Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)

European Import

In which Sinatra not only jumps on the bossa nova bandwagon, he completely hijacks it and makes it his own. Tunes here were exquisitely arranged by the incomparable Claus Ogerman and features seven of compositions by Jobim plus three standards. I'd heard this album a few times and I already have digital files of this stuff, but when I eventually found it in a clearance bin for 50¢, I didn't hesitate. I'm guessing somebody sold this to the used media store after they picked up The Complete Reprise Recordings disc in 2010. In any case, while this album is quite brief (28½ minutes), it is quite a treat as well as a master class in phrasing and delivery.

Here's some insight on the album's recording session from Gene Lees, the lyricist of track 4, Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars: High Fidelity, May 1967, p. 95.

The album was nominated for Grammy awards in the Album Of The Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category, eventually losing to Sgt. Pepper and By The Time I Get To Phoenix, respectively.

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "Sinatra's best in years"
• Billboard: "soft and tender"
• CashBox: "There is no doubt that the disk will be a huge success"
• Record World: "The tone is soft and the mood is romantic"
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #19
• Billboard Jazz: #4

Tracks: Almost every review I've found for this album offer an opinion that, on this album, Sinatra delivers the definitive version of [insert song title], but the song mentioned is always different. That suggests to me that while everybody might have their own particular favorite track, there's a lot of good stuff here. And, well, I just can't pick favorites on this one today. The album ends subtlety and leaves the listener wanting more so the only choice is to play it again (or maybe segue into Wave).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

Sinatra	Jobim
Sinatra Sings Cole Porter (2003)	Tide (1970)
The Capitol Years (1990)	Wave (1967)
That's Life (1966)	Getz/Gilberto (1964)
Sinatra at the Sands (1966)
September Of My Years (1965)
It Might As Well Be Swing (1964)
Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! And More (1961)

Claus Ogerman Featuring Michael Brecker (1991)

I usually enjoy the arranging work of Claus Ogerman, the playing of Michael Brecker, and the production skills of Tommy LiPuma. Plus, the session crew here is an all-star cast. Sadly, the writing here is so meandering and bland that the resultant whole is nowhere near the sum of its parts. In the words of one reviewer: "The more I listen the less I hear."

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "Brecker has meaty solos"
• DownBeat (★★★): "All told, an agreeable album."

Music from the album was nominated for two Grammy awards:

1. The whole album was nominated for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, losing to the song Sassy from The Manhattan Transfer album The Offbeat Of Avenues.
2. Track one, Corfu, was nominated for Best Instrumental Composition, losing to the tune, Basque, written by Elton John and performed by flautist James Galway. It is definitely the best track on the album.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums: #13
• CashBox Contemporary Jazz: #12

Tracks:

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: The first two times I spun this disc, I fell asleep while it was playing. Not a good first impression, to be sure.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Michael Brecker - Nearness Of You: The Ballad Book (2001)
Michael Brecker - Don't Try This At Home (1988)
The Brecker Brothers - Straphangin' (1981)