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Antonio Carlos Jobim – Composer $5.98 Personnel includes: Antonio Carlos Jobim (vocals, guitar); Claus Ogerman, Nelson Riddle (conductor, arranger); Dick Hyman (organ); Luiz Eca (piano).Producers include: Jimmy Hilliard, Ray Gilbert, Louis Oliveira, George Lee.Recorded between 1965 and 1967. Includes liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.This compilation focuses on an often-overlooked aspect of the legendary Brazilian composer`s career: his own recordings. Jobim changed the face of Brazilian music, and pop music in general, by pioneering bossa nova, a genre that fused the Brazilian samba with a jazzy harmonic sensibility and the melodic constructions of American pop composers like Cole Porter and George Gershwin. His songs have been recorded by such American giants as Frank Sinatra and Stan Getz, as well as Brazilians like Astrud & Joao Gilberto. Jobim`s own recording career has garnered far less attention than his songs. But these mid-`60s sides show that Jobim had much to offer as an interpreter of his own compositions.Jobim`s music is soft and sensual, but never loses the underlying rhythmic lilt that is synonymous with bossa nova. Songs like "Agua De Beber" and "Photograph" exemplify his ability to float an elegant melodic line over an irresistible groove. The unusual chord changes and highly evolved harmonic structures of Jobim`s compositions, equally influenced by American jazz and Brazilian classicists like Villa-Lobos, are exemplified on "Dindi" and "Desafinado (Off-Key)," whose lyrics cast self-deprecating aspersions on Jobim`s endearingly unschooled, often flat singing. A line from "Desafinado" puts it best: "It`s a crooked song, but all my love is there." Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
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John Williams (Composer) – Great Composer Series $13.84 Includes liner notes by Robert Townson.Although the selections on Varese Sarabande`s Great Composers may not be pulled from the original soundtrack recordings, that`s not the biggest problem with the disc. The major problem is that it`s skewed toward a general audience — the kind that wants to have John Williams` "greatest hits" and best-known themes on one disc — but overlooks such major moments as the soundtracks to Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, and Born on the Fourth of July, among others. That will undoubtedly frustrate some listeners, but if they get past that initial frustration, they`ll find that Great Composers is actually a fairly entertaining listen. Yes, it may have a few too many of his lesser-known works (Midway, Presumed Innocent, Family Plot, Stanley & Iris, The Cowboys), but these are still very good and sit well with Superman, Jurassic Park, Schindler`s List, and Star Wars. So, while it may not be perfect, it is entertaining and it does confirm the variety and depth inherent in John Williams` music. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved. |
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Grace Notes $10.95 A young Irish composer becomes pregnant, flees her disastrous marriage, and finds that the demands of single motherhood threaten her career. Nominated for the Booker Prize in 1997. |