1959 saw the release of Orfeu Negro (Black Orpheus), a foreign film that reimagined the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in the setting of Rio De Janeiro during Carnival. The film would go on to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It would also inspire the leader of a jazz trio to record his breakthrough album that would eventually lead to him scoring music that would reach almost every house in America. The band leader was Vince Guaraldi. Upon hearing the bossa nova and samba rhythms in Black Orpheus he decided that his trio should do their own jazz impressions of the soundtrack. In addition to recording their impressions of the four original songs from the film, Vince Guaraldi Trio also recorded two original songs and two more cover songs for the album. Sixty years on from its original release in 1962, Craft Recordings is reissuing Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus as part of their small batch series. The vinyl reissue is cut from the original analog tapes on 180-gram vinyl using a one-step lacquer process, instead of the usual three-step process, to allow for the utmost musical clarity and detail.
The album opens with samba bass riff and shuffling drums for the beginning of “Samba de Orfeu” before Guaraldi enters with his floating, lyrical style of piano playing. True to the samba style, Guaraldi keeps the danceable energy of the song high with the help of percussionist Colin Bailey. The trio plays their impressions of the other three original songs from the film “Manha de Carnaval,” “O Nosso Amor” and “Felicidade” to fill up the A-side of the album. The B-side, however, is where Guaraldi made his mark. The second side opening track is “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” which is a rare instrumental hit that charted at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Guaraldi a Grammy for Best Original Jazz Composition. It is followed by his impression of the song “Moon River” that had recently became a hit after debuting in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. “Alma-Ville” is the second original composition that Guaraldi wrote for the album and is an upbeat track on which snippets of future Peanuts songs can be heard. In fact, the popularity of Vince Guaraldi Trio’s Jazz Impressions of Black Orpheus is a large part of Guaraldi drawing the attention of Lee Mendelson when he was looking for a composer for the animated versions of Peanuts.
The vinyl release can be found as a single LP as well and a triple LP that includes two additional vinyl with alternate takes of each of the songs on the album. Each alternate take features either different timing or alternate riffs within the songs. The third LP also includes a previously unreleased version of Fats Waller’s “Jitterbug Waltz” as well as two additional takes of it. This reissue is a must have for fans of jazz and world music. The care that went into pressing this LP is evident as there is no surface noise and the musical dynamics come through in the utmost clarity and detail.
