Originals: “Desafinado” by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd

Very often, Herb Alpert’s albums were very “topical.”  Like a newscaster dispensing the latest news, many Tijuana Brass albums would feature recent hits.  Back in the era of the Lonely Bull album, another great style was taking over American airwaves and record stores: the Bossa Nova.  “Desafinado” today is considered a Bossa Nove standard, composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton Mendonça.  The earliest recordings of this tune by Joao Gilberto are for the most part unavailable today, but the most popular hit version was recorded by Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd, on their 1962 album Jazz Samba, reaching the Top 20 in the US.  Here is their version of “Desafinado.”