mix for a dinner party
Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Rosinha De Valença, 潘迪華, Paul Desmond, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Nina Simone
Hello again! Not sure why I’m imagining so much bossa nova for a dinner party, but here we are.
When I was rooming with my friend in grad school, we’d often host people for dinner. And by “we” I mean she did most of the cooking while I stood around going on and on about god knows what. My real contribution (contribution is a generous word) was always the playlist, which I would start building days in advance. I guess part of the appeal was imagining what it was people would like to listen to, soft enough to go on in the background, but energetic enough to keep the conversation flowing.
(Although my google translation attempts later revealed that De Conversa em Conversa was not about good conversations and instead about some lover’s quarrel, the tune is still jaunty enough for a good time.)
*To play the full songs listed below, I recommend viewing this post on substack on a computer.*
This week, as mentioned, lots of bossa nova. A tune from the amazing Getz/Gilberto album (which I was told by a friend has the original Girl from Ipanema) and featuring Astrud Gilberto; more Gilberto, but with a cover of his song De Conversa em Conversa (if I’m not mistaken he sung the original) by the Brazilian guitarist Rosinha De Valença; switching gears for some music from Hong Kong with Rebecca Pan, who was adjacent to many legends herself; saxophonist Paul Desmond on his album Bossa Antigua (allegedly a play on words re bossa nova); a jazz classic by Ellington and Coltrane; and the preeminent jazz singer, Nina Simone.
Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) - Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim
De Conversa em Conversa - Rosinha De Valença
Pepito Cha Cha - 潘迪華
O Gato - Paul Desmond
Angelica - Duke Ellington, John Coltrane
How Can I? - Nina Simone
*streaming can be a great, accessible way to discover new music and an easy way for me to embed playlists into my posts, but I would encourage, if possible, supporting the artists through other platforms and exploring the rest of their work*