Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus is the third album by American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi (credited to the Vince Guaraldi Trio), released in 1962 on Fantasy Records.[3] It is considered Guaraldi's breakthrough album.[1]
| Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 18, 1962 November 18, 2022 (60th anniversary edition) | |||
| Recorded | November 1961 February 1962[1] | |||
| Studio | KQED television studio, San Francisco, California[2] | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 39:11 (original 1962 release) 61:44 (2010 remaster) 120:05 (60th anniversary edition) | |||
| Label | Fantasy (US) Vocalion (UK) | |||
| Producer | Nick Phillips (2010 remaster) | |||
| Vince Guaraldi chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
 Later pressings with placement of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" and album title reversed | ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [4] |
| Five Cents Please | [1] |
| New Record Mirror | [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [6] |
The album contains both original compositions and covers of songs from the 1959 French/Brazilian film Black Orpheus which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.[1] It spawned the hit single "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", which won the 1963 Grammy Award for Best Original Jazz Composition.
Release
editSome later pressings of the LP have the single's title displayed prominently at the top of the cover, and the album title in the box underneath. Consequently, this album is often referred to as Cast Your Fate to the Wind.[7]
Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus was released in 1983 in a half-speed mastered edition by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab. Another remastered version was released with five bonus tracks on Fantasy Records imprint, Original Jazz Classics label, on September 28, 2010. In addition, DCC Compact Classics issued the album on a Gold CD in 1993.
A 60th anniversary remastered edition sourced from original master and analog tapes was released in CD and digital formats on November 18, 2022 by Craft Recordings. A 3-LP vinyl set was released on February 23, 2023.[8]
Critical reception
editBillboard sensed the genre crossover appeal of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind": "The alternately bright and brooding moods of the music from the film Black Orpheus are detailed with sensitivity and style by pianist Guaraldi and his rhythm section. This jazz version is a superior outing for the group and its vastly underrated leader. The four tunes from the score fill out one side of the LP, while standards and originals take up the other. Of these, the Calypso-tinged 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' is a wonderful track indeed."[9]
Cashbox was equally enthusiastic: "Once in a great while, a jazz version of a film has exceptional merit in its own right. Such a case is Vince Guaraldi's impressive reading of four selections from Black Orpheus. The 88'er, along with bassist Monty Budwig and drummer Colin Bailey, put a new swingin' vitality to the flick's Latin and African-flavored melodies."[10]
Track listing
editOriginal 1962 release
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Samba De Orfeu" ("Orpheus Samba"; aka "Samba de Orpheus") | Luiz Bonfá | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Manhã de Carnaval" ("Carnival Morning") | Luiz Bonfá | 5:50 |
| 3. | "O Nosso Amor" ("Our Love") | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:56 |
| 4. | "A Felicidade (Happiness)" (mistitled "Generique"[1]) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" | Vince Guaraldi | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini | 5:21 |
| 7. | "Alma-Ville" | Vince Guaraldi | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Since I Fell for You" | Buddy Johnson | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 39:11 | ||
Original Jazz Classics CD remaster (2010)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "Samba De Orfeu" (single edit, aka "Samba de Orpheus") | Luiz Bonfá | 3:18 |
| 10. | "Manhã de Carnaval" (Take 2) | Luiz Bonfá | 6:17 |
| 11. | "O Nosso Amor" (Take 2) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 5:00 |
| 12. | "Felicidade" (Take 3) | Traditional | 4:54 |
| 13. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Take 3) | Vince Guaraldi | 3:04 |
| Total length: | 61:44 | ||
