Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim CD

Out of print in the U.S.! Antonio Carlos Jobim brings the Bossa Nova beat to Francis Albert Sinatra for this 1967 album, creating a sleek and sexy collection of songs that will appeal to Pop, Easy Listening, Bossa Nova and Lounge fans. Though they are two strong musical personalities, they allow each other plenty of space and, ultimately, Sinatra's voice magnificently soars above Jobim's simple, yet effective Latin-tinged rhythms. Absolutely irresistible. Warner.

Personnel includes: Frank Sinatra, Antonio Jobim (vocals); Claus Ogerman (conductor); Don-Um Romao (drums).
Producer: Sonny Burke.
Reissue producer: Gregg Geller.
Includes original release liner notes by Stan Cornyn.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
By 1967, bossa nova had become quite popular within jazz and traditional pop audiences, yet Frank Sinatra hadn't attempted any Brazil-influenced material. Sinatra decided to record a full-fledged bossa nova album with the genre's leading composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Arranged by Claus Ogerman and featuring Jobim on guitar and backing vocals, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim concentrated on Jobim's originals, adding three American classics -- "Baubles, Bangles and Beads," "Change Partners," and "I Concentrate on You" -- that were rearranged to suit bossa nova conventions. The result was a subdued, quiet album that used the Latin rhythms as a foundation, not as a focal point. Supported by a relaxed, sympathetic arrangement of muted brass, simmering percussion, soft strings, and Jobim's lilting guitar, Sinatra turns in an especially noteworthy performance; he has never sounded so subtle, underplaying every line he delivers and showcasing vocal techniques that he never had displayed before. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim doesn't reveal its pleasures immediately; the album is too textured and understated to be fully appreciated within one listen. After a few plays, the album begins to slowly work its way underneath a listener's skin, and it emerges as one of his most rewarding albums of the '60s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After bossa nova exploded in the U.S in the early Sixties, its primary compositional exponent, Jobim, became known as an artist of unparalleled subtlety, invention and swing. It was only a matter of time, then, before he hooked up with the American who epitomized those qualities. Collaborating on this recording, Sinatra and Jobim both retained enough respect for each other to allow for a true fusion of styles, unfettered by either territorialism or obsequiousness.
Sinatra's relaxed, swinging style turned out to be a natural fit for Jobim's slinky, harmonically sophisticated compositions, and Jobim's conductor of choice Claus Ogerman and percussionist Dom-Um Romao are able to find a natural groove with the singer's unique, jazzy phrasing. Since much of Jobim's work was influenced by American music to begin with, it's not such a shock to hear Americanized versions of "How Insensitive" and "Meditiation." Similarly, when Cole Porter's "I Concentrate On You" is lent a Brazilian beat, it sounds like somebody just thought of adding peanut butter to jelly.

Mojo (Publisher) (2/01, p.105) - "...For this immaculate bossa work-out on classics mainly penned by Jobim...Sinatra opted to just ease along, the duo creating rhythmic, late-night music that somehow oozes sex."