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Astrud Gilberto: Temperance
First of all, the album is worth its price just for the recording of "How High the Moon," which features the New York Voices providing close harmonic support. The other eleven songs on the album were all composed by Astrud Gilberto herself. While her songwriting abilities are not in the same league as her vocalizing (and her English lyrics seldom range beyond a moon/June/croon complexity), Gilberto's songs are pleasant and demonstrate that she certainly picked up a thing or two growing up musically in the hothouse creative environment of Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s and 1960s.
I'm not a big Michael Franks fan,but I have to admit that his limpid, waif-like voice works well in a bossa nova setting. His duet with Gilberto in her song "Beautiful You" ranks as one of Franks' better recorded efforts. Additionally, Gilberto's lyrics to her song "Movie Review" are quite reminiscent of Franks' "Cinema," his English language remake of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Voce vai ver."
Finally, a word of praise for Gilberto's band, which includes such luminaries as Duduka da Fonseca (the drummer with Trio da Paz), trumpeter Lew Soloff, and keyboardist Kimson Plaut,who lamentably died at much too early an age a little over a year ago.
If you're planning a trip to Europe or Japan, don't forget to pick up a copy of Temperance. And if travel abroad isn't in your plans, Temperance is the perfect excuse for a vacation.
Track Listing
How High the Moon; What You're Doing to Me; Beautiful You; Let Yourself Go; Festa do Berimbau; Reconciliation; Is It Yokohama or Oklahoma; There's Light; Zurich 3 AM; Movie Review
Personnel
Astrud Gilberto
vocalsAstrud Gilberto, vocals; New York Voices, vocals; Cliff Corman,keyboards; Kimson Plaut, keyboards; Mark Lambert, guitar; Duduka da Fonseca, drums; MarceloGilberto, bass; Lew Soloff, trumpet
Album information
Title: Temperance | Year Released: 2002 | Record Label: Gregmar
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