We’re smack dab in the middle of summer here in the northern hemisphere, so what better classic song of the day than the aptly named “Summer Samba?” This one was an instrumental by a guy named Walter Wanderley; released as a single sixty years ago, in August of 1966, “Summer Samba” peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. You’ll remember it when you hear it.
“Summer Samba” (also known as “So Nice” or, in the original Portuguese, “Samba de Verão”) was a bossa nova tune written in 1964 by Brazilian composer Marcos Valle. Portuguese lyrics were provided by Marcos’ brother, Paulo Sérgio Valle; Norman Gimbel wrote the English-language lyrics.
Marcos Valle released the first version of “Samba de Verão” in 1964 and it was a top ten hit in Brazil. A pre-Brasil ’66 Sergio Mendes Trio (with Wanda de Sah on vocals) recorded the first English-language version of the song for their album, Brasil ’65. But it was Walter Wanderley’s instrumental version the following year that became the big hit.
Walter Wanderley was a Brazilian organist known for his easy listening bossa nova music, riding the wave started by João Gilberto and Stan Getz’s recording of “The Girl from Ipanema.” Wanderley recorded “Summer Samba” for his Rain Forest album, which was produced by Creed Taylor. That album, and the “Summer Samba” single, featured musicians Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Joe Grim on flute, Urbie Green on trombone, Jose Marino on bass, Claudio Slon on drums, and Bobby Rosengarden on percussion.
“Summer Samba,” under its various titles, proved popular with a number of different artists. You can find version of the tune by Johnny Mathis (got up to #17 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart), Connie Francis (also hit #17 on the Easy Listening chart), Vicki Carr (#32 on the Easy Listening chart), Astrud Gilberto, Andy Williams, Diana Krall, and even Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra.
For your listening pleasure, today’s daily bonus tracks of the day feature several of these easy listening covers. Enjoy—and have a great summer!
