33. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd – Jazz Samba

Now that I’m a month or so into this grand musical endeavour, I’ve started having conversations about how it’s going and what’s coming up. The other night, I streamed this album over AirPlay as I was having a meal around a friend’s house, and it’s a telling testament to this bossa nova trailblazer that we were only about 30 seconds in before the conversation turned to “Mad Men” and a potential themed housewarming party in the days to come (more on that in a minute).

This album starts cosily with the ever-familiar “Desifinado”, and it’s a collation of smooth Brazilian melodies, seductive guitar from Charlie Byrd and fluid tenor sax from Stan Getz, keeping that warm and gentle pace throughout.

Once again, putting this album in the context of its time makes it an eye-opener. This was the album that really accelerated the bossa nova craze at a time when The Beatles were heading back from Hamburg and  Motown was just getting its mojo working, and it stands out as a delicious and comforting oasis of cool right before the mayhem was about to kick in.

Oh, and that “Mad Men” party? There’s peer pressure on me to do this one as a karaoke treat. I don’t promise the little black dress though.