In jazz and pop music alike, strings should come with a warning: Please handle with caution – like a vial of nitroglycerine. It’s so easy to surrender to poor taste, or even complete muddiness. Luckily this masterpiece from 1976 avoids all of those pitfalls. Up until this point, João Gilberto was meant to be enjoyed in its purest form: the master of bossa nova, alone with his guitar. With Amoroso, the Brazilian signed a pact with Claus Ogerman, the famous german arranger. An expert in sensual, elegant violins, the man had worked with Antonio Carlos Jobim extensively during the sixties. The pairing of Ogerman and Gilberto seems like a miracle. The repertoire is part Jobim (Wave, Caminhos Cruzados, Triste, Zingaro), and part American standards (’S Wonderful by Gershwin) or from Europe (Spain, with Besame Mucho and d’Italy with Estaté by Brighetti and Martino). João Gilberto gives body and soul in the midst of Ogerman’s strings, which are never heavy, and never obfuscate the singer’s mellow voice. Every moment is an ode to simplicity, elegance and beauty. The ease with which these strangers find each other is astounding. An absolute marvel. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz