Jazz Samba is a bossa nova album by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd released by Verve Records in 1962. Jazz Samba signaled the beginning of the bossa nova craze in America. Stan Getz was the featured soloist and the tracks were arranged by Charlie Byrd, who had first heard bossa nova during a tour of Brazil in 1961.
Getz and Byrd were accompanied by two bassists: Keter Betts and Joe Byrd, Charlie Byrd's brother who also played guitar. They were joined by two drummers: Buddy Deppenschmidt and Bill Reichenbach. The album was recorded at All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, D.C. on February 13, 1962 and released in April of that year.Two songs, "Desafinado" (Off Key or Out of Tune) and "Samba de Uma Nota Só" (One Note Samba) were composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and were released as singles in the U.S. and Europe. Charlie Byrd wrote one song, "Samba Dees Days", while the rest were by Brazilian composers.Stan Getz won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance of 1963 for "Desafinado", and went on to make many other bossa nova recordings, notably with João Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto and the popular song "The Girl from Ipanema".
Robert Dimery included Jazz Samba in his book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The painting on the cover is by Olga Albizu.
This is a tough album to rate.
Just considering the jazz scene, this album razzes my berries. Listening to it, I feel like I’m a cool daddy-o who’s got it made in the shade along side my ginchiest gal with a classy chassis. We’re at a club like the Copacabana with a whiskey and a cigar blowing off steam before we burn rubber to the passion pit for a double feature and some backseat bingo. I’m no aficionado here, but I do think Stan Getz is a hip cat on the saxophone.
Not to be a wet rag, but I do not consider jazz to be the bee’s knees. I did catch some Z’s while listening to this one (it’s been a long week).
We’ll nightingale, here’s my tale: If someone had this album on, I would enjoy hearing it through. And that’s the word from the bird. I’ll put a lid on it now.
On the next…Arrested Development:
…Buster, now barred from attending the annual Motherboy dance due to his age, hires the legal team of Zuckerkorn and Loblaw to help him launch a class action suit against the Motherboy organization.
…Tobias lands a recurring role on TV’s The Bear.
…and Michael finds a trove of classified Trump administration documents stashed in the model home.
Is it possible for Jon to give a Jazz album fewer than 5 stars?
Yes.
Is it possible for Jon to give a Samba album fewer than five stars?
Yes.
Is it possible for Jon to give a BOSSA NOVA album fewer than five stars?
No.
At first seeing 'Jazz' in the album name was a bit intimidating, but this is the kind of jazz you drink coctails to, not the kind which makes your ears bleed...
What is "bossa nova"?
Well it seems that the answer is in this album. The title itself (probably) summarizes it all, "jazz samba"! That's bossa nova, jazz samba.
I can see why this album ignited the so-called bossa nova craze. It's chill, it's atmospheric, and it's energetic. The very music that one would hear in some tropical themed restaurant or some pub.
What a good introduction to the genre. I enjoyed it a lot, despite my dislike towards jazz in general.
I would be totally pleased with this album as background music at a nice restaurant, or in a hotel lobby. But casual jazz listening might just not be my thing.
Apparently Stan Getz is a saxophone legend. I hadn't heard of him. He has two albums on the list. Some of his jazz influencers and contemporaries, who I had heard of, are not on the list...
The musicianship on "Jazz Samba" seems incredibly tight and capable. It's easy to listen to. The guitar complements Getz's sax nicely. But here's the thing - I don't listen to enough jazz or know jazz well enough to judge how good of a jazz album this is. I felt the same way to some extent with Fela Kuti, and likely will with other non-rock albums on the list. Most of my musical knowledge and language comes from rock music (and some hip hop), so it's much harder to judge things from genres I'm not familiar with. Then there is the question of how much of the rating comes from the quality of the music, and how much comes from my enjoyment of it. I can know that something is a brilliant piece of music, but not really dig it. How many stars does that get?
YES! YES! YES!
Va, va, va, va.. FIVE!
You know when your husband is gonna try and put the moves on you when he throws this on the record player.
I think this is Pepe Le Pew's go to. I'm sure Stan Getz a lotta action with that love horn of his.... mmhmmm.
I dig this album and will listen to it before and after sex.
The criteria for album selection remains elusive, but I share an enthusiasm for esoteric Latin jazz that seems also to be held by the creators of this list.
Hard to beat Stan Getz. Thoroughly enjoyed this album and will continue to listen.
I haven't yet encountered a jazz album on this list that I don't absolutely love, and this is no exception. Bossa nova is one of my most favourite genres of music.
I imagine that this would be classy cocktail bar music, perfect for a Friday night out with your beau. I can only imagine because I am definitely not classy enough to go to a cocktail bar.
