Jobim's "Stone Flower"

[Rudy]

I just got Antonio Carlos Jobim's Stone Flower a few days ago, and I'm listening to it at a rather elevated volume today. I just have to say that anyone who recommended this CD...right on, baby!! This one to me is better than Wave on A&M, and totally blows the lifeless Tide album right off of the map! This album is darker, and the arrangements are simpler, which is part of its beauty. The personnel is almost identical to the A&M/CTi sessions, and we have Deodato doing the arrangements on this album, and even a few decent solos here and there. The song selection goes for lesser-known Jobim compositions, a welcome choice from the "usual suspects" type of albums he's released in the past.

It also gets away from that warm, mushy sound that the A&M albums had. (I'm convinced it was an A&M mastering decision that afflicted all the A&M's....here we have Creed Taylor producing, Deodato arranging, and Rudy Van Gelder putting it onto tape, the same setup as the A&M albums...and it sounds SO much better than the A&M albums, which to me were always warm, distant and muddy at times. This one has clarity and detail, and the bass is nowhere near as muddy. It still sounds early 70's vintage, but not painfully so. Nice remastering job by Sony Legacy on this one.

There is something odd though....a sense of Deja Vu? I have never owned or heard this album, and yet there is something very familiar about it. Not the style, the arrangements, etc....it's almost as though I HAVE heard it before somewhere.

If you like Jobim, get this one! You won't be disappointed.

 

[seashorepiano]

Glad to hear that you enjoy it. My favorite track from the album is "Brazil," both the original issue and the alternate take. I don't exactly agree with "Tide" being lifeless, but that's just my opinion. Stone Flower is definitely a much more brooding album and develops in form far past Tide and Wave. It's an excellent album but, sadly, TREMENDOUSLY underrated, and definitely the least known of Jobim's CTI period.

 

[Rudy]

Yes, I'm glad it's unearthed and readily available for now! I never was all that fond of Tide...I think that on close listening, it sounds unfinished. There are stretches with little or no melody. And isn't "Tide" a ripoff of "Wave"? I've liked the Wave album, but Stone Flower outshines it if you like something that's a darker color and a more interesting listen IMHO.

Interesting that Santana covered the title track on one of his albums. I don't recall if I've heard that one or not--I'd be interested to find out what it sounds like!

This one's going to be a steady play this winter, I can tell already.

 

[seashorepiano]

Come to think of it, Engelbert Humperdinck did a cover of "Brazil" on one of his albums... no comments on that!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Neil - Santana did "Stone Flower" on the Caravanserai album. That was the first album where he really went off into jazz territory. It's a really good album but an acquired taste if you're more into the earlier Santana. The songs are longer, more atmospheric and such.

The album is going to be re-issued next week and I'm planning to buy it, so I'll send you my original version so you can check the song out. It's one of my favorite tracks on the record. I think it's the only Santana track to be played with an accoustic bass.

 

[Rudy]

Mike--if that Santana album is good, I may watch for it to be released on SACD. I'm not much of a Santana fan, but some of his non-mainstream recordings I've heard are more what I like to listen to. I'd probably like this one.

Reminds me, I've mant to ask: are you selling any high-res titles at your store?

 

[Rudy]

OK, Caravanserai is available on SACD, but only from Japan. As a result, the price at many places is between $45 and $50. However, Sony just released a major batch of Bob Dylan hybrid SACD titles, and rumors are that the "next big thing" is going to be Santana's early albums on Columbia. Abraxas is already out. I've heard that the newest Legacy CD-only reissues sound quite good...it's possible they may have prepared DSD masters to prepare them for SACD release.

In the meantime I've heard Santana's version of "Stone Flower." Caravanserai may be the album that gets me into the early Santana sound.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I just picked this CD up the other night, and it is great! First of all, it's nice to hear unfamiliar songs for a change (no "Wave" or "Girl From Ipanema", etc.). Plus Urbie Green gets a couple of nice spots on trombone. I hadn't heard this album before, so this was all new to me. Gotta love his take on "Brazil".


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

That was the nice surprise about Stone Flower: I'd only heard a couple of these songs before. So many of his albums are similar (in arrangements and song selection).

