John Pizzarelli - Sinatra & Jobim @ 50

The rhythm of Rio, the romance of Sinatra: celebrated guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli revisits a bossa nova classic at 50.

Two of John Pizzarelli's greatest influences, Frank Sinatra and the bossa nova composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, joined forces in 1967 to present a softer, sultrier side of Sinatra on the heels of That's Life and Strangers in the Night. Half a century later, John Pizzarelli is celebrating that unique gathering with his Concord Jazz release 'Sinatra and Jobim @ 50'.

Sinatraphiles consider the 1967 album 'Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim' one of Frank's greatest, a meeting that found Frank in an out-of-character setting. Yet he delivered a commanding and understated performance over Jobim's gentle rhythms and Claus Ogerman's strings. With 'Sinatra and Jobim @ 50', Pizzarelli pays tribute to those original recordings, enhancing that collection with two originals, Michael Frank's ode to Jobim and songs that Sinatra and Jobim recorded at a 1969 session.

Jobim's grandson, Daniel Jobim, is John's duet partner on the Jobim classics Sinatra and Jobim recorded together: Agua de Beber, Bonita and Dindi, plus a medley of Meditation and Quiet Night of Quiet Stars. They also cover the standards from the 1967 LP, Baubles, Bangles & Beads and a medley of Change Partners with Jobim's If You Never Come to Me plus Cole Porter's I Concentrate on You, which is paired with Jobim's Wave.