Fresh from the sudden success of Jazz Samba and "Desafinado,"
Stan Getz asked the 28-year-old, strikingly gifted
Gary McFarland to arrange a bossa nova album for big band as a follow-up.
Getz is always his debonair, wistful, freely-floating self, completely at home in the Brazilian idiom that he'd adopted only a few months before.
McFarland usually keeps things nice and spare (although "One Note Samba" is uncharacteristically cluttered and a bit too discordant for the material), letting his pungent voicings stab the air now and then, while allowing the soloists all the room they want within the confines of producer
Creed Taylor's tight timings. Four of the eight songs are by
McFarland (none of which would become standards), and
Getz makes relaxed impressions with "Manha de Carnival" and "Chega de Saudade."
Jim Hall takes the role of acoustic guitarist from
Charlie Byrd with his usual fluidity, and
Hank Jones ruminates in a boppish way on piano. This album also charted quite respectably (number 13) in the first flush of the bossa nova boom. ~ Richard S. Ginell