ComfortComes

Elis & Tom

I have to confess that YouTube has totally sucked me in this time. As fascinating as your kitten’s first steps may be, I have found something much more exciting: Elis and Tom! Both are long gone now, but these are two of my favorite musicians! And they are on YouTube! I understand that explanation may be necessary.

Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim is the Grammy-winning father of bossa nova, a composer whose discography you could wallpaper your house with. Born in 1927, the Brazilian rose to fame with such songs as The Girl From Ipanema and Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars) which are now among the many songs listed under Jobim in the jazz fake books.

A guest vocalist on several of Jobim’s albums produced by Creed Taylor was Elis Regina, a young woman with an extraordinary amount of talent. Nicknamed “Furacão” (the hurricane) and “Pimentinha” (little pepper), Elis brought tremendous energy and passion to her songs.

In 1974 the pair decided to collaborate on an album. Recorded in Los Angeles, but not released in the United States until 1989, Elis & Tom was to become a musical legend. It was a collection of songs written, arranged and conducted by Jobim and no voice has ever lent as much emotional power to those songs than Elis Regina. Her interpretation of Corcovado makes even the veteran bossa nova fan feel as if they have never heard the tune before. When she sings the word “felicidade,” (happiness) even the Portuguese-illiterate has no doubt of what she is saying; you can hear the smile in her voice. Her voice alone is not the most stunning one you will ever hear, but like Billie Holiday, the emotion behind it is what truly makes it shine. She caresses the words, sculpting the melodies into bold declarations or heartbreaking entreaties. I think that the decision to leave her sigh untouched at the end of O Que Tinha de Ser (What Had to Be) is brilliant. “Oh yes, I feel this,” it says. And we do too.

Although the majority of the lyrics speak of saudade, the nostalgic longing for what has been lost, Tom and Elis’ take of Águas De Março is as lighthearted as they come. Actually, the recording footage of this song is the main reason for my aforementioned YouTube addiction. The two split the wild lyrics into a duet and seem to have as much joy keeping track of who sings what when as the viewer has watching them. In fact, nearing the end of the song, Elis is obviously on the brink of laughing out loud as the call-and-response turns into what may be the most joyful bunch of nonsense that has ever been recorded. The charming chemistry between the two is fascinating to actually see on video and radiates from the record.

The arrangements on Elis & Tom are stellar. From the traditional acoustic guitar gently swaying the Brazilian beat, to the full orchestral Modinha or Jobim’s solo piano accompaniment on Inútil Paisagem, the score is vast in scope. Yet its range does not keep each song from being perfectly tailored for the woman singing the lyrics. The arrangements are tastefully sparse, leaving room for the vocals to be expressed fully and freely.

Despite the early death of Elis Regina (she died at age 36 from cocaine and alcohol poisoning) and the later passing of Antonio Carlos Jobim, this album remains an ageless masterpiece, a photograph of two brilliant musicians in their prime. Together, their magnetism is undeniable. Check it out. I can attest: the replay button is there for a reason.