Astrud Gilberto - Beach Samba

Released - 1966

Genre - Jazz Vocal
Producer - Creed Taylor
Selected Personnel - Astrud Gilberto (Vocals); Marcello Gilberto (Vocals); Eumir Deodato (Arranger/Conductor); Don Sebesky (Arranger/Conductor); Ron Carter (Double Bass); Marcos Valle (Guitar); Grady Tate (Drums); Toots Thielemans (Guitar/Harmonica/Whistle); George Devens (Haprsichord/Piano/Vibraphone)
Standout Track - You Didn't Have To Be So Nice

I genuinely think this might be the funniest album I own, perhaps, to the best of my knowledge, the funniest album ever made. I have never managed to listen to the whole thing without giggling at least twice. Quite why is a mystery that's mostly beyond me - it's certainly not because it's a bad record. Gilberto's vocals are as sultry and intimate as ever, and the light jazz arrangements by Eumir Deodato and Don Sebesky are breezy and beguiling. But there's some implacable quality to bossa nova that makes it genuinely one of the funniest genres of music you can listen to. My housemate suggests that perhaps it's because it's so resolutely of its time - though jazz in general has continued to have a strong influence on mainstream music right up to day, the 1960s fad for bossa nova and samba flared quickly and died away, and mainstream pop music has never really felt its influence since. So to listen to Astrud Gilberto wholeheartedly singing her way through these bossa nova numbers feels like an antiquated experience, like listening to something entirely ignorant and naive of the customs and pressures of the modern world. Maybe not. Maybe it's just that bossa nova manages to be more carefree and upbeat than any other musical genre merely by virtue of its own unique qualities, and therefore it's impossible to listen to without a smile on your face. Either way, this is the ultimate feelgood album.

It's occasionally come under fire from critics before for being too pop-centric - it errs away from the more sultry jazz numbers that Gilberto's breathy vocals had tended to lend themselves towards in the past, such as "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Meditation." Here, the focus is less on late-night intimacy and more on sunny afternoon breeziness, but it creates a mood of such mellow optimism that it hardly feels a valid complaint. The orchestral arrangements suit the songs perfectly, particularly the ornamental and genre-defining frills of the flute. "Bossa Na Praia" sounds like the backing track to every spoof of a shopping channel ever, and "Oba, Oba" is crying out for some sort of daft mime routine to be set to it (I'm working on mine). There also must be a special mention for "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice," a duet between Gilberto and her six-year-old son Marcello, which is quite simply one of the most adorable things ever committed to record ("I want you to know that you did a good job, I'm proud of you." "Yeah.") It would be wrong to write off this record by saying that the only virtue of the songs on offer is that they're a bit silly - Gilberto's vocals really are magical, and the album as a whole makes for really excellent smooth easy listening, but for me what makes it truly unique is its incredible ability to sound so absurd and so daft while being at the same time utterly compelling and utterly lovable.

Track Listing:

1. Stay (Gayle Caldwell)

2. Misty Roses (Tim Hardin)

3. The Face I Love (Norman Gimbel; Carlos Pingarilho & Marcos Valle)

4. A Banda (Parade) (Chico Buarque & Bob Russell)

5. Oba, Oba (Luiz Bonfa)

6. Canoeiro (Eumir Deodato)

7. I Had The Craziest Dream (Mack Gordon & Harry Warren)

8. Bossa Na Praia (Beach Samba) (Geraldo Cunha & Pery Ribeiro)

9. My Foolish Heart (Ned Washington & Victor Young)

10. Dia Das Rosas (I Think Of You) (Luiz Bonfa & Patti Jacob)

11. You Didn't Have To Be So Nice (Steve Boone & John Sebastian)

12. Nao Bate A Corocao (Eumir Deodato)