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Jazz

Wave

Antônio Carlos Jobim · 1967

Jobim’s 1967 Wave isn’t bossa nova—it’s bossa as chamber jazz, scored for strings and American brass.

Worth your time?4/5Yes.Hear the whole thing.What works, what does not, who it is for ↓
8:20in productionCh. 1 · Fifth Studio Album/ 8:20 · ceiling 15 min
4 chapters · 8:20Ceiling 15:00

The brief is written and checked. The video joins this page when it is cut.4 chapters · 1 min read · 8:20 planned

Read the brief

Wave is Antônio Carlos Jobim’s fifth studio album, released in 1967 on A&M Records. It was recorded in the US with mostly American musicians. Claus Ogerman arranged and conducted. The album features trombonists Urbie Green and Jimmy Cleveland, flautist Jerome Richardson, bassist Ron Carter, and a string section. Jobim performed piano, guitar, harpsichord, and vocals.

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Chapters & takeaways4
  1. 0:49
    Fifth Studio Album

    Wave is Jobim’s fifth studio album, released in 1967 on A&M Records.

  2. 2:02
    US Studio, Jazz Orchestra

    Recorded in the US with American musicians, arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman, featuring strings, trombones, flute, and bass.

  3. 3:34
    Who Plays What

    Jobim plays piano, guitar, harpsichord, and sings; Ogerman conducts; Green and Cleveland play trombone; Richardson plays flute; Carter plays bass.

  4. 5:06
    Not the 1996 Tribute

    A separate 1996 tribute album titled Wave: The Antonio Carlos Jobim Songbook features Peterson, Hancock, Corea, and Thielemans.

1 more chapterFewer chapters
Running order10
  1. 01
    Wave2:57

    Heard in Lost Highway (1997)

  2. 02
    The Red Blouse5:09
  3. 03
    Look to the Sky2:20
  4. 04
    Batidinha3:18
  5. 05
    Triste2:09
  6. 06
    Mojave2:27
  7. 07
    Dialogo2:56
  8. 08
    Lamento2:46

    Heard in Goldfish Memory (2003)

  9. 09
    Antigua3:11
  10. 10
    Captain Bacardi4:29

Film placements are the ones described in each film's own entry, so the list is partial rather than complete.

Worth your time?

Yes. Hear the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • 'Wave'
  • 'Triste'
What does not
  • swing like Rio club recordings
  • feature Brazilian percussion
  • rely on samba or baião grooves
Hear it if
  • jazz listeners who value arrangement over improvisation
  • bossa nova purists who expect rhythmic immediacy
Skip it if
  • bossa nova purists who expect rhythmic immediacy
Who should hear it, and who should skipHide who it is for
The written brief1 min read

What the record is and where it came from

Wave is Antônio Carlos Jobim’s fifth studio album, released in 1967 on A&M Records.

How it sounds, and how it was made

The album uses a string section, trombones, flute, and bass alongside Jobim’s piano, guitar, harpsichord, and vocals. It was arranged and conducted by Claus Ogerman. The recording took place in the US with mostly American musicians.

What lands

‘Wave’ and ‘Triste’ land with clarity: clean melodic lines, unhurried pacing, and string textures that breathe without crowding.

What does not

It does not swing like Rio club recordings. It does not feature Brazilian percussion. It does not rely on samba or baião grooves.

The ideas inside it

It treats bossa nova as a suite of mood pieces, not dance music. Melody is foregrounded. Space is held by strings and silence, not rhythm section drive.

Who should hear it, and who should not

Jazz listeners who value arrangement over improvisation should hear it. Bossa nova purists who expect rhythmic immediacy should not.

Is it worth your time

Yes—if you want to hear Jobim’s bossa nova refracted through American jazz orchestration and mid-60s studio string writing.

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