Symphonic Jobim (Jobim Sinfônico)
Antonio Carlos Jobim is remembered as one Brazil's greatest composers. He spearheaded the creation of bossa nova nearly a half century ago; he was also a musician whose talents extended far beyond that of a composer. His training was in classical music and he'd been involved with large-scale orchestral collaborations for his work over the years. This posthumous effort, recorded live in 2002, highlights many of those large-scale works, offering lush arrangements by the maestro himself, Claus Ogerman, and Nelson Riddle, as well as new charts by son Paulo Jobim and Mario Adnet.  In addition to classical arrangements of such classics as "A Felicidade" and "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Impanema"), previously unreleased pieces "Preludio" and "Lenda" make their debut on this double-disc collection. This large canvas of sound deftly illustrates the beauty of Jobim's melodies, but the composer's majestic sense of harmony is really highlighted, thus offering up the biggest revelation of the project.  This is the best re-imagination of the composer's work since Morelenbaum/Sakamoto'sCasa.--Tad Hendrickson