Big Band Bossa Nova

Personnel: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Gary McFarland (conductor); Doc Severisen, Bernie Glow, Joe Ferrante, Clark Terry, Nick Travis (trumpet); Ray Alonge (French horn); Tony Studd, Bob Brookmeyer, Willie Dennis (trombone); Ray Beckenstein (flute, clarinet); Gerald Sanfino (flute); Eddie Caine (alto flute); Babe Clark, Walt Levinsky (clarinet); Romeo Penque (bass clarinet); Hank Jones (piano); Jim Hall (guitar); Tommy Williams (bass); Johnny Rae (drums); Jose Paulo (tambourine); Carmen Costa (cabassa).
Recorded in New York, New York on August 27 & 28, 1962.
For many North American music fans, Stan Getz was the figure associated most closely with the Brazilian jazz craze in the early 1960s. Unlike classic albums like GETZ/GILBERTO, however, 1962's BIG BAND BOSSA NOVA sidesteps the delicate, airy quality of traditional bossa nova for a fusion music that folds in the bold, brassy sound of a large jazz ensemble. Bossa nova purists may take issue with the fusion, which loses something of the form's elegance in translation, but there's still plenty to appreciate here. Tight, swinging arrangements, Getz's superb playing, and an excellent selection of tunes (Luis Bonfa's "Morning of the Carnival" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "One Note Samba" are highlights), make this a thoroughly enjoyable listen.