Getz / Gilberto #2

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Justifiably overshadowed by the peerless Getz/Gilberto album (which featured Girl from Ipanema) from a year before, Getz/Gilberto #2 still holds its own with an appealing selection of fine jazz and bossa nova cuts. Unlike the first album's seamless collaboration by Getz, Joao Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim, here Getz and Joao Gilberto turn in separate sets recorded live at Carnegie Hall in October of 1964. Backed by a stellar quartet comprised of vibraphonist Gary Burton, bassist Gene Cherico, and drummer Joe Hunt, Getz turns in a sparkling performance on the seldom covered ballad Tonight I Shall Sleep with a Smile on My Face while stretching out nicely on his original blues swinger Stan's Blues. With the support of bassist Keeter Betts and drummer Helcio Milito, Gilberto displays his subtle vocal and guitar talents on a set of bossa nova favorites, including his own Bim Bom and Jobim's Meditation. The CD reissue also includes a couple of additional live vocal cuts featuring Astrud Gilberto, including somewhat lifeless versions of Corcovado and Girl from Ipanema from the Carnegie Hall concert, and inspired readings of It Might as Well Be Spring and Only Trust Your Heart from the club recording Getz Au Go Go. An appealing title amongst Getz's many bossa nova outings, but not an essential one. Newcomers should definitely start with the Getz/Gilberto album before checking this one out. ~ Stephen Cook, Rovi