Antonio Carlos Jobim had paved the way, years earlier, for wrapping Brazilian music in lush horns and strings, but for
Zimbo Trio, to record this type of LP was a leap of faith. Faith that such a move would not be looked at as overtly commercial -- especially from such a group of serious musicians as
Zimbo -- and also, of course, faith that the move would work from a musical standpoint. During the mid-'60s,
Zimbo Trio had been such a lean group -- able to swing rapturously but then stop immediately and move in a new direction -- that playing over a set of string-laden songs could have become the musical equivalent of trying to run through a waist-deep stream. While
Decisão certainly doesn't move like their earlier recordings, it is a success, and best of all, it's a success on their own terms. The arrangements come from the group themselves, and the conductor Cyro Pereira never slows down the tempo -- except when the trio want it slowed. Horns take a larger role than strings, allowing swells and peaks with just as much energy as
Zimbo Trio could muster by themselves. ~ John Bush