Music : Elis & Tom

Rating: - Fascinating and haunting bossa classic
The easy-to-love, soft and swinging sound of bossa nova swept the world in the 1960s, and much of its fame rested with the supremely talented composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Mr Jobim recorded generously throughout his career, but this 70s collection with marvellous singer Elis Regina is something rather special. Elis and Tom create a darker, more fatalistic bossa record than we are used to, with strong, deep-blue emotions expressed via Elis' searing voice and some wonderfully varied instrumentation, including a dramatic string section that sounds positively mournful when paired with Ms Regina's limpid vocals.

The songs themselves are some of Jobim's most wonderful. The classic "Inutil Paisagem" benefits from hauting solo piano accompaniment; "Triste" is the definitive recording of this truly beguiling melody; and, my personal desert island track, "Retrato em Preto e Branco", which is the very definition of melancholy and unbelievably beautiful.

So, if you want to sample another face of bossa nova, something away from the beach-party of Ipanema, I wholeheartedly reccommend this sad, soulful hour with Elis and Tom.

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Rating: - A must-have
This gem from 1974 pairs one of Brazil's most astounding vocalists ever, Elis Regina, with one of the most talented composers of the 20th century, Antonio Carlos Jobim, singing together some of Jobim's best-known songs. The album combines Elis's silky-smooth and emotional delivery with some of the best arrangements and technically superior recordings of her entire career, as the album was recorded in Los Angeles instead of Regina and Jobim's native Brazil. The album includes a full text and the lyrics in Portuguese and English translations. It's a terrific first purchase for anyone wanting to explore popular Brazilian music and is widely considered to be one of the best recordings of Brazilian music ever produced. It's truly a masterpiece and is rarely far from my CD player.

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Rating: - "Must have" if you are beginning to explore Brazilian music
Tom Jobim provides the delicate arrangements for a collection of songs for Elis Regina to sing. They recorded this album on Feb. 22 and Mar. 9, 1974. They were already internationally respected musicians. The record compiles Jobim's compositions from different phases and is a pleasure from beginning to end. There is a memorable rendition of "Aguas de Março", where Tom makes Elis laugh. Gone are the elaborate jazzy arrangemets of mid sixties works, Jobim chooses here delicious minimalist arrangements and emotionally charged athmospheres of dramatic intensity. It's a must if you like Brazilian songwriters such as Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Edu Lobo, Gilberto Gil... If you liked this record, you must also get Edu + Tom, a similar studio reunion by Tom Jobim and Edu Lobo.