Ben Ratliff's Essential Library: Jazz book for the New York Times, published in 2002, remains superior to most jazz record guides thanks to the author. It's not so much that his 100 selections are so extraordinary, but he finds fascinating things to focus on, the kinds of details that can change the way you listen to a piece of music. I was familiar with most of the music he covers, but one album that I knew nothing about was an o/p recording by Brazilian arranger and composer Moacir Santos; an album from 1965 called Coisas. Proving the power of the NYT, last year the American label Adventure Music issued domestically a lovely homage to Santos , and by last fall Coisas was reissued on CD in Brazil. It's a stunning piece of work. It may be a jazz record, but the interest lies more in Santos's writing and arranging, which somehow combines west coast jazz sororities, small group interplay, and sublime Brazilian rhythms. The opening track rides on an indelible, strolling trombone lick and the trumpet suggests more than a little the influence of Miles Davis. Most of the work done by Santos, however, was done for vocalists, and while not as immediately striking as the stuff on Coisas, it still stands out. So, below find links to the aforementioned "Coisa No. 4," as well as a track from the recently reissued and sole album by bossa singer Luiza.
