Getz/Gilberto is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time and cemented bossa nova as a jazz subgenre. The album featured American saxophonist Stan Getz, already known to many jazz fans at the time due to his previous bossa nova album Jazz Samba. The album also featured Brazilian guitarist/singer Joao Gilberto, who played a pivotal role in creating the style of bossa nova. The majority of the tracks on the album are at least partially written by composer/pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim. The album also features Joao's wife Astrud Gilberto singing on several tracks.
Getz/Gilberto was released in March 1964. The album garnered critical acclaim by both reviewers and audiences alike. This acclaim culminated in the album winning the 1965 Grammy Award for Best Album of the Year among several other awards. This would be the first time that a jazz album has received the distinction of Album of the Year in the history of the Grammy's.
The first track on Getz/Gilberto is perhaps the most famous, "The Girl from Ipanema". Ipanema is a neighborhood located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The track does a wonderful job of combining the Portuguese lyrics sung by Joao with Astrud's singing in English. Meanwhile, Joao does a fantastic job on the guitar and Getz adds a great deal to the track with his saxophone.
The second track "Doralice" is one of the few tracks on the album not written at all by Jobim. However, Joao does a wonderful job singing and playing while Getz chimes in with a wonderful solo midway through the song for the rest of it. The third track "Para Machuchar Meu Coracao" heavily features Jobim playing on the piano and Joao's singing.
The fourth track "Desafinado" has become a jazz standard covered by several other jazz artists and it's not difficult to see why. The fifth track "Corcovado" features Astrud singing and once again she does a wonderful job. The sixth track "So Danco Samba" has some brilliant saxophone playing from Getz and the track itself is superb.
The seventh track "O Grande Amor" heavily features Getz playing the saxophone. The combination of his playing along with Jobim on the piano is terrific. The eighth and final track from the original LP is "Vivo Sonhando". It's an enjoyable track to end the album as it ends with Getz's playing.
Getz/Gilberto is not just a bossa nova staple but a jazz staple. It's a great example of the perfect combination of people coming together to make an album. It's not hard to see why Rolling Stone included this album on its list of the 500 greatest albums earlier this year. The album itself is an essential list for any jazz fan. The album is available for listening on Spotify.
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