Recorded in 1970 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey under the production auspices of Creed Taylor, the arrangement and conducting skills of Deodato, and the engineering expertise of Van Gelder himself, Jobim's Stone Flower is quite simply one of his most quietly stunning works -- and certainly the high point of his time at Columbia. Nearly a decade after the paint peeled from the shine of bossa nova's domination of both the pop and jazz charts in the early '60s, Creed Taylor brought Jobim's tender hush of the bossa ...
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Recorded in 1970 at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in New Jersey under the production auspices of Creed Taylor, the arrangement and conducting skills of Deodato, and the engineering expertise of Van Gelder himself, Jobim's Stone Flower is quite simply one of his most quietly stunning works -- and certainly the high point of his time at Columbia. Nearly a decade after the paint peeled from the shine of bossa nova's domination of both the pop and jazz charts in the early '60s, Creed Taylor brought Jobim's tender hush of the bossa sound back into the limelight. With a band that included both Jobim and Deodato on guitars (Jobim also plays piano and sings in a couple of spots), Ron Carter on bass, Joćo Palma on drums, Airto Moreira and Everaldo Ferreira on percussion, Urbie Green on trombone, Joe Sample on soprano saxophone, and Harry Lookofsky laying down a soulful violin solo on the title track, Jobim created his own version of Kind of Blue. The set opens with the low, simmering "Tereza My Love," with its hushed, elongated trombone lines and shifting acoustic guitars floating on the evening breeze. It begins intimate and ends with a closeness that is almost uncomfortably sensual, even for bossa nova. And then there are the slippery piano melodies Jobim lets roll off his fingers against a backdrop of gauzy strings and syncopated rhythms in both "Choro" and "Brazil." The latter is a samba tune with a sprightly tempo brought to the fore by Jobim's sandy, smoky vocal hovering ghost-like about the instrumental shimmer in the mix. Take, for instance, the title track with its stuttered, near imperceptible percussion laid under a Jobim piano melody of such simplicity, it's harmonically deceptive. It isn't until Lookofsky enters for his solo that you realize just how sophisticated and dense both rhythm and the chromatic lyricism are. The album closes with a reprise of "Brazil," restating a theme that has, surprisingly been touched upon in every track since the original inception, making most of the disc a suite that is a lush, sense-altering mediation, not only on Jobim's music and the portraits it paints, but ON the sounds employed by Taylor to achieve this effect. Stone Flower is simply brilliant, a velvety, late-night snapshot of Jobim at his peak. [The 2002 reissue adds an alternate take of "Brazil" as a bonus track.] ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
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Add this copy of Stone Flower to cart. $11.44, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill of Orange County rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Ana, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Epic/Legacy.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This item has very light surface scratches that do not affect the use of the disc/s. This is a USED item. Case and cover may or may not have wear or damage. All items unless otherwise noted will include disc, case, and artwork. Codes have been used. Other contents such as booklets may vary, please inquire for details. All items ship Monday-Friday within 2-3 business days.
Add this copy of Stone Flower to cart. $14.62, like new condition, Sold by Streetlight_Records rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Cruz, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Sony Legacy.
Add this copy of Stone Flower [Bonus Track] to cart. $14.39, very good condition, Sold by New England Booksellers rated 1.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Greenfield, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2002 by Epic/Legacy.
These are largely AC Jobim compositions, with Brazil" being the principal exception. These are largely mid-size ensemble arrangements, played by American jazz musicians, as well as Jobim himself. The arrangements sometimes are reminiscent of the Sixties bowling alley culture, but are appealing enough nevertheless, especially when the alternative for Jobim was, more often than not, syrupy Brazilian orchestras.
The eponymous "Stone Flower" is surprisingly rare; to my knowledge, Jobim performed it only with the "Banda Nova" in the Eighties, and it has continued to be rarely performed, in spite of appearing on Santana's "Caravanserai".
![Stone Flower [Bonus Track] - Antonio Carlos Jobim](https://www2.alibris-static.com/stone-flower-bonus-track/cover/l81449dy4yq_l.jpg)
![Stone Flower [Bonus Track]](https://www2.alibris-static.com/stone-flower-bonus-track/cover/l81449dy4yq.jpg)
