Quincy Jones And His Band

Jones' gift for rich orchestrations and bossa nova's floating yet supple rhythms were bound to meet on record. With Quincy's sharp arrangements for big band, hot percussion and a breezy brass section, the album finds the perfect balance to make everything swing. Featuring musicians of the caliber of Clark Terry (trumpet, flugelhorn), Roland Kirk (flute), Phil Woods (alto sax), Jerome Richardson (flute), Paul Gonsalves (tenor sax) and Jim Hall (guitar), a baseline quality is assured.

The authenticity of the album's South American heritage is reinforced by the presence of Lalo Schifrin as pianist and composer. One only has to listen to the sincere and elegant "Serenata" to realize this is not just meretricious bossa-craze cash-in, nor exotica ephemera. Almost every track here is a classic that you're bound to have heard somewhere, not least the now-ubiquitous, frequently sampled "Soul Bossa Nova."