1962 · Album
Big Band Bossa Nova
Recorded 1962 · Mercury Records · Produced by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones Brings the Rhythm North
Jones lets the big band breathe with bossa nova's easy swing, never forcing it.
Big Band Bossa Nova sits in an interesting spot in Quincy Jones's catalog — it's not his most celebrated work, but it's one of his most straightforward efforts to blend two distinctly different sounds. This is Jones the arranger and bandleader doing what he does well: taking a trending rhythm from Brazil and filtering it through the lens of American big band tradition. The album doesn't break new ground, but it works because Jones understands both idioms well enough to let them coexist without strain.
The bossa nova craze was hitting hard in the late 1950s, and Jones jumped in with a full orchestra rather than the smaller combos you'd hear elsewhere. That choice matters. A big band naturally has weight and formality that a trio doesn't, so what you get here is something closer to sophisticated lounge music than to the intimate, conversational bossa that João Gilberto and Stan Getz were making elsewhere. The strings are lush without being overwrought, the brass punches but doesn't overwhelm, and the rhythm section locks into that characteristic bossa bounce. It's pleasant, competent, and occasionally genuinely swinging — which is enough.
If you're new to Jones, this isn't where to start. His later film scores and his work producing Frank Sinatra show more invention and personality. But if you already appreciate his arranging skills and you want to hear him work with this particular sound during its moment, it's worth your time. Think of it as solid mid-career work from a bandleader who was always more comfortable in the background than in the spotlight.
Who's playing
Chris Whitedouble bass
Lalo Schifrinpiano
Paul Gonsalvestenor saxophone
Phil Woodsalto saxophone
Clark Terrytrumpet
Rahsaan Roland Kirkflute
Rudy Collinsdrums
Where next?
More by Quincy Jones
All 40 albums →
The musicians on this record
Gettin' Together! 1961
Paul Gonsalves
plays tenor saxophone here
plays tenor saxophone here
Gifts & Messages 1964
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
plays flute here
plays flute here
