Top 10 Albums by Antônio Carlos Jobim
- Rafael Torres
- 30 de mar.
- 8 min de leitura
By Rafael Torres
Tom Jobim’s discography is relatively small. Some of his best albums were made with Banda Nova, a group he put together that included Danilo Caymmi (flute and vocals), Paulo Jobim (his son, guitar), Jaques Morelenbaum (cello and some arrangements), a group of female vocalists, drums, and bass. He played piano and sang most of the songs.
Tom Jobim’s voice has two characteristics, to me. It wasn’t great, either technically or in tone, but at the same time, it was comforting. It reminded me a lot of my grandfather singing bossa novas when I was a child. So, maybe, I’m the only one who likes it. Or perhaps others with similar experiences do too.
Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim was born in Rio de Janeiro, in 1927. He studied piano with Lúcia Branco (who also tought Nelson Freire, Arhur Moreira Lima, Jean Louis Steuerman and Jacques Klein - to Tom's unhappiness: "all she wants to know is Nelson Freire and Arthur") and composition with Hans Joachim Koelheutter. With Lúcia Branco he discovered the french music: Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc etc. With Koelheutter, Tom learned about atonalism and twelve-tone composition.
As for his (and bossa nova's) jazz influence, he always denied it. He used to say that both had common ancestors: the french impressionist music. Now, his music was recorded by jazz players, such as Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Pat Metheny and many others. However, his major influence was Heitor Villa-Lobos. They met three times at Villa-Lobos's house, when the composer was already sick. Tom tells us a story from one of these meetings: Villa-Lobos was composing and there was a lot of noise in the house. Tom asked "maestro, how can you compose with so much noise?", and Villa-Lobos answered "the external ear has nothing to do with the internal one".
He considered himself a citizen of the world. And he remains the most internationally successful Brazilian songwriter of all time. Together with João Gilberto, he created bossa nova, which was more than a rhythm—it was a way of singing, of playing guitar, of arranging drums, of composing and writing lyrics.
Tom passed away in 1994 from cancer, a disease he fought hard against. Banda Nova, active for ten years, disbanded after that.
Now, onto the albums. I focused on studio albums where he mainly plays his own compositions.
Tom Jobim’s Discography: A Personal Ranking
10. Terra Brasilis (1980)
The issue with exploring Tom’s discography is that he didn’t record his songs in a linear way—songs weren’t necessarily composed for a specific album. For instance, the double album Terra Brasilis opens with the English version of Vivo Sonhando ("Dreamer"), which predates the album. Keep that in mind—it’s important: he didn’t create albums so much as he recorded whatever he felt like at the time.
There’s the beautiful Canta, Canta Mais, written with Vinícius de Moraes (another old song, later recorded with more authority), and Olha, Maria, a three-way collaboration with Chico Buarque and Vinícius de Moraes. Chico had already recorded it on his 1971 album Construção. Here, Tom records it instrumentally, which works perfectly—in spite of its monumental lyrics, the music stands on its own.
We get many re-recordings: Samba de Uma Nota Só (One Note Samba), Dindi, Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado), Desafinado (Off Key), Wave. All excellent. It’s not a profoundly deep record, but it’s absolutely delightful.
9. O Tempo e o Vento (1985)
This is the soundtrack album for the Globo TV series based on one of my favorite book series, O Tempo e o Vento by Érico Veríssimo—a saga set in the south of Brazil. The theme song, Passarim (Little Bird), is one of Tom’s most charming pieces and would later inspire an entire album. There are instrumental tracks, and many songs aren’t sung by him—like Rodrigo, Meu Capitão and Senhora Dona Bibiana, sung by Zé Renato.
It’s an atmospheric album—one of those you always listen to from beginning to end.
8. Matita Perê (1973)
Tom was deeply interested in Brazil’s forests, birds, and folklore. This album, which opens with Águas de Março (Waters of March), is full of Brazilian soul. To be clear, this isn’t the "American Jobim" that many criticized. This is the nostalgic Tom—a kind of popular version of Villa-Lobos. Not that it’s an extremely nationalist album, but it’s one of the first where he sings about his personal passions. He’d push that Brazilian essence to the extreme on another album we’ll see later.
Matita Perê features the beautiful Ana Luiza, which I think should be as well-known as Lígia. The title track, with lyrics by Paulo César Pinheiro, is over seven minutes long and journeys through complex tonal shifts. It’s one of the maestro’s most impressive compositions. It has few tracks, but long ones—maybe more interesting for us musicians.
7. Inédito (1995)
The title Inédito ("Unreleased") is ironic—it doesn’t feature a single new melody. It was recorded in 1987 with corporate sponsorship (from a company we shall not name), intending to compile highlights from his career. It was only released to the general public in 1995. Tom said it was the most fun he ever had recording. It’s all done with his band—very tight—no guest artists ("enough of guests", he reportedly said). It was recorded at home.
