Nilo Sergio - Romance (1962)

Romance is another exquisite studio album by Brazilian maestro, singer, and media mogul Nilo Sérgio, released in 1962. Released on his own premium label, Nilser (a sublabel of the renowned Musidisc company), the album was essentially a companion piece to his other work from the same year, Dança e Romance.

While the first album emphasized a swinging dance rhythm, this release was entirely devoted to an intimate, lyrical atmosphere.

Nilo Sérgio constructed Romance as a single, nocturnal sonic canvas for lovers. A gifted orchestra leader as well as a vocalist, Sérgio (often enlisting the best session singers and backing groups in Rio de Janeiro) emphasized deep, velvety vocals and the enveloping sound that became the hallmark of the Musidisc label. The album's repertoire is impeccably balanced: Sérgio combines the most important international romantic hits of the early 1960s, themes from Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and refined Brazilian classics. Here you can hear a melancholic interpretation of "Stranger on the Shore," Michel Legrand's timeless theme, and delicate orchestrations of American standards. This is a benchmark example of the "golden era" of Brazilian lounge music, highly prized today by collectors of rare vintage vinyl for its superb mixing quality and timeless cinematic atmosphere.