I didn't hear the Santana version of "Stone Flower" until only a couple of months ago. Neat how Santana also quotes "God and the Devil in the Land of the Sun" in the opening bars.

 

[seashorepiano]

Sorry to dig this up out of the pile of old threads, but I had to mention something here, after many more listenings. The song "Andorinha" has to be one of the most beautiful combo pieces I've ever heard. Light, mellow electric piano work and gentle percussion. A very nice melody as well! Clearly Rudy is correct, this recording blows the other two Jobim A&M releases out of the water.

NP: "Andorinha," Stone Flower

 

[Rudy]

Wow...it felt like just a few months ago that I posted about this CD, but it was nearly two YEARS ago!!

I do agree--if you consider these three CTi recordings together, I'd rank Stone Flower first, since it is much darker and more haunting (even "beautiful") than the other two. Much richer, musically. Wave is pretty good too, and has some memorable songs on it ("Lamento", "The Red Blouse", "Capt. Bacardi", etc.)--it is more upbeat than Stone Flower. I'd put Tide dead last--it still sounds unfinished with snippets of good ideas in there that are never brought to completion. There are still a couple of good complete tracks (like "Tema Jazz"). The title track is so derivative it borders on self-parody; "Wave" with extra noodling. Still, it's Jobim, but I'd only rank this lightweight one as an average album at best; it reeks of "contract fulfillment" with the A&M-distributed CTi.

I still say that anyone who owns Wave hasn't picked up Stone Flower yet is missing out on a third installment of great music that IMHO eclipses the A&M efforts.

 

[seashorepiano]

It's true, I believe Tide is lacking, all 3 albums considered. Some good ideas develop- "Tema Jazz" is a good track where many members of the set solo impressively. "Sue Ann" is mellow, nice. The songs I skip almost immediately these days are "Remember," and "Rockanalia."

"Takatanga" is a haunting song, and beautiful, but only on LP. It really aggravates me that whoever remastered this on CD removed the bass flute played by Joe Farrell. IMHO, big mistake! There was definitely a reason for pairing electric piano and bass flute on some parts of the melody.

 

[Mike]

I wonder if the cover picture of Jobim, smoking a cigarette would draw criticism from the non-smoking community if it was released today, instead of 1970.

 

[Mr Bill]

Nah!!! They'd just airbrush it out like they did on that Johnson Blues stamp a few years back...

--Mr Bill
wishing "political correctness" would finally run its course...

 

[seashorepiano]

Yeah, airbrush the smoke and cigar, and it will look like he's just got a fist raised mid-air...

 

[Mr Bill]

Perhaps they could airbrushg in an extended middle finger -- then all the hip-hop crowd would buy it!!!

--Mr Bill

 

[seashorepiano]

Not a bad idea, Mr. Bill, not bad. I'd like to see them fit intelligent music in with their drum "beatz" and rap breaks. Just think, soon we'd have remixes of "Brazil," after taking out those non-hip Jobim vocals, and have a rap star dub some "pertinent" words.

 

[PartyRico]

Stone Flower is considered by many as Jobim's best A&M/or CTI effort. The best session musicians were used. You cannot be dissapointed with SF.

 

[seashorepiano]

Very true, PartyRico. Just a quick glance at the personnel will testify to what you say. Ron Carter on bass, Airto on percussion, Urbie Green giving a nice trombone solo on "Tereza My Love," Hubert Laws playing that haunting flute introduction on "Sabia." Joe Farrell solos pretty well on "God and the Devil" as well. I'd like to point out Harry Lookofsky on violin, soloing on "Stone Flower"... he was a very prevalent sideman on many A&M/CTi sessions, not to mention his other work.


... off to class ...

 

[Dave]

"Brazil" is my favorite from this album, and I once had it divided into a Part 1 and a Part 2 as a single... The 'newer' "Girl From Ipanema" might have sounded better here than it did on Tide, but were it not likely to coincide with versions of it already being made (and Jobim's own) 'pared down', it would have made a good Wave track!

Yes, Stoneflower! Everything Tide should'a been!



Dave

...A "High-Sudser", indeed...!! :goofygrin: