Antonio Carlos Jobim on A&M 1967

Wave - Antonio Carlos Jobim

Proving that he's as good on any label, Tom continues to work with Ogerman to produce a winner!

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Review

by Richard S. Ginell

When Creed Taylor left Verve/MGM for his own label under the auspices of A&M, he quickly signed Antonio Carlos Jobim and they picked up right where they left off with this stunningly seductive record, possibly Jobim's best. Jobim contributes his sparely rhythmic acoustic guitar, simple melodic piano style, a guest turn at the harpsichord, and even a vocal on "Lamento," while Claus Ogerman lends a romantically brooding hand with the charts. A pair of instant standards are introduced ("Wave," "Triste"), but this album is to be cherished for its absolutely first-rate tunes -- actually miniature tone poems -- that escaped overexposure and thus sound fresh today. The most beautiful sleeper is "Batidinha," where the intuitive Jobim/Ogerman collaboration reaches its peak. One only wishes that this album were longer; 31:45 is not enough.

S$25 (shallow scratch on side 1; doesn't affect play)

Astrud Gilberto/Walter Wanderley on Verve V6-8673

a certain smile a certain sadness - astrud gilberto & walter wanderley

Sold on 2/10. Enjoy the LP!

The Eagles on Asylum

Their Greatest Hits (1971 - 1975) - The Eagles

Their earliest Greatest Hits comp, notably doesn't contain 'Hotel California', but has lots of other hits like Desperado, Take It Easy and Tequila Sunrise.

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Review

by William Ruhlmann

On their first four albums, the Eagles were at pains to demonstrate that they were a group of at least near-equals, each getting a share of the songwriting credits and lead vocals. But this compilation drawn from those albums, comprising the group's nine Top 40 hits plus "Desperado," demonstrates that this evenhandedness did not extend to singles -- as far as those go, the Eagles belong to Glenn Frey and Don Henley. The tunes are melodic, and the arrangements -- full of strummed acoustic guitars over a rock rhythm section often playing a shuffle beat, topped by tenor-dominated harmonies -- are immediately engaging. There is also a lyrical consistency to the songs, which often concern romantic uncertainties in an atmosphere soaked in intoxicants. The narrators of the songs usually seem exhausted, if not satiated, and the loping rhythms are appropriate to these impressions. All of which means that, unlike the albums from which they come, these songs make up a collection consistent in mood and identity, which may help explain why Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) works so much better than the band's previous discs and practically makes them redundant. No wonder it was such a big hit out of the box, topping the charts and becoming the first album ever certified platinum. Still, there must be more to it, since the album wasn't just a big hit, but one of the biggest ever, becoming one of the very few discs to cross the threshold of 20 million copies and competing for the title of best-selling album of all time. There may be no explaining that, really, except to note that this was the pervasive music of the first half of the 1970s, and somehow it never went away.

S$25

U2 on Island

The Joshua Tree - U2

Sold 2/10 Enjoy the LP!

Quincy Jones on Mercury 60751 1964

Big Band Bossa Nova - Quincy Jones
sold 28/9 Enjoy the LP!

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Charlie Byrd on Columbia CS 9173

Brazilian Byrd - Charlie Byrd

Byrd at his bossa best on 2 eye Columbia

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Review

by Scott Yanow

The arrangements by Tommy Newsom for strings, brass, and woodwinds may be a bit sweet and the 13 performances may be overly concise (often under three minutes), but the resulting music is strangely pleasing. Acoustic guitarist Charlie Byrd always had a strong affinity for Brazilian jazz, and he sticks exclusively to Antonio Carlos Jobim songs (including "Só Danço Samba," "Corcovado," "Dindi," and "The Girl from Ipanema") during this tasteful and melodic effort. Truly beautiful music.

S$ 28

Ravi Shankar on World Pacific

Charly OST - Music by Ravi Shankar
Sold 28/9 Enjoy the LP!

