Brazilian Byrd: Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim
Byrd devoted this album to the compositions ofAntonio Carlos Jobimin 1965, at the crest of the bossa nova wave. Byrd had been among the first American musicians, along withJim HallandKenny Dorham, to encounter the Brazilian beat, and there's a sure grasp of the idiom, particularly well suited to his classical guitar. Along with Jobim's best-known compositions like "Girl from Ipanema" and "Corcovado," Byrd plays rarer, contemporaneous treasures like the beautiful "O Amor Em Paz" and "As Praias Desertas," unfolding their melodies with loving care and subtle embellishment. The string and big band settings are tasteful and unobtrusive, a pleasant backdrop for the essential dialogue between Byrd's guitar and Jobim's songs. --Stuart Broomer