Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘The Composer…’ Gets Verve Vault Release
The iconic album is getting a vinyl reissue as part of Verve’s new series.
Verve Label Group and UMe have just announced Verve Vault, a new audiophile vinyl reissue series highlighting iconic jazz albums as well as overlooked gems from Verve’s vast catalog. The series will feature two releases per month, with the first titles coming October 10.
One of the two titles launching the series is The Composer of Desafinado Plays. Originally released in 1963 on Verve Records, the album marked the U.S. debut of Brazilian songwriter and pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim as a bandleader.
Recorded in New York in 1962 and produced by Creed Taylor, the album pairs Jobim’s understated piano work with lush orchestral arrangements by Claus Ogerman — a collaboration that helped define the international sound of bossa nova. Backed by a mostly American studio ensemble with select Brazilian contributors, including flautist Leo Wright and drummer Edison Machado, the album presented Jobim’s compositions in refined, jazz-inflected settings aimed at U.S. listeners already discovering bossa nova through artists like Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.
The tracklist features early American recordings of what would become some of Jobim’s best-known songs, including “Desafinado,” “Chega de Saudade,” and “One Note Samba.” With its soft textures, streamlined rhythms, and harmonic richness, the album emphasizes the poised intimacy that became a hallmark of Jobim’s songwriting — cementing his role as both architect and ambassador of the bossa nova movement.
The Verve Vault Series presents all-analog 180-gram vinyl reissues of essential albums from the Verve, Impulse!, Mercury, and associated catalogs. Mastered by Ryan K. Smith from the original analog tapes and pressed at Optimal, each release combines exceptional audio fidelity with meticulous attention to detail — from mastering to jacket reproduction.
