1 Naked City Theme
2 Lazy River
3 Ramblin' Rose
4 Maria [From West Side Story]
5 Petite Fleur
6 Teach Me Tonight
7 Lollipops And Roses
8 Moon River
9 Desafinado
10 Mr. Lucky
11 One Note Samba
12 Theme From “Route 66”
13 Recado Bossa Nova
14 I Left My Heart In San Francisco
15 O Barquinho [Little Boat]
16 What Kind Of Fool Am I?
17 Acapulco 1922
18 Heartaches
19 Fly Me To The Moon
20 Satin Doll
21 The Alley Cat Song
22 Meditation [Meditaçao]
23 Walk Right In
24 Days Of Wine And Roses
25 Harlem Samba
26 North Of The Border
27 Sunset Baion
28 Round Midnight
29 Toro Dance
30 Serenade For Alto
31 Frío Y Calor
Laurindo Almeida (guitar and cavaquinha): Don Fagerquist (trumpet); Bob Cooper (tenor saxophone); Justin Gordon (flute); Jimmy Rowles (piano and organ):
Howard Roberts and Al Viola (guitar): Max Bennett (bass): Shelly Manne (drums); Milt Holland and Chico Guerrero (percussion), recorded 1962
Bonus tracks [25-31] Laurindo Almeida (guitar): Bud Shank (alto saxophone, flute): Gary Peacock (bass); Chuck Flores (drums), recorded 1959
[79:05]
This is a well-packed disc of three parts. Firstly we have the contents of a 1962 LP, Viva Bossa Nova! and, second, the whole of Ole! Bossa Nova! (also from 1962) and, finally, third, a series of bonus tracks recorded earlier, in 1959, in which the Bossa maestro Laurindo
Almeida is teamed with Bud Shank, Gary Peacock and drummer Chuck Flores.
Almeida had been writing a series of Brazilian tunes in the early 1950s but none that could be described as bossa nova, as the term hadn’t yet come to
prominence. By the mid-50s it had begun to take shape, with consequences thereafter that we all know, so by 1962 when Almeida unleashed the earlier of the
albums, Viva Bossa Nova! the vogue was flourishing. Joining him were some of the West Coast elite who offer lightly flowing support to the
guitarist-leader whose elegant, immaculately warm solos are a constant source of enjoyment. Colour is provided by a front line that features trumpeter Don
Fagerquist, tenor player Bob Cooper and flautist Justin Gordon whose fluid interchanges with Almeida in particular, are especially evocative.
By the time of the second album, only a month or two later, one senses a greater confidence. Cooper’s tenor over Jimmy Rowles’s organ – he plays his more
familiar piano most of the time – illuminates What kind Of Fool Am I? Arrangements are perfectly acceptable though seldom truly striking, even in
this second LP, though sometimes they can be dapper, as in the case of Fly Me To The Moon or, in the case of Satin Doll, chic. Perhaps
the most engagingly straight-ahead number is Walk Right In where Fagerquist is at his most Clark Terry-like in this elegant stroller.
The bonus tracks come from Bud Shank’s LP Latin Contrasts and he takes some warm-toned solos, supported by his outstanding rhythm section.
Almeida, too, is in excellent form, and these tracks make a splendid pendant.
Throughout this well packaged CD we hear some assured unison passages, some compact arrangements and work-outs, and good solos. The temperature remains
somewhat cool but it’s the best kind of cool.
Jonathan Woolf
CD Reviews
AMERICAN JAZZ CLASSICS 99074
