Stan Getz & João Gilberto - Getz/Gilberto [featuring Antônio Carlos Jobim] (1964)

I recently reviewed an album featuring Stan Getz and... it was 'aight. Probably my favorite part of the album is how it was kept short and sweet, therefore I didn't get bored. Boredom is a pretty large problem with most jazz, so if this new Stan Getz feature can keep it short and sweet maybe I'll like this one too, and can sorta call myself a Stan Getz fan.

I'm not sure if it's the worst idea ever to open an album with "The Girl From Ipanema" or perhaps the most brilliant idea ever. This song is among the most standard of standards, a song just about every will recognize and be able to hum along with (although they'll almost never remember the name). So on the one hand, the album leads with a world-altering hit. On the other hand, "The Girl From Ipanema" is almost culturally synonymous with "hold music" so hitting it leadoff definitely runs the risk of putting a listener to sleep. On yet a third hand, a reviewer listening 51 years after the album's release will instantly be put in a good mood, because it's just one of those songs that comes on the radio and you start going, "Doot doo doo doo doot doo doo doo doo..." Anyhoo, there is a saxophone solo about halfway through that's a bit too loud in the mix, but other than that it's a great song.

That last thing I mentioned about the sax being too loud also happens in the next track "Doralice." "Para Machuchar Meu Coracao" has much better balance, but I'm starting to get really bored. "The Girl From Ipanema" was great, but so far it's only been followed by loungey elevator music. That's unfair to the people who wrote and are performing on this album, but still I don't feel it's too much to ask for the songs to sound at least a little different. Thus far only the songs featuring singer Astrud Gilberto, who is the female voice in "The Girl From Ipanema" have sounded noticeably different, thanks to her lovely vocal contributions.

If you're looking for something to play in a quiet lounge or bar Getz/Gilberto is a great choice. I wouldn't recommend playing this in your car on a long commute home without massive amounts of caffeine. It wasn't awful, but I didn't like it as much as I liked Jazz Samba. 2 stars.