Surfboard

Roberto Menescal's band produced a dramatic, bustling style of music that incorporated elements of the bossa nova and samba as well as American cocktail music. His biggest hit, a sprightly instrumental of Jobim's "Surfboard," prompted this full LP in 1966, which obviously includes the title track as well as Menescal's versions of the era's classics. He chose well, including "Preciso Aprender a Ser Só" by the talented Valle brothers (Marcos and Paulo Sérgio), another Jobim standard (the melancholy, flute-led "Bonita"), and, to close, the classic "Berimbau" by Vinicius de Moraes-Baden Powell. Conjunto Roberto Menescal weren't just a one-hit wonder; they were a band which included capable musicians who explored Brazilian pop during the mid-'60s with as much vigor as any other.