João Gilberto – João Gilberto (1973)

This is my favorite João Gilberto record, absolutely and without doubt. Not that I claim to have his entire discography (it is pretty massive), but this record simply cannot be surpassed. I had an old review I had written for this record in 2004 that I was going to post here, but it strikes me as a bit silly now so I’m including some commentary from others below. What I will say is that this record has an intimate ambiance unlike any other in my collection — It’s as if João Gilberto just came in off the street to play you a handful of songs in your own living room, and is doing it so quietly and gently so as not to wake up a sleeping child in the next room. He also brought along a percussionist who is crouched in a corner doing their thing as if balanced on eggshells the whole time. Anyone who has played music knows that it is much more challenging for a drummer or percussionist to play quietly than it is to play loudly, and this record seems to defy physics in that regard. This record does not just stand out in João’s body of work — it stands out as a pure artistic statement. (Also having been recorded in New Jersey by Wendy Carlos [see below] scores some weirdness points..)

João Gilberto – (self-titled) 1973

Águas de Março
Undiú
Na Baixa do Sapateiro
Avarandado
Falsa Baiana
Eu Quero Um Samba
Eu Vim Da Bahia
Valsa (Como São Lindos Os Youguis)(Bebel)
É Preciso Perdoar
Izaura

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[quote]
from Richard Ginell, AMG:
This release is Joao Gilberto stripped down nearly to his bare essentials — his voice, guitar and the extremely spare drumming of Sonny Carr — and he’s just as mesmerizing as he’s ever been on records. The whole record is about the rhythmic clashes and dovetailings of a singer and his guitar, pitched at extremely low levels of volume yet generating volumes of drive without seeming to breathe hard. Dig the insistent way in which “Falsa Baiana” and Gilberto Gil’s marathon rhythm machine “Eu Vim Da Bahia” ride the waves of the bossa nova groove, or how Gilberto delivers one of the best renditions of Jobim’s “Aguas de Marco” — quietly relentless and to-the-point. Three of the tracks eschew words altogether — gentle syllables and/or Gilberto’s insistent guitar tell the entire story — and the final selection, “Izaura,” belatedly adds a female voice (Miucha) in the left speaker. Though recorded in a New Jersey studio — the engineer, surprisingly enough, is Wendy Carlos, the electronic music pioneer of Switched-On Bach fame — this addictive release originates from PolyGram Brazil.[/quote]

From the Slipcue E-zine:[quote]
Joao Gilberto “Joao Gilberto” (Polydor Brasil, 1973)
Joao’s “white album” — a hauntingly sparse, beautiful, and quite ethereal recording. One of the best Brazilian records ever made. Sparse and gentle, graceful beyond the reach of practically any other musician alive, this includes revamped acoustic takes on several bossa nova and pre-bossa oldies, along with newer material such as his lullaby for his young daughter, Bebel, and one song each by the upstart tropicalistas, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Gilberto sings barely at a whisper, while his percussionist is the absolute model of restraint and economy. Next to his debut albums of the 1950s, this is probably the best work Gilberto ever did — and that’s saying a lot! HIGHLY recommended![/quote]

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