The rhythm of Rio, the romance of Sinatra: celebrated guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli revisits a bossa nova classic at 50.

Two of John Pizzarelli's greatest influences, Frank Sinatra and the bossa nova composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, joined forces in 1967 to present a softer, sultrier side of Sinatra on the heels of "That's Life" and "Strangers in the Night." Half a century later, John Pizzarelli is celebrating that unique gathering with his Concord Jazz release 'Sinatra and Jobim @ 50'.

Sinatraphiles consider the 1967 album 'Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim' one of Frank's greatest, a meeting that found Frank in an out-of-character setting. Yet he delivered a commanding and understated performance over Jobim's gentle rhythms and Claus Ogerman's strings. With 'Sinatra and Jobim @ 50', Pizzarelli pays tribute to those original recordings, enhancing that collection with two originals, Michael Frank's ode to Jobim and songs that Sinatra and Jobim recorded at a 1969 session.

Jobim's grandson, Daniel Jobim, is John's duet partner on the Jobim classics Sinatra and Jobim recorded together: "Agua de Beber," "Bonita" and "Dindi," plus a medley of "Meditation" and "Quiet Night of Quiet Stars." They also cover the standards from the 1967 LP, "Baubles, Bangles & Beads" and a medley of "Change Partners" with Jobim's "If You Never Come to Me" plus Cole Porter's "I Concentrate on You," which is paired with Jobim's "Wave."