Bossanova: Cool Bossa Nova & Hip Samba Sounds from Rio De Janeiro

In the opening ceremony of Rio's Olympics, there was a moment when supermodel Gisele Bündchen made the stadium her private catwalk, stepping over an ingenious lighting design that made her seem to stand on the same spot, walking without moving forward. As she advanced, the most gorgeous and emblematic of Brazilian songs, ‘Garota de Ipanema’, by Tom Jobim, played. It makes you wonder why a compilation of bossa nova can only manage to showcase Jobim in a duet with Luiz Bonfá. Even if the label's intent is to showcase ‘many rare and lesser-known gems’, its handful of classics is where Bossanova really plays a weak hand: no memorable Jobim, one of the music's two fathers, with João Gilberto and second choices of mandatory songs such as ‘Água de Beber’or ‘Samba de Uma Nota Só’.

There is no denying it's only fair that Johnny Alf, Tamba Trio, Alaíde Costa, Sylvia Telles, Sérgio Mendes, Lúcio Alves, Elza Soares, Dorival Caymmi and Carlos Lyra get some well-deserved attention. But it's inevitable to feel that Bossanova is the result of a constrained selection. The rare gems make this an ideal release to anyone who already has a solid basis in bossa, but it doesn’t make a strong case if you’re looking for a definitive introduction. It's like being handed a fine shovel and being told where to dig further.