Stan Getz Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd / Big Band Bossa Nova Hand-Numbered Limited Edition 180g 2LP (Color Vinyl)

These PMC demonstration discs include two original albums by Stan Getz: Jazz Samba with Charlie Byrd & Big Band Bossa Nova.

"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." -Steve Huey, AllMusic.com, 5/5 stars (praise for Jazz Samba)

"Fresh from the sudden success of Jazz Samba and 'Desafinado,' Stan Getz asked the 28-year-old, strikingly gifted Gary McFarland to arrange a bossa nova album for big band as a follow-up. Getz is always his debonair, wistful, freely-floating self, completely at home in the Brazilian idiom that he'd adopted only a few months before. McFarland usually keeps things nice and spare (although 'One Note Samba' is uncharacteristically cluttered and a bit too discordant for the material), letting his pungent voicings stab the air now and then, while allowing the soloists all the room they want within the confines of producer Creed Taylor's tight timings. Four of the eight songs are by McFarland (none of which would become standards), and Getz makes relaxed impressions with 'Manha de Carnival' and 'Chega de Saudade.' Jim Hall takes the role of acoustic guitarist from Charlie Byrd with his usual fluidity, and Hank Jones ruminates in a boppish way on piano. This album also charted quite respectably (number 13) in the first flush of the bossa nova boom." -Richard S. Ginell, AllMusic.com, 4/5 stars (praise for Big Band Bossa Nova)