The Girl From Ipanema

[Mike]

I’ve got a few CD’s that have “The Girl From Ipanema” covered on them:

Laurindo Almeida – “Guitar From Ipanema”
Sergio Mendes – “The Swinger From Rio”
Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto – “Getz/Gilberto”

Makes me wonder, how many albums have “The Girl From Ipanema” covered? Other than the three I’ve mentioned, does anyone else have a CD/LP with this song on it?

 

[Mike]

I forgot to mention, I've also got it on Herb Alpert & TJB - "South Of The Border"

 

[JMK]

Girl from Ipanema is one of the most recorded songs of the last 40 years. You'd have a list of several hundred, if not thousand, LPs/CDs it's appeared on if you wanted to be a completist. Sergio also did a nice vocal version on the live Brasil '77 album (with a very slight but tasty harmonic alteration in the bridge).

 

[Mike]

JMK: Point well taken. Maybe I should have put the question differently. How about, what's your favorite version of "The Girl From Ipanema"

 

[DAN BOLTON]

Well, it was such a monster hit that everybody HAD to cover it! Interestingly, I've run across it on a lot of those cheapo,red-light-put-your-fingers-here keyboards that all those electronics stores have on display, and that's a sure sign that it's a standard.


Dan, passing the time in his own little world when his kids wnt to go to look for computer parrts and video games...

 

[DAN BOLTON]

PS....I think Herb's arrangement is the most original, and always was the definitive version of the song for me...but I never quite knew just how to classify it...it wasn't a mambo or a samba, not a bossa nova...maybe a ballad? That sounds like a pigeon hole if ever there was one, but I can't classify it any other way...at least not at the moment...



Dan

 

[JMK]

I'd have to say Jobim's own rendition (the first one--released here in the US on the first Verve album) is probably my favorite, if only for its simplicity and nice Ogerman orchestration. There are a ton of other great ones, though--don't laugh, but Percy Faith did an incredible album in 1965 called "Latin Themes for Young Lovers" (available on CD) that has Ipanema, as well as a knockout big band One Note Samba, several other Jobims, some Bacharach, and, for Alpert fans, The Lonely Bull.

And Ipanema is definitely a bossa nova. Bossa nova does not refer to tempo--there are bossa nova ballads, as well as uptempo tunes.

 

[Bruno]

I only know Frank Sinatra's version.

Bruno

 

[Rudy]

Make mine "Getz/Gilberto"...full version, not the butchered radio edit.

 

[Mike]

I only know Frank Sinatra's version.

Bruno

I picked up the CD "Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim" which has Frank's version of "The Girl From Ipanema". I must say his version is pretty darn good. He also does "Dindi" quite well too.

 

[Dave]

I seem to have only had the version on Antonio Carlos Jobim's Tide album. And it appears on Herb Alpert & TjB's Foursider, but I don't know the original LP...

Didn't Jobim's original on Verve have Astrud Gilberto singing it, too?

Dave

 

[Rudy]

I only know Frank Sinatra's version.

Bruno

I picked up the CD "Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim" which has Frank's version of "The Girl From Ipanema". I must say his version is pretty darn good. He also does "Dindi" quite well too.

Mike--if you really like that one, also pick up Sinatra & Co., as it has seven additional Jobim tracks that were done under Deodato's direction. The original LP had the Jobim tracks on side 1, but side 2 was quite disposable IMHO (the "Vegas-ey", overblown Sinatra style I don't care for). There were three additional tracks that were never released, which ended up on a rare (and recalled) 8-track that was supposedly to be "Sinatra/Jobim 2", and IIRC one or two appeared on a European compilation. All three of the unreleased tracks are on the big Reprise "suitcase" box set. I managed to combine the original Sinatra/Jobim album with the ten Deodato-directed tracks (seven from Sinatra & Co., the other three unreleased) and made a nice disc out of them. The Deodato tracks are as good as the original Sinatra/Jobim album IMHO. I keep wishing Reprise would issue these as a "complete Sinatra/Jobim" disc one day, but it never seems to happen.

From the same time period, Jobim recorded his own albums for Reprise as well, and the sounds are very similar to the original Sinatra/Jobim album. These are best picked up on the Warner Archives CD called "Antonio Carlos Jobim: Composer" since it includes two full albums.

 

[thetijuanataxi]

Dave, the original TJB album that "The Girl From Ipanema" appears on is "SOUTH OF THE BORDER".

David,
who always liked Herbs version

 

[Rudy]

Also for Dave: Astrud Gilberto sang on the hit version. Her then-husband Joao Gilberto sang the Brazilian verses, while she sang the English verses. The single version drops Joao's vocals and IIRC, part of Getz's solos (and IMHO is badly edited). The Getz/Gilberto album is a Bossa classic, along with Getz's "Jazz Samba" which is also recommended.

 

[Dave]

OK, thanks, Guys! "The Girl From Ipenema" is one song I never thought of collecting the myriad versions of, but it must rank as a song most covered. And more than one Muzak version, at least!

From the time I was old enough to drive myself over to the record stores (And back when their vinyl was much better stocked than today! ) I can remember hearing it played... Least one record store was nice enough to let a customer sit right behind the counter hearing The Gilbertos' versions...

Dave

...thinking wayyyy back, here...

 

[Mike]

Rudy,

Thanks for the info on Frank Sinatra & Company and Antonio Carlos Jobim: Composer.

I've taken the bait and put both on order. Maybe not a moment too soon on the Frank & Company CD, I suspect it might be going to the Out-Off-Stock status in the future.

Regards,
Mike

 

[Rudy]

Cool, Mike! Half of Sinatra & Co. is good, but seeing that it appears to be out of print, you may have a collectible there. Hope you like them--let us know! I'll probably spin the Jobim: Composer later tonight.

 

[Chris Martin]

Occupying pride of place in my record collection are the Ella Fitzgerald songbooks. Double albums of Ella crooning and belting Arlen, Porter, Gershwin etc. Alas, the only letdown is the Jobim double songbook(1981). The non-orchestral backing for "Girl from Ipanema" is far too upbeat and Ella's voice is clearly on the wane by this point. Hard to admit, but I can't reccomend Ella's version (which I listened too especially before this post) but her stock is so spectacular it doesn't really matter!
My fave is certainly the version on "Tide", followed by the Brasil '77 live version and the Sinatra.
P.s. One curio is a track on the B-52's album "Bouncing off the Satellites" called "Girl from Ipanema Goes to Greenland". It's a completely different song, a bossa-free number, but with wonderfully cheesy girl-vocal harmonies and off-kilter lyrics.

 

[Mike]

If you’re really interested in the Girl From Ipanema, and every other possible point of interest related to Ipanema, go to: http://ipanema.com/

 

[Cortnee]

The late Sebastiao Neto was the bassist on the Getz/Gilberto hit version of The Girl From Ipanema according to Arnie De Souteiro. Not Tommy Williams, even thogh Tommy is falsely credited as playing bass.