Stan Getz Plays Jobim is yet another CD anthologising the tenorist's work for Verve, but it is more imaginative and integrated than most of the others. The latter, for all that they abound in wonderful music, do not always satisfy the serious enthusiast: their pick 'n' mix rationale is more likely to attract dilettantes or beginners. But even aficionados who have these 14 tracks already may want to buy this, for it collects--for the first time on a single CD--an example of every Jobim song that Getz recorded.
The results are doubly enriching, demonstrating afresh just how multiply gifted and wide-ranging a composer Jobim was and how his songs invariably inspired Getz to the peak of his imaginative powers no matter what the context or who else was on hand. Thus "The Girl From Ipanema" and "Eu e Voce", both featuring the decidedly limited Astrud Gilberto, emerge as hardly less riveting than "One Note Samba" with guitarist Charlie Byrd or "No More Blues" from Big Band Bossa Nova.
Mention should also be made of the searingly beautiful "O Morro Nao Tem Vez" (which translates as "The Slums Have No Chance") and "So Danco Samba", whose charming Joao Gilberto vocal is offset by a tenor solo of almost alarming power. In short, this is a record for everyone, beginner and seasoned veteran alike. --Richard Palmer