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Stan Getz/Charlie Byrd on Verve V6-8432 1962

Jazz Samba - Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd

An seminal (IMHO) work that really brought bossa nova and jazz together, by two jazz greats that dabble substantially in both genres. Plus it sounds great too!

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Review

by Steve Huey

Partly because of its Brazilian collaborators and partly because of "The Girl From Ipanema," Getz/Gilberto is nearly always acknowledged as the Stan Getz bossa nova LP. But Jazz Samba is just as crucial and groundbreaking; after all, it came first, and in fact was the first full-fledged bossa nova album ever recorded by American jazz musicians. And it was just as commercially successful, topping the LP charts and producing its own pop chart hit single in "Desafinado." It was the true beginning of the bossa nova craze, and introduced several standards of the genre (including Ary Barroso's "Bahia" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Desafinado" and "Samba de Uma Nota Só" [aka "One Note Samba"]). But above all, Jazz Samba stands on its own artistic merit as a shimmering, graceful collection that's as subtly advanced -- in harmony and rhythm -- as it is beautiful. Getz and his co-billed partner, guitarist Charlie Byrd -- who was actually responsible for bringing bossa nova records to the U.S. and introducing Getz to the style -- have the perfect touch for bossa nova's delicate, airy texture. For his part, Byrd was one of the first American musicians to master bossa nova's difficult, bubbling syncopations, and his solos are light and lilting. Meanwhile, Getz's playing is superb, simultaneously offering a warm, full tone and a cool control of dynamics; plus, Byrd's gently off-kilter harmonies seem to stimulate Getz's melodic inventiveness even more than usual. But beyond technique, Getz intuitively understands the romanticism and the undercurrent of melancholy inherent in the music, and that's what really made Jazz Samba such a revelatory classic. Absolutely essential for any jazz collection.

S$28

Charlie Byrd on Columbia CS-9304 1966

The Touch of Gold - Charlie Byrd
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

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Andre Previn on Verve V6-8565

The Essential Andre Previn - Andre Previn

A look at the early days of the brilliant composer/arranger/performer Andre before he went on to bigger things like Holst's The Planets :)

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S$30

Ella Fitzgerald on Verve MGV 4041

Mack the Knife: Ella in Berlin - Ella Fitzgerald
Sold 26/9 Enjoy the record!

Stan Getz on Metro MS-501 1965

The Melodic Stan Getz - Stan Getz

Released on Metro records, Getz continues to charm as one of the world's premiere tenor saxist in jazz.

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S$25

Placido Domingo w/ John Denver on CBS 37243 (sealed)

Perhaps Love - Placido Domingo with John Denver

Two of the world's premiere creative performance talents come together for a rare collaboration. Placido gives quite an interesting take to familiar songs that are usually performed in a more intimate format.

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S$30 (sealed)

The Righteous Brothers on Verve V6-5051 (sealed)

The Righteous Brothers - Standards

from the brothers that brought you Unchained Melody (for lack of a better example), comes 11 vocal standards in their trademark harmony. still sealed for prime minty enjoyment!

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S$30 (sealed)

Wes Montgomery on Riverside/OJC-144

Potrait of Wes - Wes Montgomery

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Review	by Scott Yanow
Wes Montgomery's first recordings for Riverside were in a trio with organist Mel Rhyne and ironically his final albums for the struggling (and soon to be bankrupt) label were with Rhyne again. The brilliant guitarist is in fine form on these appealing tunes with the highlights including "Freddie the Freeloader," "Blues Riff" and "Moanin.'"

