Dave Rickert
June 2002

Combing the Catalog
Archive <& /articles/verv_archive.tmp &>

By David Rickert

More releases from the new mini-LP series from Verve.

The Shadow of Your Smile
Astrud Gilberto
1965

The success of “The Girl From Ipanema” made an overnight sensation out of Astrud Gilberto and prompted Creed Taylor to quickly feature her in a series of more recordings to capitalize on her success. The Shadow of Your Smile, her second release for the label, features a handful of songs that wisely sound more or less like “Ipanema”. No surprises here, for Gilberto had a range too limited to attempt anything more adventurous and Taylor correctly assumed that people who bought her records were probably after more bossa nova anyway. Although none of the tracks approach the perfection of anything on Getz/Gilberto, the haunting vocals and lush arrangements still evoke a warm nostalgia even today. There’s some obvious choices, like “Mahna de Carnival”, along with populare hits like “Fly My Too the Moon” given a bossa lilt. Gilberto approaches the melodies with a quiet intimacy, often backed by a lush string orchestra with airy trombones and flutes rippling overhead. However, the most effective songs are those that feature the most sparse arrangements; a delicate version of “The Gentle Rain” with just guitar is as good as any song from the bossa nova craze. A great relic of a bygone era.

Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Margaret Whiting
1960

Deep down we’re all suckers for torch singers like Margaret Whiting and the martini, jet-set lifestyle they promote. With arrangements by Russell Garcia, who favors lush strings over dynamic brass, Whiting earnestly delivers a heavy dose of songs culled from the Jerome Kern songbook. Kern always considered Whiting to be one of the best interpreters of his music, and each song is wrapped in a heavy aura of romanticism and taken at a wistful pace. It’s a treat to hear these songs as they were meant to be heard, before the boppers got their hands on them and jacked up the tempo. “All The Things You Are” and “The Song is You” for instance, are cast as inviting ballads, emphasizing how beautiful the songs are removed from fellows who just use them to zip through the changes. In an unusual move, Whiting dispensed with the sound booth and recorded her vocals in front of the orchestra, blending the two elements as one. However, because of the overall sweetness of the arrangements, the album is difficult to listen to all at once, and has an effect almost like eating too much candy. Whiting isn’t an extraordinary singer, but the fantastic songs carry the day. When this album was released torch singers were a dime a dozen; Whiting proves that she was one step ahead of the pack.

Astrud Gilberto-The Shadow of Your Smile
Tracks: Love Theme From “The Sandpiper” (The Shadow of Your Smile); (Take Me TO) Aruanda; Mahna de Carnival; Fly Me To the Moon; The Gentle Rain; Non-Stop to Brazil; O Ganso; Who Can I Turn To?; Day By Day; Tristeza; Funny World (Theme From “Malamondo”).
Personnel: Astrud Gilberto-vocal; arranged and conducted by Joao Donato, Claus Ogerman, and Don Sebesky featuring Urbie Green.

Margaret Whiting-Margaret Whiting Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
Tracks: Why Was I Born?; Remind Me; The Song Is You; I Won’t Dance; Don’t Ever Leave Me; I’m Old Fashioned; All In Fun; Why Do I Love You?; Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man; A Fine Romance; Look For the Silver Lining; All The Things You Are; Poor Pierrot; Smoke Gets In Your Eyes; Let’s Begin; D’ye Love Me; Dearly Beloved; Long Ago (and Far Away); The Way You Look Tonight; You Couldn’t Be Cuter; Yesterdays; Bill; She Didn’t Say Yes; The Touch of Your Hand.
Personnel: Margaret Whiting-vocal with arrangements and orchestra conducted by Russell Garcia.

Verve on the web: http://www.verveinteractive.com