The most essential albums recorded by João Gilberto are his first three, Chega de Saudade (1959), O Amor, O Sorriso e a Flor (1960), and "João Gilberto" (1961). All three remain extremely up-to-date and share in common a superb standard of quality in compositions, arrangements (mostly designed by Tom Jobim), and Gilberto's performances at the guitar and voice.

Antonio Carlos Jobim, Brazilian composer of such popular songs at "Desafinado" and "The Girl From Ipanema," derived his unmistakable songwriting style from a very personal sense of melody and harmony, the magnificent songwriting traditions of Brazil, the rhythm of the samba, and American jazz. The Composer of "Desafinado", Plays was the LP Jobim created when the bossa nova wave hit the US. It showcases his own piano with string accompaniment (with results far different from the bossa nova efforts of Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, et al). Remastered from the original three-track tape, Jobim's greatest songs are now in their best sound.

Astrud Gilberto was born as Astrud Weinert, the daughter of a Brazilian mother and a German father, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, and was raised in Rio de Janeiro. In 1959, she married João Gilberto, later emigrating to the United States in 1963. They eventually divorced in the mid-1960s. Download.

Chega de Saudade is the debut album from João Gilberto and is often credited as the first bossa nova album. The title can be translated roughly as "enough longing", though the Portuguese word saudade carries with it more complex meaning. In 2001, the album was made an inaugural member of the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame. Download.