In 1963, Stan Getz and Astrud Gilberto started a bossa nova sensation in jazz with their Getz/Gilberto album (iTunes)(Wikipedia). People went crazy for this album and particularly its first track, The Girl from Ipanema.

This is a rare jazz song that entered the pop charts, peaking at number 5. While the song is not nearly as edgy as some of my other Jazz Friday recommendations, The Girl From Ipanema (and most of the rest of this album) is still great music. Stan Getz, who had some serious jazz chops, seemed to just get the type of throaty, understated solo required by bossa nova. Moreover, I think Astrud Gilberto’s vocals are perfect for bossa nova. From the too-much-information department, I fell in love with Astrud Gilberto the first time I heard her voice. To this day I have never seen her picture because there is no way she could live up to the image in my my mind. Happy Friday everybody.