Standards to Love: Bossa Nova Summer Nights
While I enjoy listening to music all year round, there is something satisfying to the music that fills the summer months.
Recently, my friend Geeta nominated me to participate in a fun Instagram challenge in which I was to post ten different album covers in ten days that left a lasting musical impression on me. While doing so, I realized that several of the albums that have influenced my musical appreciation and taste positively scream SUMMER to me.
If you’ve been with me here at Whiskers for a while, you’ll know that one of my favorite genres of music is Jazz, specifically the jazz from the Great American Songbook. However, I find that with summer comes an infusion of sultry air from South America. And the combination is sublime.
Of course, I’m talking about Bossa Nova, the mellifluous fusion between samba and jazz. It was birthed in Brazil in the 1950s and became wildly popular in the United States in the 60s. Bossa Nova translates from the Portuguese as New Wave, which makes it the perfect music to fill both summer days and nights. (Check out my Bossa Nova Summer Nights’ Playlist here.)
Music + Wave = SUMMER
Getz/Gilberto
This 1964 gem is pivotal in the world of Bossa Nova. It’s worldwide success gives credence to the belief that it introduced Bossa Nova to the world. The year it was released it sold 2 million copies, which was a feat at that time. It also won numerous Grammys, including the coveted Album of the Year. Rolling Stone magazine lists it as one of the best albums of all time.
I list Getz/Gilberto’s fanfare first only to say that this album lives up to all the hype. This album is a classic. Every composer, arranger, musician, and singer who even brushed against Bossa Nova has this one in their collection.
If Bossa Nova were a course, Getz/Gilberto would be the textbook. So many absolutely classic songs that have become a part of the American Musical Songbook (not just American Popular Standards) are on this album. I would go so far as to say that almost all the tracks on this album are eponymous with the Bossa Nova movement. If you’re gonna record a Bossa Nova album at least one, if not more, of these songs will be on your album.
What I appreciate most about this album is how well it flows. It evokes a steady shower in the jungles of the Amazon with the river flowing to the sea. It’s natural. It’s soothing. It’s sultry. And, let’s just face it, it’s sexy, too.
The sounds on Getz/Gilberto are subtle. Therein lies it’s potency. When amplification in the form of microphones and amps made its way to Brasil, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim (two preeminent names in the Bossa Nova explosion) were able to expand on the gentleness of their style. Suddenly the audience could be many times larger than a small venue because their intricate, subtle, and quiescent style was magnified. Every nuance was captured and appreciated on a grander scale.
To give just a taste of what you might hear, I’ll quote Chris Richards in his tribute to Joao Gilberto:
“His voice was one of the most intimate sounds of the 20th century – more melodic than a sigh, more rhythmic than chitchat, only just barely. Every syllable that appeared on his lips carried an air of effortlessness, but Gilberto had worked hard to locate that sacred place where a human breath becomes music.”
This impacted the saxophonist Stan Getz whose own style was minimalist and lyrical. That’s when the fusion began on an international scale. Getz/Gilberto is that fusion and it’s superb.
So, pour yourself a Caipirinha (a classic Brasilian cocktail- find the recipe here); this refreshing cocktail pairs perfectly with this album with it’s citrus freshness and cachaça sweetness.
Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim
On the subject of Bossa Nova and superb, look no further than the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim. In my hierarchy of Bossa Nova must haves for summer, this showcase of two of music’s greatest legends is a very close second to Getz/Gilberto.
Where Getz/Gilberto is completely Brasilian Bossa Nova, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim is a fusion of another kind. The arrangements are all bossa nova influenced and Claus Ogermann does a fantastic job on them. Of the ten tracks on the album, three of them are from the Great American Songbook (see more about what the Great American Songbook is in these posts here, here, and here).
I appreciate the meldings in this album. It showcases Antonio Carlos Jobim’s exceptional skill as a composer. It also demonstrates how well the works of American composers such as Cole Porter and Irving Berlin can be adapted to different sounds. This album also firmly placed Jobim in the echelon of greatest composers of all time.
Where Getz/Gilberto is all sung in Portuguese (aside from The Girl from Ipanema in which Astrud Gilberto sings in English), on this album, the lyrics are translated into English which is another reason this is such a contributive album to the Bossa Nova craze. Suddenly, a large portion of Bossa Nova listeners knew the words to their favorite Brasilian songs.
I vacillate on my favorite track on this album. It comes down to two.
The lyrical interpretation of How Insensitive is heartbreaking. And Sinatra and Jobim’s voices blend beautifully with the orchestration to eloquently evoke the sorrow of the song.
The other song is Cole Porter’s I Concentrate on You. I happen to love this song in it’s original composition and arrangement. It’s fantastic. But there’s a new life imbued when Olgermann’s bossa nova arrangement provides the foundation of Porter’s lyrics. Perhaps I love this song all the more because it had the capacity to grow into this version. Regardless, it’s one of my all time favorites and worthy of a listen.
