Very...profound
In which I return to my ocean of jazzy perplexities, lifeboat nowhere to be seen – this time with a Brazilian twist.
TL;DR
Oh Meme Dog, at least I can count on you
1.) Desafinado - OK dance beat, come thrrrrrrough! AND WE HAVE IT, FOLKS - THAT SEXIEST OF SAXES! THANK GOD.
I looked up the song, as I am wont to do. The title itself means "out of tune" in Spanish and apparently also in Portuguese, but here's the real kicker: "It was originally a response to critics who claimed that bossa nova was a new genre for singers who can't sing."
We stan a salty queen.
It's a really solid opener. More, please.
2.) Samba Dees Days - ...wait, that title doesn't look very Portuguese to me...
Non-Portuguese-ness aside, loving the rhythm of it, though I overall prefer "Desafinado" vibe-wise. This one almost sounds like it has a country/folk influence, what with that twangy guitar and all.
Eh, it's fine. NEXT!
3.) O Pato - My rudimentary Portuguese skills (thanks, Duolingo!) inform me that this means "the duck." Is this duck-like? Not as much as it was...quacked up to be.
I've done a terrible, terrible thing
It's fine. Not so different from the others, in my Most Honest of Opinions.
4.) Samba Triste - Oooooh another samba, but it's Sad. This guitar at the start is really doing it for me, gotta say.
THEN that sax comes in?
Je suis enchantée indeed
It starts to lose me about halfway through when the music is extra pared-down, though. I was into the first two minutes!
-THUS PASSES SIDE ONE-
5.) Samba de Uma Nota Só - AKA "One-Note Samba": "The song title refers to the main melody line, which at first consists of a long series of notes of a single tone (typically D, as played in the key of G) played over a descending chord progression in a bossa nova rhythm." God, we love a fun fact.
And yeah, there's a lot of prime one-note action here.
...And that's all I have to say about that! NEXT!
6.) É Luxo Só - "It's only luxxxxxury"
...not quite, but thanks for playing!
Yeah, I could imagine this playing at a high-class beach resort. It has that nice beachy sort of vibe to it.
7.) Bahia - Mmmmmmmm, LOVE the opening bassline. Yes, please. And it carries throughout, plowing ever onwards under sax lines (yes gawd) and guitar lines and all kinds of lines.
Though this is a more minimal piece, that bass groove is enough to propel this song – and the album as a whole – to the finish line.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This was a NUMBER ONE HIT in the U.S. in 1963, which, wow. I'm always amazed when instrumentals make it onto the Billboard charts, let alone to the Top 10, LET ALONE to number one. And it's a really great groove - reminds me of a boss nova-fied version of Machito's Kenya, which I covered previously.
It's this kind of aspect of this blog that I love: being able to draw these connections and even draw a line in history from one point downwards. It is likely just wild speculation on my part, but I can't help but think that if it hadn't been for acts like Machito or Sabu that this album wouldn't have been nearly as successful.
All this said, this kind of music is far more accessible for me than, say, Bill Evans Trio (no shade meant). Listen to it while drinking a nice caipirinha.
Personal standout tracks:
"Desafinado," "Samba Triste" (the first bit), "Bahia"
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