The 45 rpm re-release of “Sinatra Jobim” (Audio Clarity 2020) made it possible to repair a large gap in the discography. This is the second collaboration between Frank Sinatra and Brazilian composer-guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim, recorded in February 1969, which was withdrawn immediately after its release, and almost all copies of eight-channel cassettes and 33 rpm records were destroyed on demand. Sinatra when he heard how he sounded in the songs “The song of Sabia”, “Bonita” and “Off Key (Desafinado)”. The collector’s value of the reissue lies in the restoration of a recording that, although produced to the highest level of quality, has almost never been released. The cover features Sinatra in the back of a bus wearing the same outfit as on the cover of My Way. Ten pieces with flexible, authentic orchestration by the 26-year-old Brazilian Eumir Deodando were performed with boundless expressive comfort, restrained, dynamic, high-melodious and clearly more mature interpretation of Sinatra. Jobim (guitar, vocals) has made the greatest contribution to the history of bossa nova with his iconic compositions. However, he retained a supporting role, singling out Sinatra as the main character.

Emphasizes Sinatra’s performance of “Trieste” (1966), “Never Leave” (1957) in English (the originals were written by Dolores Duran with her eyebrow pencil on a napkin and showing them to Jobim, he sighed and said to her, as it turned out, prophetic: “Imagine Sinatra Singing Them”), to the rain-and-water-inspired romantic ballads “The Happy Madness” (a particularly hard-to-sing piece, 1958, with wonderful English lyrics by Gene Leese). ) and “Drinking Water” (1959, the first song when the new Brazilian capital of Brasilia was being built), both with original lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes, “The Wave” (1967) with lyrics by Jobim, later arranged by countless jazz artists. Cast: Oscar Peterson, Paul Desmond, Fred Hersh-Bill Frizzell, Sarah Vaughn, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal and others. and in “Someone to Light My Life”, written in 1956 for the play “Orfeu da Conceicao”, which served as the basis for the famous film “Orfeu Negro”. Despite Sinatra’s reaction, “The Song of Sabia” got him stuck in the performance. Jobim’s 1968 song featured as the B-side to Sinatra’s “Lady Day” single (Reprise 1970).

Sinatra destroyed almost all copies when he heard how he sounded in the songs “The song of Sabia”, “Bonita” and “Off Key (Desafinado)”.

But even “Bonita”, before it was retired, became the apple of Eris after its English writer Gene Lees proved in court that Jobim gave the song to Ray Gilbert, who changed the verse and accepted it. This was the cause of the final split between Gilbert and Jobim. Seven songs, with the exception of the three in question, were released at Jobim’s urging and made up the first side of the “Sinatra & Company” vinyl LP (Reprise 1971).

The meeting between Sinatra and Jobim began with the Grammy-nominated masterpiece Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967) on Sinatra’s reprise. Its success led to their next collaborative effort. Although the bossa nova is objectively better performed by female voices, and although he sang in English, the 52-year-old Sinatra excelled in a smooth, velvety style of performance that befits the genre. With genuine feeling, warmth, delicacy, as he knows how to sensually emphasize or “erase” words, ideally “stepping on” the eclectic, ethereal, modern orchestrations of Klaus Ogermann, his exemplary performing orchestra, drums of the House of Um Romao, Jobim guitars. Captivating album with romantic, erotic, dreamy nighttime atmosphere, nostalgic mood, cool aura, his top record of the 60s and later. The visual arts of the 40 year old Jobim (guitar, vocals) have benefited from Sinatra’s unique approaches with vocal techniques revealed for the first time, unlike his previous swing performances. Next, in a moment of self-awareness, he humorously stated, “I haven’t sung this softly since I had laryngitis.”

Half a century later, American guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli paid tribute to this legendary record in the song “Sinatra & Jobim @50” (Concord) with Jobim’s grandson Daniel (piano, vocals). The final act of their bonding was written in 1994 on Sinatra’s Duets II with a three-minute version of “Fly me to the moon”.