Stan Getz was the one that brought Samba in the form of Bossa Nova and Samba-Jazz to America and together with Jorge Ben popularized the genre there.
And while this record is so important because it was the first that really stuck with the American audience, it isn't my favourite Samba/Bossa Nova album of that time even with my high praise for 'Jazz Samba'.
That title goes to Getz' major follow up "Getz/Gilberto" which featured João Gilberto instead of Charlie Byrd. But without "Jazz Samba" and its popularity we would not have gotten that follow up so I absolutely get the decision to include this as well, also because it still is an incredible record.
Very pleasent to the ears with a lot of Cool Jazz influence and a wide usage of Byrd's very technical guitar playing as well as the tenor sax from Stan Getz. The rythm section is also very clear and doesn't get drowned out by the melodies.
The first track is 'Desafinado' which already showcases a lot of what makes this album good. The smooth transition from the saxophone into the guitar and the salient drums all add to the mix of Cool Jazz and slow dancable Samba. This is in short an incredible song.
Following that we get the faster-paced 'Samba Dees Days' that features a vibrant and dreamy sax part as well as a nice change in percussion. Considering that Charlie Byrd was the one that wrote this one, it is interesting that the guitar doesn't really stick out that much. It's still there and works incredibly well but mainly in the background.
'O pato' follows as a nice but not very memorable piece. It is also the shortest song that the album has to offer. It feels way to standard compared to the rest.
The album closes its first half with 'Samba triste' and as the title suggests, this is a much slower paced and nearly melancholic song. The guitar part in the middle as well as the outro are absolute highlights. This is such a mellow and warm track to close off the first half.
On Side B we are met with 'Samba de uma nota só', the third track with Samba in its name and although it is on the lengthier half of tracks, it is one of the best executed as it slowly builds up with fast paced rythm section, the saxophone that goes into a fast-paced guitar highlight and then slowly fades into a section that only features bass and drums and relieves the slight tension that was build. In the end the saxophone comes back in a very bluesy style.
'É luxo só' follows up with a very mellow duo-dynamic of both main artists. This harmonic interaction makes this arguably the best song on the album. It just flows and makes one of the most enjoyable moments on this whole album.
The album closes with 'Baia' the longest song on the album. It feels like a nice "summary" of the album featuring some significant change in the rhythm section, a very impressive guitar part and a slight "echo-y" saxophone.
(When I first heard the album I thought it was simply "okay" and gave it a 6/10 on my RYM but with this relisten... damn! this is really great and I have to give 'Getz/Gilberto' a relisten as well to see if it still holds up.)
favourites: É luxo só, Desafinado, Baia, Samba triste, Samba de uma nota só
least favourites: O pato
Rating: light 9
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Jazz Samba
This is a very enjoyable little album of US jazzman produced Bossa Nova, with a lovely light touch. It's not too frenetic, taking the shuffles and rhythms of samba but pairing them with a cooler jazz sensibility, it's not overplayed and the whole thing is nicely balanced.
It’s breezy, but not insubstantial, with some lovely performances, passages and moments, the bass on Deasfindo into and the outro to Baia is great, and Donald Byrd’s guitar is consistently great throughout, particularly on Samba de Uma Nota So, E Luxo So and Bahia.
It also manages to avoid too many hotel lobby vibes, or any zany, madcap, screwball comedy movie vibes, balancing deftness with sincerity really well.
I’ve liked some of the samba and bossa nova so far, and have not been as keen on others, but this is my favourite so far, and I think it shuffles nicely into a 4.
🎺🎺🎺🎺
Playlist submission: Samba de Uma Nota Só
Full disclosure: there is no reason you should care about my opinion concerning this album!
So, like a kid who grew up eating Cap’n Crunch and now has trouble eating his veggies…. I have tried to understand and enjoy jazz, but it doesn’t come easy. This album comes close for me… but… it will take more time to develop appreciation for even the best that Jazz has to offer me.
If you read this far… first, why? And second, thanks for bearing with me.
there's so much jazz on this list. way more jazz than I've ever listened to in my life. I can't seem to get a feel for it. what's good jazz? what's bad jazz? I almost need a separate list of just the jazz and then I can do a jazz master class and maybe figure out the answers to these questions and more
this is a kind of jazz that's also bossa nova, which it turns out I'm a huge fan of. actually, I don't know if bossa nova is like a subgenre of jazz but that feels right to me. this is a vibe, and I really like it. but it doesn't necessarily fit in to my day to day life
I'm a Bossa Nova girlie and Stan Getz is a big name but I am not a big fan of the old guy - his music is great, he didn't seem to be. Great to listen to while doing work, a good mood booster.
