Bossa Nova U.S.A.

Bossa Nova U.S.A. is a studio album released by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1963 by Columbia originally in the United States as LP record CS 8798 (stereo) and CL 1998 (mono)^[2] and in England as SBPG 62127.^[5] It was also released by CBS in Australia, as catalog SPB 233.038.^[6]

Bossa Nova USA
Studio album by Dave Brubeck Quartet
Released	1963
Recorded	3 January – 25 October 1962[1]
Genre	Cool jazz
Length	40:48
Label	Columbia
Producer	Teo Macero
Dave Brubeck Quartet chronology
Bennett/Brubeck. The White House Sessions, Live 1962 (1962) Bossa Nova USA (1963) Brubeck in Amsterdam (1963)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable)[2]
Down Beat	[3]
New Record Mirror	[4]

Background and recording

Since 1955, Brubeck had composed and performed pieces originating from influences outside of the European musical tradition, in which this album, released during the bossa nova craze in the United States of the late 1950s and early 1960s, can be best categorized.^[7] It is intended to be "impressionistic" of "the cool wave from Brazil."^[8] Recorded through most of 1962, and released early in 1963,^[1] the album was designed to be effective on the pop charts.^[2] All tracks were recorded in New York City.^[5] Five tracks were recorded on January 3, 1962 in a session dedicated to bossa nova.^[9] Two additional tracks were recorded on Thursday, July 5 that year in another dedicated session, while an additional two were recorded the same day the next week in a session with an additional track that appeared on the 1965 album My Favorite Things.^[9] The last track to be recorded was the title track, laid down on October 25, 1962^[5] in a session that also included three songs appearing elsewhere.^[9] This album sits in stark contrast to the "time"-themed series of albums, in that each track is typified simply by a samba-based rhythm.^[10]

Release

In advance of the album, the title track was released as a single (Columbia 42651) in the last week of 1962, with "This Can't Be Love" as the B-side.^[11] This met with moderate success, peaking at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[12] The album followed soon in early 1963.

Reception

On release, Billboard called the album "first-class Brubeck." While noting the number of bossa tracks, it particularly singled out a re-working of The Trolley Song as a standout track.^[2] The Age expected the record to be popular with the general public, but noted "purists will wince."^[6] The album found more success with the public than the single, appearing for fifteen weeks on Billboard's album charts, achieving position #14.^[13]

In 1998, the album was released in Japan as a CD, in mini LP format, in the "Sony Master Sound" series as Sony Records SRCS 9364.^[14][15]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Dave Brubeck, except where indicated:

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
1.	"Bossa Nova U.S.A."		October 25, 1962	2:24
2.	"Vento Fresco (Cool Wind)"		January 3, 1962	3:30
3.	"The Trolley Song"	Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane	July 5, 1962	3:04
4.	"Theme for June"	Howard Brubeck	July 12, 1962	4:15
5.	"Coracao Sensivel"	Teo Macero	January 3, 1962	4:10
6.	"Irmao Amigo"		January 3, 1962	3:22
7.	"There'll Be No Tomorrow"	Iola Brubeck, Dave Brubeck	July 12, 1962	5:42
8.	"Cantiga Nova Swing"		January 3, 1962	2:46
9.	"Lamento"		January 3, 1962	4:45
10.	"This Can't Be Love"	Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	July 5, 1962	3:45
Total length:				40:48

Personnel

• Dave Brubeck – piano
• Paul Desmond – saxophone
• Joe Morello – drums
• Eugene Wright – double bass

References

1. Yanow, Scott. "Dave Brubeck/Dave Brubeck Quartet: Bossa Nova USA". Allmusic. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
2. "Album Reviews". Billboard. Feb 23, 1963. p. 31.
3. "Record Reviews". Down Beat. April 25, 1963. p. 26.
4. Watson, Jimmy (1 June 1963). "Dave Brubeck: Bossa Nova U.S.A." (PDF). New Record Mirror. No. 116. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 April 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
5. "Dave Brubeck Catalog". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
6. "More Offerings on Record". The Age. Melbourne, Australia. August 1, 1963. p. 4. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
7. Storb, Ilse; Fischer, Klaus G. (1994). Dave Brubeck Improvisations and Compositions – The Idea of Cultural Exchange. Translated by Bert Thompson. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. p. 10. ISBN 0-8204-2003-4.
8. Storb, Ilse; Fischer, Klaus G. (1994). Dave Brubeck Improvisations and Compositions – The Idea of Cultural Exchange. Translated by Bert Thompson. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. p. 89. ISBN 0-8204-2003-4.
9. "Dave Brubeck Discography". Jazz Discography Project. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
10. Storb, Ilse; Fischer, Klaus G. (1994). Dave Brubeck Improvisations and Compositions – The Idea of Cultural Exchange. Translated by Bert Thompson. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc. p. 91. ISBN 0-8204-2003-4.
11. "Spotlight Singles of the Week". Billboard. December 29, 1962. p. 14. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
12. Whitburn, Joel (2000). Top Pop Singles 1955–1999. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 82. ISBN 0-89820-139-X.
13. Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's top pop albums, 1955–1996. Record Research Inc. p. 112.
14. "Recordings". Dave Brubeck Jazz.
15. "デイヴ・ブルーベック「ボサ・ノヴァ Ｕ．Ｓ．Ａ．」 | SRCS-9364 | 4988009936499 &#124". Billboard JAPAN.