S$28

Sinatra and Jobim on Reprise 1033

Sinatra and Company - Antonio Carlos Jobim, Don Costa, Eumir Deodato

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Review

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

In 1969, Frank Sinatra recorded a second album with Antonio Carlos Jobim. For unknown reasons, Reprise decided not to release Sinatra-Jobim, but seven of the ten songs intended for the record did appear on the first side of 1971's Sinatra & Company. The selections from Sinatra-Jobim have a decidedly different flavor than the material on Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, largely due to the charts of arranger Eumir Deodato. Where Claus Ogerman's arrangements were quite subdued and understated, Deodato's charts are looser and more relaxed; consequently, the music is lighter, more immediate, and arguably more fun. Sinatra responds to the arrangements with more forceful singing than on the previous Jobim collaboration, but his phrasing is still more nuanced than even his soft pop/rock-oriented material. Nevertheless, that subtle phrasing carries over into the second side of Sinatra & Company, a collection of pop-oriented tracks. Although the music on the second half of the album is neither as adventerous or as compelling as that on the first, it is still highly entertaining. The seven songs were arranged by Don Costa, who keeps the material shiny and commercially oriented. In the case of "Close to You," "Leaving on a Jet Plane," "I Will Drink the Wine," "Bein' Green," and "Sunrise in the Morning," that isn't bad -- this is material that demands to be delivered in slick, polished arrangements. Under Costa's direction, these songs are given arrangements that feature both strings and gentle folk-rock underpinnings, particularly strummed acoustic guitars. Taken on its own terms, the second half of Sinatra & Company ranks as some of his best soft rock-influenced material of the late '60s, even if it doesn't sit comfortably with the excellent bossa nova that comprises the first side of the record.

S$30

Henry Mancini on RCA LPM-2990

Dear Heart and Other Songs about Love - Henry Mancini
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass on A&M 3267

Greatest Hits - Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

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by Richard S. Ginell

Released in 1970, a bit too late to capitalize on the Tijuana Brass at the peak of their appeal, this early hits collection compounded the error of its tardy timing by only including selections from the TJB's first five albums. Still, since the CDs of three of the five albums are currently out of print, this can serve as a decent, if brief, overview of the development of Herb Alpert's vehicle from its clever ethnic novelty beginnings into a cosmopolitan septet that could actually bridge the yawning generation gap of the 1960s. But for a more sweeping look at the TJB, there are better, more economical packages around.

S$25

Ray Ellis and his Orchestra on RCA LSP-2410

La Dolce Vita and other Great Motion Picture Themes from Ray Ellis and his Orchestra
RCA LSP-2410 on the Living Stereo imprint
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

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Duke Ellington on MCA MCA-2077

Duke Ellington 'Rockin' In Rhythm' Vol. 3 (1929 - 1931)
Part of the Jazz Heritage Series and containing his trademark 'Mood Indigo'

Cover has no split seams, minor seam wear and very minor ringwear.
Vinyl is shiny with very minimal scuff

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S$25

Wes Montgomery on Verve V6-8714

The Best of Wes Montgomery Vol. 1 on Verve
Sold 5/10 Enjoy the LP!

Sergio Mendes on Elektra 6E-134 (sealed)

Sergio Mendes & Brasil 88

More from the Bossa Nova dude.

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Review

by Richard S. Ginell

Before long 1977 rolled around, and without batting an eye Sergio Mendes updated the name of his act to Brasil '88. Mendes is still chasing the North American charts -- to no avail -- but at least he does not desert Brazil, splitting his time between the music of his homeland and humdrum U.S. commercial material, the latter usually coming from the pens of either Michael or John Sembello. Predictably, the Brazilian material goes over better, though not always as well as it could. Milton Nascimento's breathtakingly beautiful "Bridges" receives only a workaday reading here, and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Waters of March" gets a remake, a bit brighter in texture than Mendes' Bell version made less than four years before, yet not substantially different enough to justify another recording. The best track is a rare instrumental for Mendes during this period, a cooking takeoff on Airto Moreira's "Misturada" in 7/8 time. The female vocalists du jour, Marietta Waters and Carol Rogers, sing in tune and seem comfortable with Mendes' American and Brazilian sides. Two familiar collaborators from the Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 days, arrangers Dick Hazard and Dave Grusin, are back to elaborate upon the competent sessionwork from the usual L.A. suspects. Although Mendes doesn't quite regain the altitude of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 or even Sergio Mendes and the New Brasil '77, this album ranks a cut above the bulk of his output from the mid-'70s to the late '80s.

S$30 (Sealed)