Stan Getz & João Gilberto-Getz/Gilberto (1964)

In 1964, saxophonist Stan Getz's album with Brazilian guitarist and singer João Gilberto became a landmark, sparking a bossa nova craze in the United States and much of the world. A native of Pennsylvania, Getz's early work was associated with bebop, influenced by the subtle and refined style of the legendary Lester Young. Amidst the vibrant Los Angeles jazz scene of the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, Getz collaborated with prominent jazz icons such as Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Horace Silver, Oscar Peterson, and Charlie Parker. Having firmly established himself within the West Coast Jazz scene, Getz built a formidable reputation thanks to his numerous collaborations and his own albums, such as "Stan Getz Plays" (1952), "Diz and Getz" with Dizzy Gillespie (1955), and "Stan Getz and the Cool Sounds" (1957), among many others. In the early 1960s, Getz recorded several bossa nova albums with Charlie Byrd, and years later, his partnership with Antônio Carlos Jobim proved crucial. Together with the then-promising João Gilberto, they recorded one of the most famous jazz albums of all time. "Getz/Gilberto" features not only Jobim and Gilberto, but also Milton Banana, Astrud Gilberto, and Sebastião Neto, who together create an exquisite exploration of the tranquil and delicate sounds of bossa nova. This combination of Getz's silky saxophone riffs and the smooth guitar strums is truly remarkable. Gilberto's and Astrud Gilberto's delicate voice are reflected in the mythical song "The Girl From Ipanema", undoubtedly the most popular of such an iconic and fundamental album.