Astrud Gilberto - Verve Jazz Masters 9

Enjoyable but audio quality is not the best

There are some beautiful, romantic, popular tracks on this CD.
I agree with one of the reviewers - if you are new to her material there are better recordings available. The tracks on this CD have been selected from different LP's. Some of the tracks present themselves very well. The microphone glitch mentioned by another reviewer is not much of a problem - it does not spoil the number. In fact that particular track has extremely well captured vocals. On the down side there are few tracks that have considerable tape hiss and degraded sound quality - to a point where they interfere with the listening experience. May 30, 2006

Made me appreciate Ms. Gilberto's art and skill

As a devotee of classic rock where the major deities were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Beach Boys, Dylan, The Greatful Dead, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, The Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, and Cream, Astrud Giberto sounded, to me, like 'Musak', elevator soundtrack, audio wallpaper about as distinctive as Martha Stewart Everyday products at K-Mart. Part of my problem may be that I was never able to appreciate what set Jazz vocals apart from popular vocalist, expecially female vocalists.

One abberation in my very parochial rock tastes was that I happen to be very fond of Barbra Streisand's singing, based on her truly imaginative interpretations of some pedestrian standards, most famously the 'Happy Days are Here Again' on her first album.

And, listening to Gilberto, when her recordings were first released, I heard none of either the militant power of Grace Slick or the great interpretations of Streisand.

But then, I listened to this album with a much more mature ear, and I hear things which I really enjoy listening to many times over. In fact, I probably listen to this album more often than I listen to Streisand nowadays.

I leave the opinions on how this album compares to other Gilberto releases to other reviewers who know her full work better, but to those who visit Jazz now and then, I recommend this selection as a worthy addition to the other names which appear in this Verve jazz masters series. September 14, 2005

Love Astrud Gilberto, but mediocre reproduction.

I rated this a 4 because this cd needs remastering.

I have 5 of Astrud Gilberto's cd's. I love this singer's delivery, but the production quality of this cd is not the best. I own 4 other Astrud cds, all rated 5 on Amazon. If this is your first Astrud Gilberto experience, try one of the others, first.

I guess I'd buy it, again, in spite of its flaws. September 27, 2002

...among the best of an earlier Latin Explosion

The new interest in Latin performers such as Ricky Martin is unlikely to raise interest in bossa nova music. To many, its rhythms and guitar interplay always recall the Swinging Sixties. But the sweet, clear voice of Astrud Gilberto, heard here collaborating with some of the day's best jazz arrangers and musicians (Gil Evans, Marty Paich and of course, Antonio Carlos Jobim) is always worth hearing.

Stan Getz received most of the credit (and royalties) for the first big bossa nova hit, "Girl From Ipanema" (heard here in a live version). But Ms. Gilberto became the trademark voice for the music's sensual sound, which influenced the other pop-bossa nova star of the time, Sergio Mendes. "Dindi," "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," and a lovely version of "The Shadow of Your Smile" (which everyone from Streisand to Sinatra recorded at the time) are highlights. A great introduction to both Ms. Gilberto and the bossa nova sound, but also check out the Frank Sinatra/Antonio Carlos Jobim masterpiece from 1967. January 11, 2000

Good Collection of Astrud Gilberto Songs

the songs on this on this album range from festive (felicidad) to somber and fatalistic (Quiet night of Quiet Stars). Its a good collection that showcases Gilberto's unique brazilian voice. One major disapointment for me was the live recording of her major hit, Stan Getz's "Girl from Ipanema". There is a microphone glitch at the beginning of the song that really annoys me. Other than that, the rest of the stuff is pretty good June 10, 1998

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