“Stan Getz was introduced to Brazilian music by guitarist Charlie Byrd. Byrd had come to play in Brazil in 1961 on a cultural mission for the Alliance for Progress program.
While here, the American guitarist discovered Bossa Nova and played with Brazilian musicians at the iconic Beco das Garrafas. Charlie Byrd returned to the United States bringing along records by João Gilberto and Tom Jobim, which he introduced to Stan Getz. The saxophonist fell in love with the Bossa Nova rhythm and proposed to the guitarist that they record an album with this new repertoire.
The record was Jazz Samba, released by the Verve label in 1962. The album sold one million copies—a surprising success even for the musicians themselves.
Stan Getz enjoyed the sonic possibilities provided by the guitar and saxophone pairing. The following year, he invited Laurindo Almeida to record a new album of Brazilian music with him.
In that same year of 1963, Stan Getz invited another Brazilian guitarist for a new recording session at Verve Music, produced by his friend Creed Taylor. The guest was Luiz Bonfá, and they recorded the album Jazz Samba Encore!, which also featured a very special guest appearance by Antonio Carlos Jobim on guitar and piano.
However, Stan Getz’s greatest masterstroke was inviting João Gilberto himself for the recording of the masterpiece Getz/Gilberto, released by Verve in 1964. The album won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year and became the best-selling record in the history of jazz.”