Customer Reviews

Sound of Ipanema

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

 

 

A nice pairing of a mellow West Coast jazz player and one of bossa nova's founders. Winter's saxophone accompaniment here is understated, though a bit staid. What makes this record so sweet is Lyra's gorgeous guitar and intimate vocals, as well as all the great songs he wrote. Sergio Mendes and Milton Banana sit in on piano and drums, respectively, and though Winter is slightly less swinging than the "authentic" bossa musicians, this is quite a nice little record... one of my favorite old-school bossa nova gems...

This is an excellent set, an early (1964) foray by an American into the world of Brazilian jazz, with all Brazilian musicians backing Winter. There are many great Brazilian songwriters, but Carlos Lyra has to be among the very best. His compositions truly sing, and Winter, Mendes, Neto, Banana and Lyra himself show here just how much. The lyricism is unparalleled--sensuous, lilting melodies...

One caveat--SONY Special Products put out a two-album compilation on one CD which includes this and Winter's Rio, and on the first album (Sound of Ipanema) set, the second track ("Se e Tarde Me Perdoa") is exactly the same as the ninth track ("Mas Tambem Quem Mandou")--specifically, both of them are the second song. SONY is not owning up to this; if you don't mind not having one track, the SONY version is worth getting.

When I first heard this LP, I was captivated by both the voice, sensitivity, and easy phrasings of Carlos Lyra - not to mention the songs and his beautiful bossa nova guitar. Paul Winter was nothing more than an adequate side-man. He does well to play the melody lines straight, whether out of respect or neccesity. Sergio Mendez' spare piano (in the Jobim mold) is great, and Neto and Banana are legends in the genre. Lyra's voice is broader than Joao's - totally different except for the 'saudade' present in both - and every now and then there is the barest hint of vibrato, the absense of which Joao is famous for. Fans of Lyra might be interested in a just-released Import (pretty expensive, also) of compiled work from 1959-1963.

There are some great players on this album (originally released in 1964). Sergio Mendes plays piano, the great Milton Banana plays drums, and Brasil '66 alumni Sebastićo Neto plays bass. And then there is Carlos Lyra--one of my favorites from the bossa nova era, and an important bossa stylist--on guitar and vocal. American Paul Winter plays alto saxophone--he's not bad, but very bland--he's no Stan Getz, that's for sure. You can tell this album was an attempt to capitalize on the sax/bossa nova combination that made history through Stan Getz, Joćo Gilberto and Tom Jobim. Though it's not close to the greatness of the Getz/Gilberto album, this is nonetheless a nice batch of tracks--any early Carlos Lyra is good Carlos Lyra. Carlos even sings some in English--including some humorous English lyrics at the end of Lyra's classic "Lōbo Bōbo". Other classics include "Maria Ninguém", "Aruanda", Tém Do de Mim", "Se é Tarde Me Perdoa" and "Vocź e Eu". I would suggest that you look for this if you are a Carlos Lyra fan (especially his early Philips recordings).

If you've never heard Carlos Lyra sing, you MUST get this.
He is a great, and underappreciated, singer....in the mold of Astrud G.
and Joao. It's too bad we don't have more of his recordings from the sixties available in the U.S.
This is a fine recording, one of the classics of Bossa Nova. Sergio Mendes is here too. Paul Winter is good. Some put him down, but I believe he is a musician that benefits from repeated listenings to hear his subtle shadings and coolness. He is the ultimate cool alto along with Desmond in my book. And we all know that "cool" packs more emotion than so-called "hot" jazz....via the law of the Tao Te Ching....more is less, etc.
Highly recommended for smooth, sweet singing and playing. Great rhythm section too!