An Indie Darling Before Her Time:
Quite Possibly The One Gilberto Album You Must Own
Quite Possibly The One Gilberto Album You Must Own
Astrud
Gilberto With Stanley Turrentine is such a nice surprise; an overlooked
"fan favorite" that's worth discovering. Released in 1971, it came
nearly a decade after Gilberto's "Girl From Ipanema" heyday. But
several factors make this album truly unique. First, it's the only album
Gilberto made for the CTI label, after a long relationship with Verve.
Secondly, on several tracks she's paired with the great saxophonist and
then-labelmate Stanley Turrentine (why not?!?). And finally, the album was
produced and arranged by schlock-jazz mastermind Deodato.
Put it all together and you
have a fun, dreamy record that sounds oddly contemporary. Here, Deodato adds a
pop flash that's lacking on Gilberto's more stately Verve material. This
combination of cool reticence and clever, sometimes cloying melody has since
become an indie template. And for good reason. "Wanting Things" and
"Where There's a Heartache", the pair of Bacharach/David tunes which
bookend the album, are airy, almost impressionistic swatches of atmosphere.
"Brazilian Tapestry" is the album's high point, with Deodato's
melodramatic flute/viola arrangement segueing into an effortless sigh of a
chorus that finds Gilberto completely in her element. "Zazueira" is
another uptempo delight that's driven along by Deodato's electric piano and Ron
Carter's bass; "soulful" isn't a word that's often associated with
Gilberto, but it applies here. Turrentine's energetic blasts add to the fun.
The minor-key "Solo el fin (For All We Know)", on the other hand,
finds Gilberto and her accompaniment in a suitably resigned, reflective mood.
Gilberto's singing is markedly stronger than on her '60s material, though
she'll never be mistaken for Billie Holliday.
Apparently, Gilberto wasn't
so impressed with the material or arrangements; she walked out of the sessions
before ...With Stanley Turrentine was completed. That explains the two
instrumentals, a muzak version of Stephen Stills' "To a Flame" that
not even Turrentine can enliven, and the slightly groovy "Vera Cruz",
on which Deodato's piano takes Gilberto's place. And it's easy to understand
why Gilberto was less than thrilled with the helplessly slight, Deodato-penned
"Traveling Light" or a Spanish-language troll through the theme from
Love Story. Of the three bonus tracks, only the lovely, playful, Deodato-less
rendition of Harry Nilsson's "The Puppy Song" is a keeper.
As for this reissue, the
remastered sound is crisp but not extremely warm, which suits the material.
Original engineering by the legendary Rudy van Gelder can't have hurt. Despite
that incongruity, it's sweet, slightly fey fare for those who prefer their
music in pastels. ~ Extract by John Bergstrom, Popmatters.com.
CTI Records, CTI 6008, 1971
Sony Music Inc., 5127892, 2003
Recorded 13th January,
1st & 4th February, 19th March and 6th
April 1971
At Van Gelder Studio,
Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Personnel:
Astrud Gilberto - Vocals
Eumir Deodato - Electric
Piano
Stanley Turrentine - Tenor
Saxophone (#2,5,6,8)
Toots Thielemans - Harmonica
(#6,11)
Gene Bertoncini - Guitar
(#1,3,4,7,10,12)
Sivuca - Guitar (#2,5,6,8)
Sam Brown - Electric Guitar
(#1,2,5,6,8,12,13)
Bob Mann - Electric Guitar
(#3,4,7,9,12)
Ron Carter - Bass
(#1-3,5-8,11)
Russell George - Bass
(#4,9-13)
João Palma - Drums
(#1,3,7,12)
Dom Um Romão - Drums
(#2,5,11)
Dennis Seiwell - Drums
(#4,9,10,13)
Airto Moreira - Percussion
(#2,5,11)
Hubert Laws, George Marge,
Romeo Penque,
Jerome Richardson - Flutes (#2,5,7,8,10)
Jerome Richardson - Flutes (#2,5,7,8,10)
Paul Gershman, Emanuel Green,
Julie Held, Harry Katzman,
Joe Malin, Gene Orloff - Violin (#1-5,7-10)
Joe Malin, Gene Orloff - Violin (#1-5,7-10)
Harold Coletta - Viola
(#1,2,4,7-10)
George Ricci - Cello
(#1-5,7-10)
Tracks:
01. Wanting Things {Burt
Bacharach, Hal David} (2:41)
02. Brazilian Tapestry
{Mulher Rendeira} (5:16)
03. To A Flame [Instrumental]
{Stephen Stills} (3:22)
04. Solo El Fin [For All We
Know] {Robb Wilson, Arthur James, Kathleen Freed} (3:18)
05. Zazueira {Jorge Ben}
(3:47)
06. Ponteio {Edu Lobo, Capinan}
(3:43)
07. Traveling Light {Eumir
Deodato, Martha Everett} (2:31)
08. Vera Cruz [Instrumental]
{Milton Nascimento, Fernando Brant, Gene Lees} (5:12)
09. Historia De Amor [Love
Story] {Francis Lai, Carl Sigman, Alfonso Alpin} (3:35)
10. When There's A Heartache
[There Must Be A Heart] {Burt Bacharach, Hal David} (3:11)
11. Just Be You {Astrud
Gilberto} (2:29) *
12. Puppy Song, The {Harry
Nilsson} (3:21) *
13. Polytechnical High {Eumir
Deodato, Martha Everett} (2:48) *
* Bonus Tracks [Previously
Unreleased]
Credits:
Producer - Creed Taylor
Recording & Mastering
Engineer – Rudy van Gelder
Arranger, Conductor - Eumir
Deodato
Design [Album] - Bob Ciano
Photography [Cover] - Peter
Turner
Photography [Liner] - Price Givens
