Pure Bossa Nova: A View On The Music of Sylvia Telles

Pure Bossa Nova Review

 

by John Bush

The earliest and one of the best of the bossa nova singers, Sylvia Telles recorded the versions of a host of Brazilian standards that became the way to sing them, echoed by Astrud Gilberto, Elis Regina, and many others. The Verve collection Pure Bossa Nova includes 14 songs from the last half of her brief ten-year career, roughly from 1960 through 1966. Although the ideal Telles compilation would dip into the '50s as well, it's difficult to fault the compilers here; this is easily one of the best American retrospectives ever done on Telles, with her work on songs like Jobim's "Dindi," "Samba de uma Nota Só," and "Vivo Sonhando," Luiz Bonfá's "Manhã de Carnaval," and Vinícius de Moraes' "Você e Eu." Listeners with only superficial knowledge of Brazilian music will be delighted by Telles' artistry, including the range and sophistication of Regina but the sweetness of Gilberto. 

Pure Bossa Nova: 

A View On The Music of Sylvia Telles

1 Dindi 00:00 2 Samba Do Avião 02:42 3 Rio 04:57 4 Você E Eu 07:39 5 Ilusão À Toa 10:40 6 Vivo Sonhando 13:04 7 Sábado Em Copacabana 15:28 8 Vagamente 19:15 9 Chora Tua Tristeza 20:56 10 Preciso Aprender A Ser Só 23:11 11 Minha Namorada 25:54 12 Samba De Uma Nota Só 31:23 13 Manhã De Carnaval 33:53 14 Se É Tarde, Me Perdoa 37:08 CD Compilation Recorded 1960 to 1966