Not a whole bunch to say, I really like the music and could listen to it all the time as with any Bossa Nova really. Also makes me feel extremely distinguished.
But Getz/Gilberto is the better album.
4 from me!
The album that started the bossa nova craze in America. Sadly, for a Brazillian album, there are no Brazillian artists included here, but they do at least provide most of the music. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd do an incredible job of recreating the sounds they were inspired by. It's incredibly cool and accessible. While rock music would be the peak of sophisticated culture by the end of the 60s, jazz was still dominate at this stage. Call it cultural appropriation if you must, but it's doubtless that Getz brought international fame to this genre and its stars.
As a Brazilian lady who likes Bossa Nova, this is tricky. I can kinda see why it is on the list (samba jazz) but most of the songs are Tom Jobim's or Ari Barroso's- which on my view, I would stick to the originals.
However, it is well executed as "elevator jazz bossa nova" and Stan Getz is a pretty talented saxophone player. It feels weird though listening to some classic songs like "desafinado" as instrumental.
I will give it a 4, but people should know the powerhouse of Tom Jobim, Ari Barroso, Bebel and João Gilberto
I would say this is the only 1960s jazz bossa nova record you need. If you had a collection of 50 records, this would be a fine one to have in there.
Stan Getz was one of the all-time greats. He was as hip as they came and was known for his uniquely beautiful tone, which was somehow both rich and breathy at the same time.
And Charlie Byrd is sounding really good on guitar here with some cool interplay with Getz, on Desafinado, for example.
Love this album! I command you!
lovely stuff! if i were a barista in a cool bookstore/cafe/bar i would be bumping this all shift. sadly i was a barista in a distinctly uncool cafe so i would not have been allowed to bump this.
I love bossa nova and Stan Getz so this wasn’t a hard sell for me. Don’t really have any more thoughts besides that. Just really easy and pleasant listening without being boring. I would love to be somewhere with this playing live in the venue like a classy restaurant or bar.
Great feel-good listen. So wild to realize that Samba was a Brazilian secret until this duo "discovered" and introduced it to mainstream American audiences in 1962.
very good, you can see how this album led getz to end up making Getz/Gilberto. some dull moments but whatayagonnado. it isnt particularly breathaking or remarkable, but its not trying to be that; this album is just really solid bossa nova / samba-jazz
Far from an expert on this particular type of jazz but it’s beautifully played, arranged and produced. Much of it known to me via ‘ambient’ sources. Pleasant, but sounds dated. I’d imagine it’s close to the high water mark of its genre and presumably what I would seek out if I actively wanted to listen to this kind of music. It’s just I’m not sure that I ever will. Still, nice way to pass the time.
This album is new to me. I have heard of Stan, but never really took the time to explore him. I dig several forms of jazz, but Samba just isn't my thing. However, this listen on a Sunday morning with 7 inches of freshly fallen snow, did give me reason to sample some more of his stuff. Then once I saw there was a "The Essential Stan Getz" album, I have been enjoying him since, and would consider more of his smooth slow stuff a beautiful option in the right time and place.
Yuuuuup phenomenal. It’s the perfect length and no two tunes feel the same but they all feel great. Perfect for a walk outside on a cold day. The only reason I checked the album length was because I hoped it wouldn’t end.
De pensar que por um tempo a principal exportação cultural do meu país eram nomes como Tom Jobim, Baden Powell, João Gilberto… Satisfaz e entristece simultaneamente. De todo modo, é impossível imaginar uma realidade onde Bossa Nova não se tornasse o fenômeno que foi. A não-ortodoxia seguida do toque terno dessas composições possui um magnetismo épico. É fácil se deixar levar por essas canções tão lindamente interpretadas por Getz e Byrd.
Os solos de Getz são de arrepiar. São como palavras doces sussurradas ao pé do ouvido. Os arranjos dizem muito sem nenhuma palavra. É clichê dizer isso, mas tudo bem, prefiro me deixar levar pelas ondas suaves aqui colocadas. A linguagem universal do swing aconchegante, música análoga a um abraço fraterno que dura mais do que se espera mas você agarra mais forte invés de soltar.
Baixo lindo nas canções também. A temperança reina aqui, tudo na medida certa. Nada se sobrepõe, tudo tem o seu tempo e o seu espaço em cada faixa. É magnífico, como uma dança delicada porém energética. Tão lindamente colocado.
Nem preciso dizer que prefiro os arranjos originais dessas canções. Isso é óbvio, mas não é sobre isso. Não é uma competição, apenas uma interpretação. Uma interpretação brilhante e, ao meu ver, infalível.
