Jobim: The Sound Of Ipanema & Beyond

Antonio Carlos Jobim was a Brazilian songwriter/guitarist/pianist who is probably best known to English speaking audiences as the composer of “The Girl From Ipanema” and “How Insensitive”, two of the most frequently recorded standards of all time. His earlier instrumental work was influential in establishing the “bossa nova” as a fixture in jazz music that endures to this day. Yet much of his wider body of work remains obscure (outside of Brazil anyway) and crosses over a more eclectic range of genres than his biggest hits might suggest.

A first rate group of musicians has assembled to pay tribute to Jobim’s genius, their set shining a light upon the many hidden gems of his career, but without ignoring the big hits either.

Brazilian Jazz chanteuse Alda Rezende brings a smoky, husky sensuality to her delivery of various songs in Portugese that makes for an effective foil to Vince Jones’ smooth crooning of Jobim’s English language hits. Their voices blend together well in duets, though Jones’ body language throughout is sometimes distracting in its odd stiffness.

They are backed by guitarist Doug De Vries and band Panorama Brasil, who together weave a spellbinding texture of sound that is both flawless in its technical virtuosity and loaded with emotive energy.

On opening night, the band occasionally came across as nervous and ill-prepared in their stage patter. Fortunately the group doesn’t talk that much, and in any case it is really a minor nitpick in what is otherwise an immaculately crafted show.

Benjamin Orchard