60th Anniversary Deluxe reissue (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Samba de Orpheu (Orpheus Samba)" (aka "Samba de Orpheus") | Luiz Bonfá | 5:42 |
| 2. | "Manhã de Carnaval (Carnival Morning)" | Luiz Bonfá | 5:50 |
| 3. | "O Nosso Amor (Our Love)" | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:56 |
| 4. | "A Felicidade (Happiness)" | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:49 |
| 5. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" | Vince Guaraldi | 3:10 |
| 6. | "Moon River" | Henry Mancini | 5:21 |
| 7. | "Alma-Ville" | Vince Guaraldi | 5:00 |
| 8. | "Since I Fell for You" | Buddy Johnson | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Samba de Orpheu" (Short Version: Take 1, Set 3, Previously Unreleased, aka "Samba de Orpheus") | Luiz Bonfá | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Samba de Orpheu" (Long Version: Take 1, Set 3, Previously Unreleased, aka "Samba de Orpheus") | Luiz Bonfá | 5:52 |
| 11. | "Manhã de Carnaval" (Take 1, Set 3, Previously Unreleased) | Luiz Bonfá | 6:35 |
| 12. | "Manhã de Carnaval" (Take 2, Set 3) | Luiz Bonfá | 6:15 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Nosso Amor" (Take 1, Set 3, Previously Unreleased) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 5:09 |
| 14. | "Nosso Amor" (Take 2, Set 4, Previously Unreleased) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 5:00 |
| 15. | "Felicidade" (Take 2, Set 2) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 4:54 |
| 16. | "Felicidade" (Take 4, Set 3 Previously Unreleased) | Antônio Carlos Jobim | 5:07 |
| 17. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Take 2, Previously Unreleased) | Vince Guaraldi | 3:07 |
| 18. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Take 3) | Vince Guaraldi | 3:08 |
| 19. | "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" (Take 5, Previously Unreleased) | Vince Guaraldi | 3:05 |
| 20. | "Alma-Ville" (Take 2, Previously Unreleased) | Vince Guaraldi | 5:07 |
| 21. | "Since I Fell for You" (Take 3, Previously Unreleased) | Buddy Johnson | 4:26 |
| 22. | "Jitterbug Waltz" (Take 1, Previously Unreleased) |
| 6:57 |
| 23. | "Jitterbug Waltz" (Take 1A, Previously Unreleased) |
| 6:29 |
| 24. | "Jitterbug Waltz" (Take 2A, Previously Unreleased) |
| 6:37 |
| Total length: | 120:05 | ||
Personnel
edit- Vince Guaraldi Trio
- Vince Guaraldi – piano
- Colin Bailey – drums
- Monty Budwig – double bass
- Additional
- Ray Fowler – engineer
- Bernie Grundman – engineer (2022 remaster)
- Ralph J. Gleason – liner notes
- Derrick Bang – liner notes (2010, 2022 small batch 180-gram vinyl pressing)
- Andrew Gilbert – liner notes (2022 remaster)
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 18, 1962 | Fantasy Records | mono LP | 3337 |
| United States | 1990 | Fantasy, Original Jazz Classics | CD | OJCCD-437-25 |
| United States | 2010 | Fantasy, Original Jazz Classics | mp3 | OJC-32328-25 |
| United States | 2022 | Craft Recordings | CD, LP, Digital | CR00543 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Bang, Derrick. "Vince Guaraldi on LP and CD: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus". fivecentsplease.org. Derrick Bang, Scott McGuire. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
- ^ Bang, Derrick (2012). Vince Guaraldi at the Piano. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 103. ISBN 0786490748.
- ^ a b Ginell, Richard S. "Cast Your Fate to the Wind/Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 90. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ Jones, Peter (18 May 1963). "Vince Guaraldi Trio: Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus" (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 114. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 614. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ "Jazz Impression of Black Orpheus | Just for the Record". www.justfortherecord.co.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ concord.com "Craft Recordings Celebrates the 60th Anniversary of Vince Guaraldi’s Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus With Deluxe Reissue and Small Batch Limited Pressing"
- ^ "Special Merit Albums: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus". Billboard. June 23, 1962. p. 32.
- ^ "Jazz Picks of the Week: Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus". Cashbox. July 7, 1962. p. 34.
External links
edit- Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus at Discogs (list of releases)