The Bridges of Madison County." Now if only someone would have the wisdom to remaster and release a CD of the album "Steveireno!" that she recorded on United Artists with the late Steve Allen in 1959......

This CD or the Vinyl, is a must have for the Bossa Nova music lover. Laurindo Almeida puts his own unique touches on classics like "The Girl From Ipanema" by Stan Getz/Astrud Gilberto and creates a sultry, intoxicating Jazz aura highlighted by the Pop/Easy Listening Instrumental sounds of the 1960s. A rare and beautiful exciting treat, I only wish that this item was widely advertised in the Amazon.com marketplace.

Track Listing:

1. The Girl From Ipanema
2. Manhã De Carnaval
3. Sarah's Samba
4. Winter Moon
5. Izabella
6. Choro For People In Love
7. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars
8. Old Guitaron
9. Um Abraço No Bonfa
10. Twilight In Rio
11. The Fiddler's Wolf Whistle

This is an almost forgotten classic of unpretentious soft evening Brazilian mood music. Almeida near his best. A nice mix of instrumental tracks with a couple of songs song sung by an unknown (to me) silky smooth female vocalist that puts you in the heart of Rio on a warm summer night. The vocal songs evoke a classic small cabaret atmosphere and the guitar tracks are inspired versions of classic Brazilian songs. I've put this album on back when I got the old "record" from my brother-in-law and was always asked what album was playing and where did I get it. Nice way to unwind after a long day at work or a hard rock concert. Visualize a Rio penthouse overlooking the beach at night with a glass of champagne in your hand and you got it.