(Disclaimer: I am by any means not a professional critic or promoter, therefore I am not profiting off from this review and critic. So, please take it with a grain of salt and remember that art is a very subjective matter, you have your own take and so do I. Please don’t sue me as this piece is written for edutainment purposes.)
Man, I will never ever get tired of talking about bossa nova, it is arguably the richest music genre in the world. Due to its fusional nature, you can find a lot of instruments, colourful & poetic lyrics, alongside immaculate compositions. There are a lot of bossa nova pioneers and big names, like João Gilberto, Vinicius De Moraes, and our man that we’re all going to discuss in this review: Antonio Carlos Jobim a.k.a Tom Jobim. Bear with me that this review isn’t meant to be 100% serious and it is subjective as it is the product of my own opinion and that the value of an art is inherently subjective. I am more than open for criticism and feedback on this review.
Who is Tom Jobim again? He first started his music career as a pianist for bars and nightclubs in 1940’s Rio De Janeiro, then worked as an arranger in the 1950s. During this era, he teamed up with Vinicius De Moraes himself and they began to rise into fame after they composed for Black Orpheus. His international fame started in the early 1960s though, after he collaborated with the American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz for 2 albums, and thus introduced bossa nova towards a wider American audience. Afterwards, he wrote plenty of albums, but for now we’re going to review this 1970’s masterpiece: Stone Flower.
Stone Flower is Jobim’s sixth studio album released by CTI records. Again, we’re talking about bossa nova, so of course the main genre is bossa nova, with a lot of jazz hints, and I really mean a lot. This album is perhaps the jazziest one out of all Jobim’s albums with plenty of good harmonics. Well, talking about immaculate composition and arrangement, unsurprisingly Eumir Deodato helped Jobim on this album, as a guitarist and an arranger.
Let’s begin with “Tereza My Love”, the album opener. The title suggests that this might be a little ode to Jobim’s then wife, Thereza, and Jobim wrote this exclusively for her. This was a solid opening, as the melody seductively invites us for the longing of a loved one, or gives us the feeling after parting with an SO. The piano and guitar chords serve the opening right and the instrumental completes the track like a cherry on top. Next, the “Children’s Game” entails. This is perhaps the most upbeat track in Stone Flower. The track is pretty fast paced as well, and the solemn energy of this track syncs with the previous track, it’s like “Tereza My Love” won’t be complete without “Children’s Game”. If “Tereza My Love” sinks you into saudade, then “Children’s Game” ensures you to keep saudade forever inside your heart, in a good way precisely.
Next, we have “Choro”, a rather chill and slow paced track from Stone Flower. Don’t let the slow pace fools you though, this track still evokes the sense of longing, with a mix of confusion and fascination due to its unusual harmony on piano and composition in general. This track is a good transition track on the album, as the next song would indicate the end of the A side on the vinyl version. Jobim made his own rendition of Aquarela Do Brasil as the next track, titled conveniently as only “Brazil”, like how the song is known outside Brazil per se. Again, it’s pretty much slow paced, this is a rather chill rearrangement of the song with some lyrics being cut from the arrangement. The percussion, while more energetic than the melodic and tonal side of the song, is an excellent mix of jazzy instrumental met Brazilian samba, pretty much resembling the colours and genres of this album.
Now, let’s go to the B side, starting from the “Stone Flower”. In the gen Z word, Jobim went full Goblin mode on this track. Pretty fast paced, and this is the type of music that you would like to listen to when you’re in a rush or while inside a lift of a fast paced finance company. But this doesn’t necessarily mean terrible, the percussion is pretty much great, and the jazz harmony on this one is pretty terrific. Next, Jobim gave us “Amparo”. This, in my opinion, might be the sleeper track of this album. It’s pretty slow paced, with some seemingly lazy melodies. Again, this isn’t a bad thing as the placement of this track itself could be good for people who avoid intense sounding album.
The next track won’t be that intense, fortunately. “Andorinha” is a rather gorgeous piece of track, suits with the breath taking swallow that flies up high, as the name of the song directly translates to swallow. It’s slow paced and its harmony calms you down, a perfect easy listening song to listen to after you had a hectic or rough day. The next track, “God and the Devil In the Land of the Sun” is perhaps one of the most intense tracks in this album. Very fast paced, with John Coltrane-ish composition. If Jobim went Goblin mode on “Stone Flower”, then he might have taken steroids before composing and recording this one. The horn player deserves praise as it’s pretty complex in this song and really emphasises the devil on the title.
The last track is a rather interesting song as it is considered as a protest song, but we’re not going to discuss the political aspect or this song’s harmony a lot as this YouTube video dissected and explained it better than me. Jobim really ended it with a bang on this album. “Sabia” is slow paced and rather ironic lyrically and melodically, as Sabia is the national bird of Brazil. The harmony and lyrics serve excellently as a protest song at that era. Jobim really gave us a lot of melodies and I think none of us can repay them handsomely, especially this album.
What’s The Perfect Time to Listen to This?
This album sounds perfect for a calm day, or when you just want to relax after facing something intense. From heartbreak, chilling after a hectic day or embarrassing job interview, sightseeing, to even cycling in the midnight, this album suits those occasions. If you’re new to jazz or bossa nova and looking forward to enjoy something, this album is perfect for starters as well, as it gives you a lot of complex yet intriguing sounds.
My Final Judgment
Overall, this is truly a masterpiece from Jobim himself, and I think this album is perfect for some occasions that bring you intense feelings. I personally think I can’t rate an album numerically and not a massive fan of doing it either, so I will just say that this masterpiece is beyond satisfactory for me. Jobim is a maestro and he left remarkable marks for jazz, bossa nova, and Brazil itself. Bravo.
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