Jazz Samba Encore! Review: Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfá Glide Again on Verve Acoustic Sounds’ 180-Gram Vinyl Reissue

In the early 1960s, legendary saxophonist Stan Getz released a series of revolutionary hybrid recordings that blended the improvisational sensibilities of modern jazz with the rhythms and melodic character of Brazilian bossa nova. Unless you were following his every move at the time, however, it is easy to confuse the chronology of Getz’s breakthroughs.

For example, popular mythology can make it seem as though his 1964 triple-Grammy-winning smash hit with João and Astrud Gilberto, Stan Getz/Gilberto, was the starting point. In fact, it began two years earlier with his Grammy-winning 1962 collaboration with American guitarist Charlie Byrd, Jazz Samba.

The 1963 sequel was simply titled Jazz Samba Encore!, but this time Stan Getz was joined by Brazilian musicians, including guitarist-composer Luiz Bonfá and the now-legendary Antônio Carlos Jobim.

This is an album that should not be overlooked. Fortunately, it has just received a fine new remastering from the original analog tapes, courtesy of Universal Music’s Verve Records imprint in conjunction with esteemed vinyl reissue producer Chad Kassem of Acoustic Sounds.

As with other releases in the Verve Acoustic Sounds series, this reissue is a top-drawer affair, featuring fresh lacquers cut from the original tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, part of Quality Record Pressings, where the 180-gram vinyl is manufactured.

The high-quality gatefold, tip-on-style jacket is also very similar to the original laminated cover on my vintage copy.

Speaking of originals, I was surprised to discover just how collectible this album has become. I see copies fairly often out in the “wilds” of record collecting, but they are frequently in less-than-ideal condition. Admittedly, it took me some time to find a clean original copy, which I’ve enjoyed for years.

Using online marketplace Discogs as a handy barometer of general availability, tracking down a near-mint original pressing could easily cost $100 or more, assuming you can even find one. That makes this new reissue a strong value, offering a mint-condition recreation that comes very close to the original in look, feel, and sound for less than $40.

I really like this new Acoustic Sounds edition of Jazz Samba Encore! and am even tempted to part with my original, especially because this new pressing is so quiet. For music this hushed, you really want surface noise kept to an absolute minimum. As nice as my 1963 copy is, it is still an older record with some inevitable low-level surface noise. This new one is dead quiet.

If you enjoy Stan Getz’s bossa nova recordings and have been looking for other albums to explore beyond the 1964 classic Getz/Gilberto, Jazz Samba Encore! is a highly enjoyable listen.

You can get it on Amazon for just $39.40.

Our Ratings

★★★★★★★★★★ Music

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound

★★★★★★★★★★ Packaging

Where to Buy:

Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.

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