AMG Review of Compact Jazz: Antonio Carlos Jobim

Ted Mills
All Music Guide

One of the first CD compilations of Jobim's music, yet it doesn't scrimp on the time too much (nearly an hour) and it hits mostly all the right marks. The selection varies between Jobim's versions of his compositions (taken mostly from the 1963 The Composer of Desafinado Plays album), the Stan Getz versions that brought them to America's attention, and the 1974 sessions that resulted in Elias and Tom. Featured vocalists are, of course, Astrud Gilberto, Elis Regina, and Jobim himself. There have been better versions of some of these songs, while some are classics, but the package gives a fine overview for beginners.