5/5
I’d never heard this album before, but from the cover and the very first note, I instantly knew — this is a five-star classic. Straight into the collection.
The opener, “Desafinado,” starts playing and I immediately recognize the melody — so that’s what this song is called! It’s an instrumental album, and I love music that leaves enough space in your head to think.
The sound is timeless, crystal clear — hard to believe it was recorded in 1962. The stereo mix is wonderful: that silky saxophone on the left, Charlie Byrd’s effortlessly confident guitar on the right. The guitar, really, is the quiet star of the record.
It’s an album that fits almost any mood — a relaxed evening on the couch, dinner with someone you love, or a solo walk through the city with headphones on.
Listened to this a couple days ago on a gorgeous day, windows down, coffee in hand, etc. One of the best records ever made. The perfect balance between vibe and virtuosity, neither getting in the way of the other.
This is the kind of album that makes me miss being a musician. You can feel the synchronicity between the members of the ensemble - a perfect example of the difference between playing a song and making music. I'd say this is a great pickup for a vinyl collection, but really it's the sort of music that can be played in any format so long as it's played through good speakers.
O Pato is very nice.
The stereo mixing on Samba Triste.
This was such an all around pleasant listen.
I spent longer than I needed to trying to think of a reason not to give it 5.
Damn this is smooth. What a treat. The sax responds to the guitar, and together they create this effortless joy that just fills the room. What a ride. Pure joy.
Spins: 3
Playlist Additions:
- Desafinado
- Samba Dees Days
- O Pato
- Samba Triste
- Samba De Uma Nota So
- E Luxo So
- Bahia
"Jazz Samba" is a bossa nova album by American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz and American jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd. The album signaled the beginning of the beginning of the bossa nova craze in the US. Getz is the featured soloist with tracks arranged by Byrd. Other musicians included Keter Betts (bass), Joe Byrd (bass, guitar), Buddy Deppenschmidt (drums) and Bill Reichenbach (drums). The album had excellent reviews and made it to #1 on the US Billboard Pop Album Chart.
The album opens with "Desafindo," a song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça. Bass strings, brush drums and percussion open the song. Byrd enters with a light sax bossa nova melody. Subtle guitar. A guitar solo, a bass jam and a lovely sax solo. A ticking percussion begins "Samba Triste," a song by Braden Powell and Billy Bianco. Byrd with a more Spanish-style guitar. A more slow sultry sax. This time, only a guitar solo.
Another Jobim and Newton song "Samba de uma Nota Só" kicks off the second side. A more danceable bossa nova beat. An underlying guitar. Byrd is let loose a bit with some improvisational sax. The guitar and bass are also featured in solos and there's some really nice interplay between the sax and guitar and bass.
Chill, relaxing and excellent musicianship. A bossa nova base beat with flairs of jazz. There's sax, guitar and bass solos with the sax getting the majority. The sax carries the melody and is responsible the improvisational parts. The underlying guitar shows styles of country, Spanish flamenco and bossa nova. This is a high level album and it's easy to see why it was so popular and started a musical craze.
As a matter of course, I don't listen to Jazz. And then I listen to Stan Getz, and I am amazed all over again. Why can't I embrace this fabulous music?
This album put me in a really good mood.
Bossa nova, Jazz! It was a really nice change from the last album we were given (looking at you, R.E.M. Boo! Hiss!).
Personally, I have a dislike for Saxaphone outside of 90s Punk/Ska. But, this album is turning me around. There was a nice mixture of parts within each song. Moments where I literally shouted out loud: "Yes!"
And, 33 minutes in length. Nothing felt drawn out. No overtly long 'squibbly jazzy do' parts. Just a nice mixture of good songs.
I really want to give it a 5. Can I? This is what this is experience is all about! I just wish we got a few more inbetween.
5 Stars.
Behind the gorgeous cover art is an album of Bossa Nova delights! Over 30 minutes of this flirty, breezy, foreign yet instantly familiar exciting music that would soon captivate America not long before The Beatles took over America and we yanks never let go.
Unlike say a Miles Davis album Jazz Samba sounds dated but wonderfully so! Imagine to how many hip cocktail/dinner parties this music provided the songtrack to while the guests delighted in the missus' wild new avocado appetizers?
I can't even!
I love the sound of Getz's tenor sax. It's so smoothe and his playing seems effortless.
I'm usually not a fan of jazz guitar, but Byrd's playing is so interesting and paired well with Getz.
I'm looking forward to hearing this again.
Liked Songs Added:
Desafinado
Samba De Uma Nota So
Bahia