Ao Meu Amigo Tom

This to-the-letter release is intended to be a tribute to Tom Jobim, a friend and an important influence in Milton's career; Milton debuted as a drummer in João Gilberto's Chega de Saudade under Jobim's arrangements and conducting and performed/recorded together with him several times.

A low-profile album, Milton's very style, this reissue in CD format has no surprises for those who have been following the bossa movement. Here, the classic Jobim tunes ("Chega de Saudade," "Desafinado," "Corcovado," "A Felicidade," "Dindi," "Girl From Ipanema," "Plane Samba," "Waters of March," "Wave," "One Note Samba," etc.) are performed with no stretches whatsoever, but the musicians (under arrangements and conducting by José Alves) keep a stable, competent approach to interpreting bossa's delicacy and tenderness. A trio with orchestra release, it has no instrumental improvisation, just straightforward theme expositions in short-spanned tracks (to the total of 15, all being medleys, covering 32 songs), plenty of timbre choices, and some short apparitions of Milton's singing (very reminiscent of the very Jobim's own limited vocal expression and timbre).