Despite its title, this is Gilberto’s album. In 1976, he was co-starring with Getz’s quartet at Keystone Korner, a San Francisco jazz club, and the CD was compiled from recordings made during their week-long run. Appearances by the perfectionist, semi-reclusive Gilberto were rare, and there’s an atmosphere of occasion about the silence into which he half-whispers the Portuguese lyrics, accompanied by his minimalist but infinitely subtle guitar. Even Getz’s gorgeous tenor saxophone, when he joins in, sounds strident by comparison. The original 1964 Getz/Gilberto album is a masterpiece, and this never reaches those heights, but there’s something spellbinding about Gilberto’s intensity when facing a live audience, close-up.
