Description
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim 1967
By 1967, bossa nova had become quite popular within jazz and traditional pop audiences, yet Frank Sinatra hadn’t attempted any Brazil-influenced material. Sinatra decided to record a full-fledged bossa nova album with the genre’s leading composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Arranged by Claus Ogerman and featuring Jobim on guitar and backing vocals, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim concentrated on Jobim’s originals, adding three American classics — “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” “Change Partners,” and “I Concentrate on You” — that were rearranged to suit bossa nova conventions. The result was a subdued, quiet album that used the Latin rhythms as a foundation, not as a focal point. Supported by a relaxed, sympathetic arrangement of muted brass, simmering percussion, soft strings, and Jobim’s lilting guitar, Sinatra turns in an especially noteworthy performance; he has never sounded so subtle, underplaying every line he delivers and showcasing vocal techniques that he never had displayed before. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim doesn’t reveal its pleasures immediately; the album is too textured and understated to be fully appreciated within one listen. After a few plays, the album begins to slowly work its way underneath a listener’s skin, and it emerges as one of his most rewarding albums of the ’60s.
Video: Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim 1967
Tracking:
- “The Girl from Ipanema” (Antônio Carlos Jobim, Norman Gimbel, Vinícius de Moraes) – 3:00
- “Dindi” (Ray Gilbert, Jobim, Aloysio de Oliveria) – 3:25
- “Change Partners” (Irving Berlin) – 2:40
- “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)” (Jobim, Gene Lees) – 2:45
- “Meditation (Meditação)” (Jobim, Gimbel, Newton Mendonça) – 2:51
- “If You Never Come to Me (Inútil Paisagem)” (Jobim, Gilbert, de Oliveira) – 2:10
- “How Insensitive (Insensatez)” (Jobim, Gimbel, de Moraes) – 3:15
- “I Concentrate on You” (Cole Porter) – 2:32
- “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” (Robert C. Wright, George Forrest, Alexander Borodin) – 2:32
- “Once I Loved (O Amor em Paz)” (Jobim, Gilbert, de Moraes) – 2:37
Performance
- Frank Sinatra – vocal
- Antônio Carlos Jobim – piano, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Claus Ogerman – arranger, conductor
- Dom Um Romão – drums
- Colin Bailey – drums I Concentrate On You, Baubles Bangles And Beads, Change Partners, Dindi
- Al Viola – electric guitar
- Jose Marino – doublebass