Now, I always think of Sinatra as a scotch man. Served neat. Maybe with ice on a hotter day. But that just won’t do when listening to this gem. When you go to listen to this album, it deserves the palatable variety of an Isaiah Rynders cocktail (find the recipe here). The strength and masculinity of two different Irish whiskeys paired with the international flavors of tamarind, ginger, and Cardamaro and the summer frivolity of vanilla soda is the perfect fit for Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66
No summer in my book is complete without at least several days of Sergio Mendes on constant rotation. If the name is new to you, I recommend finding a Greatest Hits album of theirs and letting that be your first introduction. Sergio Mendes is a Brasilian pianist and arranger who is still working today. His career has been long and his arrangements have simultaneously maintained his signature Sergio sound while also adapting to the times. He’s worked with a bevy of artists from Herb Alpert and Frank Sinatra to Justin Timberlake and will.i.am.
But, while his later albums are fantastic fun, I am old school. I love his Brasil ’66 sound, particularly the first four albums. Starting with Herb Alpert Presents and ending with their Grammy winning Fool on the Hill, Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 harnessed the sound of their time and cranked up the bossa nova volume on it. Their first colossal hit was Mas Que Nada, a Brasilian classic by Jorge Ben. However, on their next three consecutive albums- Equinox (my personal favorites), Look Around, and Fool on the Hill- you’ll find works from all around the musical world, not just Brasil. There’s Sergio’s take on several Beatles’ classics. He dips his toe into the Great American Songbook with Night and Day (arguably one of the most unique cuts of that Cole Porter standard). There are numerous nods to classic Brasilian songs- though he doesn’t do the BIG ones like Corcovado or The Girl from Ipanema.
But make no mistake, this is sophisticated music. There’s a lot happening in the arrangements. And the fact that the songs are so varied from their originations adds a special kind of complexity to the whole.
Anything recorded by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 is flat out fun. He harnesses a joyful sound, even when the songs are sad. And, as seems to be inherent within the Brasilian sound, there’s a soupçon of sexy to this music, too. And since summer is supposed to be sweet and fun and joyous with a touch of sexy, this music is the perfect accompaniment.
Now, if you’re going to pour yourself a cocktail to go with these guys, it would have to be something inherently fruity and sweet, like a good Brasilian cocktail should be. Therefore, I deem the Batida de Coco (find the recipe here) as the perfect libation for the Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 listening party. Batida means ‘shaken’ and this music will shake up any playlist for the better. Furthermore, this coconut, creamy cocktail can be made with or without alcohol. Purist will say to make it with cachaca, but if you don’t have that, vodka or even rum will work in a pinch. This cocktail’s all about fun, and so’s Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.
Dragonfly Summer
Perhaps of all the albums I’ve spoken about, this one deviates from my norm the most. While Michael Franks is firmly in the jazz category, this album (along with Passionfruit and Abandoned Garden- his tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim) is a fantastic summer spin. Furthermore, he incorporates definite Bossa Nova beats into his tracks. Suffice it to say that were it not for Jobim and Gilberto, there wouldn’t be a Dragonfly Summer.
The thing I most appreciate about Michael Franks on the whole and this album in particular is how poetic his lyricism is. It’s no surprise to learn, then, that rather than being classically trained as a musician, Franks actually possesses degrees in English Literature and, if I’m not mistaken, even taught on a collegiate level. When listening to his lyrics- I encourage you to read them, too, as he so often provides them in his CD booklets- you’ll definitely see the literary influences in his work.
But while the lyrics are superbly complex and nuanced, the music is as well. When combined, the words and music weave together to unfurl an evocative score so potent, you can close your eyes and fully conjure what he’s singing about.
And while we so often associate sophistication with a lack of humor, this album shows off Michael Franks talent in being playful and flirty.
On the whole, you’ll be graced with a wonderful journey. From the first track, Coming to Life, you’ll move through the progression of summer- fun and flirtatious days, sultry and thoughtful evenings, and sexy nights. And, just because she’s such a tour de force, you’ll even have the treat of a track- You Were Meant for Me- in which a mature Peggy Lee duets with Franks.
Since this album spans so many summer feelings, I can’t quite settle on one cocktail. Or two. There’s three that fit Dragonfly Summer. The first is the Brazilian Sunrise (find recipe here); this is a perfect libation for brunch. It’s simple to make and so pretty to look at. But, if you’re not a juice person, Dragonfly Summer definitely has the potency and hipness to take on a coffee cocktail like Caipirinha Coffee (see recipe here). As with all things Brasilian, this coffee slushy is sweet. But it also possesses a complex flavoring, too. And, as is the nature of coffee, you can have this one with your brunch or in the afternoon. But, because Dragonfly Summer is unapologetically sexy as only the intimacy of the evening hours holds, an Espanhola is somehow fitting (find the recipe here). This red wine cocktail has the boldness from the wine, but also the flirtatiousness of pineapple and the sweet tenderness of condensed milk. The fact that it’s a cold and frothy drink only fits it more perfectly in with a summer night’s listening party.
With school starting up in parts of the country, and the talk of the coming school year dominating many news sources, it may feel like summer’s over. But, it’s not. There’s still several weeks left to this idyll and nothing celebrates summer like these albums. I’ve put them all together on a Youtube playlist for your convenience.
There is something inherently sultry and sizzling about Brasil. It invites ideas of summer nights, of al fresco drinking and dining with dancing. It simmers a sensuous sound that puts us in mind of late night summer parties that end in the wee hours of the morning. It’s perhaps slightly irresponsible, maybe a little reckless, but always a good memory, just as summer should be.
So, whatever cocktail (virgin or full throttle) that you settled on, let’s lift a glass to the Bossa Nova days and nights of summer.
Happy Listening, dear readers.
