ASTRUD GILBERTO - The Shadow of Your Smile [1965] VERVE / FLAC

 For her second Verve LP, Astrud Gilberto expanded her range from a raft of Gilberto/Jobim standards to embrace the large and obviously daunting catalogue of classic American pop. With arrangements by Don Sebesky and Claus Ogerman (as well as two by country-mate João Donato), The Shadow of Your Smile can't help but shine a bright spotlight on Gilberto's weak voice, especially when she's singing material previously enlightened by singers with the weight of Frank Sinatra or Sarah Vaughan. Even the intimate, understated arrangements on songs like "Day by Day," the title track, and "Fly Me to the Moon" overshadow the chanteuse's limited range. Brazilian material like the five songs by Luiz Bonfá make for better listening, though the preponderance of flutes, strings, and muted trumpet in the arrangements is very mid-'60s, for better and worse. (And the notes' description of "O Ganso" as an "exercise in vocalise based on bah and dah sounds" is being more than generous.) Certainly, no American vocalist could hope to equal the tortured syntax and somehow endearing performances on these songs; still, Verve did much better by Gilberto later on when they gave her good-time Brazilian songs to sing and didn't attempt to force comparison with standard jazz/pop vocalists.  by John Bush   
Tracklist
1 The Shadow of Your Smile 2:31
Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster
2 Aruanda (Take Me to Aruanda) 2:30
Norman Gimbel
3 Manhã de Carnival 1:57
Antônio Maria
4 Fly Me to the Moon 2:22
Bart Howard
5 The Gentle Rain 2:26
Luiz Bonfá
6 Non-Stop to Brazil 2:27
Luiz Bonfá / Norman Gimbel
7 O Ganso 2:09
Luiz Bonfá
8 Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) 2:10
Leslie Bricusse / Anthony Newley
9 Day by Day 2:09
Sammy Cahn / Axel Stordahl / Paul Weston
10 Tristeza (Goodbye Sadness) 2:23
Luiz Bonfá / Maria Toledo
11    Funny World 2:24
Alan Brandt
Credits
Arranged By, Conductor – Claus Ogerman (tracks: 4, 8, 9, 11), Don Sebesky (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 6), João Donato (tracks: 7)
Engineer – Bob Simpson, Phil Ramone, Rudy Van Gelder
Producer – Creed Taylor
Trombone – Kai Winding (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 6), Urbie Green (tracks: 4, 8, 9, 11)
Valve Trombone – Bob Brookmeyer (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 6, 10)
Vocals – Astrud Gilberto

ASTRUD GILBERTO - The Shadow of Your Smile 

[1965] VERVE / FLAC / scans

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