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Copacabana
Jazz · 1981 · 9 tracks

Copacabana

Sarah Vaughan

Sophisticated Brazilian-infused jazz from 1981. Vaughan's liquid-velvet voice glides over sun-drenched samba rhythms and lush, polished arrangements.

1981 · Pablo Today

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Copacabana is the sound of a master at the absolute peak of her technical powers, finding a second home in the rhythms of Brazil. Released in 1981, it captures Sarah Vaughan during her fruitful late-career period on Pablo Records, where she traded the smoky jazz clubs of New York for the breezy, sun-soaked streets of Rio. The album feels like a warm breeze at dusk: elegant, slightly humid, and deeply inviting. It is not just a jazz singer performing bossa nova; it is a complete synthesis of American vocal sophistication and South American rhythmic complexity.

Tracklist · 9 Tracks
01
Copacabana
3:36
02
The Smiling Hour (Abra alas)
4:17
03
To Say Goodbye (Pra dizer adeus)
3:47
04
Dreamer (Vivo sonhando)
3:39
05
Gentle Rain
2:48
06
Tete
4:39
07
Dindi
5:29
08
Double Rainbow (Chovendo na Roseira)
3:31
09
Bonita
3:53
Moments Worth Listening For
The effortless transition from a low, resonant chest tone to a shimmering head voice during the bridge of the title track.
The way the percussion subtly shifts from a standard jazz swing to a syncopated samba beat as the first track unfolds.
The intimate, breathy delivery of the final verse on a ballad where the piano seems to shadow her every move.
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Copacabana sound next to the rest of Sarah Vaughan's catalogue?

Golden Hour+2.8σ

Golden Hour saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

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