Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim...the version of "Girl from Ipanema", Jobim sings the first half, with the lovely Astrud Gilberto finishing things off. Incomparable. The rest of the album, though not nearly as well known, is every bit as good. A masterpiece of delicate Brazilian bossa nova jazz. If you ever throw a cocktail party (a real one, with grown-ups in proper clothes drinking liquor in a dimly lit and well decorated room) this is the only record you need.Quick rule of thumb: Verve released a whole bunch of these records with fancy glossy printed gate-fold covers, featuring modern/beatnik oil paintings on the front, simple modern fonts, and extensive liner notes. I've picked up a lot of them over the years, and so far not a dud in the bunch. Great music artfully packaged, a real thing to own, $0.99 ipod download be damned.
The Amazing Jimmy Smith Trio live at the Village Gate. To be honest, I think Hammond organ in a jazz setting can be a bit dodgy, but ole Jimmy kills it every time. A real upbeat set of tunes, a good one to motivate when the house requires extensive cleaning, which is a situation that a certain three year old boy I know seems bent on making permanent.
And lastly, Sammy Davis Jr. in the late fifties, when he was still wearing an eye patch. What can I say about this dude? He takes things to a level of bad-ass that Frank Sinatra could only read about. Seriously, any guy who can slay an all white crowd full of well dressed drunks in Las Vegas in the days when it may have been acceptable to think of him as merely a "diminutive, one-eyed negro Jew" is, simply, a Bad Ass. I may be a full blooded Italian, but of all the members of the Rat Pack, Sammy was always my favorite. That Peter Lawford guy, on the other hand.....In closing, enjoy:
p.s. Tell me Astrud's not as cute as a button...I dare you.
