92. Frank Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim (March 1967)

1. The Girl from Ipanema

2. Dindi*

3. Change Partners

4. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)*

5. Meditation (Meditação)

6. If You Never Come to Me (Inútil Paisagem)

7. How Insensitive (Insensatez)

8. I Concentrate on You

9. Baubles, Bangles and Beads

10. Once I Loved (O Amor em Paz)*

B+

Well this is a short, sweet album. It's also one of the most polished recordings we've had so far. The album is beautifully recorded, and impeccably played and arranged. I'm not quite sure why it was included, though. I suppose if you like Frank Sinatra (and I've been won over to him over the course of this project), then it's both an enjoyable and an interesting album. After all, it's one of the greatest singers of the era teaming up with one of the greatest and most influential songwriters. And this is a very good an album. 

There's nothing here to surprise you, mind. Several of the songs have already appeared on the list in better versions, although it's nice to have them translated into English. This isn't really an innovative album so much as an excellent example of the form. Sinatra's voice is a surprisingly good fit for Bossa Nova, and he's joined on vocals on "The Girl from Impanema" by Jobim, effectively duplicating the English/Portuguese/English approach of the more famous version with Astrud Gilberto. The songs choices are all very solid, including a few American numbers to pad out the length. As said, the arrangements are lovely - very subtle and understate, providing a perfect counterpoint to Sinatra's world-weary vocals and anchored by Jobim's pulsing guitar. 

I guess this album is kind of interesting as a bookend to a particular period in popular music. The Beatles, Velvet Underground, Who,. Rolling Stones and so forth were changing music. Led Zeppelin was on the horizon. Bossa Nova had been thoroughly absorbed into the Western canon, and Sinatra's years of relevance were reaching a close. So this is a light, understated album of unassuming grace. It really isn't trying to be anything more than thirty minutes of pretty, slightly wistful music, and on those terms it succeeds admirably.