Frank Sinatra - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)

By 1967, bossa nova had become quite popular within jazz and traditional pop audiences, yet Frank Sinatra hadn't attempted any Brazil-influenced material. Sinatra decided to record a full-fledged bossa nova album with the genre's leading composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Arranged by Claus Ogerman and featuring Jobim on guitar and backing vocals, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim concentrated on Jobim's originals, adding three American classics — "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," "Change Partners," and "I Concentrate on You" — that were rearranged to suit bossa nova conventions. The result was a subdued, quiet album that used the Latin rhythms as a foundation, not as a focal point. Supported by a relaxed, sympathetic arrangement of muted brass, simmering percussion, soft strings, and Jobim's lilting guitar, Sinatra turns in an especially noteworthy performance; he has never sounded so subtle, underplaying every line he delivers and showcasing vocal techniques that he never had displayed before. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim doesn't reveal its pleasures immediately; the album is too textured and understated to be fully appreciated within one listen. After a few plays, the album begins to slowly work its way underneath a listener's skin, and it emerges as one of his most rewarding albums of the '60s. - by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

Tracks:
1. The Girl From Ipanema (Vinícius de Moraes/Norman Gimbel/Antonio Carlos Jobim) 3:16
2. Dindi (Aloysio de Oliveira/Ray Gilbert/Antonio Carlos Jobim) 3:31
3. Change Partners (Irving Berlin) 2:43
4. Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado) (Antonio Carlos Jobim/Gene Lees) 2:46
5. Meditation (Norman Gimbel/Antonio Carlos Jobim/Newton Mendonça) 2:56
6. If You Never Come To Me (Aloysio de Oliveira/Ray Gilbert/Antonio Carlos Jobim) 2:12
7. How Insensitive (Vinícius de Moraes/Norman Gimbel/Antonio Carlos Jobim) 3:18
8. I Concentrate On You (Cole Porter) 2:38
9. Baubles, Bangles and Beads (George Forrest/Robert C. Wright) 2:34
10. Once I Loved (O Amor en Paz) (Vinícius de Moraes/Ray Gilbert/Antonio Carlos Jobim) 2:35

Personnel:
Frank Sinarta (Vocals)
Antonio Carlos Jobim (Vocals, Guitar and Piano)
Claus Ogerman (Arranger and Conductor)
Dom Um Romao (Drums and Percussion)
Billy May (Trumpet)
Al Viola (Guitar)
others unknown



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