Astrud Gilberto is, in my opinion, the best female Latin-American singer to ever grace the face of the earth.
Her voice is completely relaxed, free and easy; it is as if she isn’t even trying! Just hearing her voice conjures up images of Rio, sandy beaches, and the carnival.
Astrud Gilberto sings Bossa nova and Samba. She first came to prominence in the mid sixties, when she sung the famous ‘Girl From Ipanema’ with her husband of the time Joao Gilberto. She recorded several albums with Joao and also jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, which all had critical acclaim. Most of the albums were recorded under the infamous Verve jazz label.
Which brings us to this album. The Astrud Gilberto Album is a collection of her recordings on the Verve label from the mid to late 60’s, when she was in the prime of her career. It includes many classic standards that will be familiar to all of the jazz and Latin loving population. Many of them are co-written by the glorious Antonio Carlos Jobim, who has written many classic easy listening bossa nova tunes such as The Girl From Ipanema and Corcovado.
There are 25 songs on the album, and it would be too long to include notes about every song, but I will give you an outline of the best recordings on this album.
Track:
1. Once I loved. A beautiful Bossa Nova with a lovely flute, guitar and strings backing. A happy song tinged with sadness. Suits Astrud’s voice beautifully.
2. Agua De Beber. A classic up beat bossa, with simple guitar and piano backing. A very simple but wonderfully effective song, with a few notes sung by Joao Gilberto. This is one of my all time favourite songs, a true classic.
3. Meditation. Most people should know this tune, very melancholy, beautifully sung by Astrud.
6. How Insensitive. Again, a standard that most will recognise. A very sad tale of unrequited love. It is so emotionally sung it brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it.
11. All That’s Left Is To Say Goodbye. This title is misleading; it is not a sad song, but a thoughtful recollection of good times gone by. A lovely tune, and beautiful lyrics. Some lovely flute and sax playing on this track.
13. Arunda. A very up-beat song, very jolly and almost a samba beat.
14. Manha De Carnival. Beautifully sung, very quiet song. So simple, Astrud sings with only guitar and bass accompaniment. Astrud is almost at a whisper in this song.
17. Non-Stop to Brazil. Lovely simple song about longing to go back home. Some lovely strings in this one.
23. So Nice. This one is a real classic. No one else could sing it better. Astrud sounds like a child in this song, some great organ chords backing Astrud’s vocals.
24. Let Go. I love this track. It is very up-beat and quite different from the other tracks. It has a great percussion section.
All tracks on the album are classics. If you love jazz and latin, then you simply must have an Astrud Gilberto album in your collection. This album in particular is great because it has a lot of Astrud’s lesser-known recordings as well as some famous ones. It is a shame that since Joao and Astrud have split up Astrud has gone out of the limelight a little, while Joao remains firmly in the Latin charts
Even so, Astrud has made some great recordings and will never be forgotten. A classic artist who has a stunning voice that will appeal to everyone who loves a laid back sound.
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Certainly does sound like a Latin Diva from your description. I think your music tastes are as varied as mine I picked up a variety of Latin Jazz from New Orleans.
Very interseting , one I hope to keep an ear open for! thank you!
kingsanj 04.07.2001 11:12
Never heard of her, wlll have to track this down and give it a listen
Infinity 03.07.2001 21:34
Sounds pretty good - well I'm open to all sorts of music, so I think I'll go and check this out. Cheers, Justin.
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