It features Wave, Desafinado (Off Key), Garota de Ipanema (The Girl from Ipanema, great arrangement), Retrato em Branco e Preto, Sabiá, Samba do Avião, Estrada do Sol, Águas de Março, and many others in chamber-style arrangements (a few strings) that work beautifully.
I grew up listening to this album—it came out when I was 14—so, I’m biased. Danilo Caymmi sings a gorgeous Modinha by Villa-Lobos.
6. Passarim (1987)
Passarim marks the beginning of a new phase for Tom—the same phase as the Inédito album and Brasileiro. O Tempo e o Vento already introduced the title track, but here we see its final form. Bebel is another tender, beautiful song about a female figure. Anos Dourados (It Looks Like December) features co-writer Chico Buarque—I love that song, like all their collaborations. Luiza, the ideal song, is soaked in 1980s reverb, but still beautiful. There’s also Borseguim, Gabriela, and a wonderful version of Fascinatin’ Rhythm by George and Ira Gershwin.
It’s a fantastic album of this new era, with less monumental, Villa-Lobos-style arrangements and more focus on the band and vocals.
5. Urubu (1976)
This is Tom Jobim’s nationalist album. Starting with the berimbau in O Boto. The orchestra often takes center stage, with the eloquence—finally—of Villa-Lobos. Not the discreet strings of later works, but woodwinds and brass playing rhythmic elements conceived as part of the songs. The arrangements by Claus Ogerman are phenomenal.
Lígia is one of Tom’s most beautiful melodies, as is Ângela. Correnteza (The Stream) features a beautiful arrangement, as usual. Saudade do Brasil could have been written by Villa-Lobos.
Symphonically stunning, it speaks not of longing for a faraway homeland, but of nostalgia for something you're still immersed in.
4. Edu & Tom/Tom & Edu (1981)
This is the album I listen to the least among those on this list—which doesn’t mean I don’t recognize its importance and quality. I just don’t revisit it often. It includes the wonderful Pra Dizer Adeus (by Edu Lobo and Torquato Neto), the lovely Chovendo na Roseira (Double Rainbow), the definitive recording of Vento Bravo, plus Ângela, Luiza, Canto Triste, and more.
It’s mostly sung by Edu, with Tom making his usual interventions. Essential—two genius composers playing their wonderful songs together.
3. Elis & Tom (1974)
Elis & Tom is a happy album. Happy and sad. Because no one could sing like she could. Here, she’s singing the greatest composer of our time. The arrangements could’ve easily felt dated—but they didn’t. The album is timeless.
Besides the iconic version of Águas de Março (Waters of March), we have immortal renditions of Por Toda a Minha Vida, Pois É (very difficult to sing, with masterful harmony), Só Tinha Que Ser Com Você, O Que Tinha Que Ser, and many others.
2. Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967)
Frank Sinatra was the smoothest singer in American music of his generation. He rarely dedicated entire albums to a single composer—but made an exception for Tom. Sure, not all the songs were written by Tom, but most were. Both artists sound at ease—or, at least, Tom seems to, though I’ve read he was extremely nervous.
The Girl from Ipanema, Dindi, Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, How Insensitive, Once I Loved—all impeccable in Sinatra’s voice. Tom plays acoustic guitar here, though he usually avoided it in favor of piano. He thought the image of a Brazilian playing guitar was too "Latin lover".
1. Brasileiro (1994)
This is "the" album. Brilliant from top to bottom. Okay, I must confess—I don’t like three tracks: Maracangalha, Maricotinha (both by Dorival Caymmi), and Pato Preto. But the rest? Incredible. How Insensitive (Insensatez) with Sting? Gorgeous! Querida! Instrumentals like Surfboard, Meu Amigo Radamés, and Radamés y Pelé—amazing!
There’s also an English translation and rendition of Blue Train (O Trem Azul) by Lô Borges and Ronaldo Bastos, a fantastic rendition of Chora Coração, and the beautiful Samba de Maria Luiza (sung by Tom and his daughter, Maria Luiza, 6 years old, at the time).
Among Jobim’s albums, this one sounds the freshest and most modern. Not by chance—it was his final release while alive. Inédito would come later, posthumously, but this album wonderfully closes the discography of Brazil’s greatest songwriter. It also closes the character arc of Jobim himself: finally, he gives us a focused album, crafted as a single, unified work.
Honorable Mentions (and Why They’re Not Included):
Getz/Gilberto – Will appear in a future João Gilberto discography review. Tom’s role was significant but didn’t grant him authority over the album.
Miucha & Antônio Carlos Jobim – Excellent, but features too few of his own songs.
Jobim Sinfônico – A São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra album with his works. Spectacular, but made well after his death—not really his album.
A Certain Mr. Jobim – If this were a Top 11, it would’ve made the cut. A beautiful record.