Albums for a Lazy Sunday With the Windows Open

If the day starts slowly, try the title track. Jobim sets a tune that’s easy to follow against the small insistence of the rhythm. “Triste” keeps that sense of space in a slightly quicker motion. It’s the sound of a breakfast table you can stay at for another cup.

The guitar, organ and vibraphone leave different kinds of sound hanging in the air. “Lazy Afternoon” makes the most of that room. “Somewhere in the Night” gives the group a little more motion when you want to come out of the slower spell.

Try “Shenandoah” for the moment when you’ve put the coffee on and have nowhere in particular to go. Frisell and Ry Cooder leave enough space to hear the melody’s shape between them. The ensemble pieces elsewhere on the record give the guitars a wider place to wander.

“Reasons” gives the record more kick than the soft sway of “Lovin’ You” suggests. Riperton can put a note almost anywhere without losing the push underneath it. This is one for singing along quietly until there’s a song you’d rather turn up.

The relaxed motion of “Learn How to Fall” leaves room for Simon’s phrasing. By “Loves Me Like a Rock,” the backing voices fill in what the lead leaves open. Let the record run when a slow breakfast has become an excuse to stay around the table.

Yola’s easy phrasing makes “Ride Out in the Country” feel as though there’s time to see something on the way. “Love All Night (Work All Day)” gives the album a busier, hungrier rhythm. Both work in a room where people are doing different things and still want a song to follow.

There’s time to hear the bass line settle before the guitar has said much in “Mr. White.” “White Gloves” brings in a smaller, lightly sung melody later. Pick the original record for a steady pulse that can keep going while you wander in and out of the room.

The repeated words and guitar figure in “Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando os Alquimistas” can set the pace of the room within a few phrases. Listen for the lighter guitar and percussion in “O Homem da Gravata Florida” after the sound has found its footing.

“Asleep on a Sunbeam” gives the album a softer place to land as the voices come together. “I’m a Cuckoo” gets you back on your feet with a much firmer guitar rhythm. That give and take is why the record works for an afternoon with no firm plans.

“Love Me Not” finds a compact, bouncing pocket, while “One Wish” lets the voices pull back over a quieter pulse. Both are good on a sunny afternoon. Together they give the album somewhere to go after the first bright hook.

Play “Nice to Each Other” when the room is still taking its time. “Man I Need” adds a sharper beat and a chorus that rises to meet it. The record is good company when you want to hear the lyrics some of the time and get on with things the rest of the time.

A clipped rhythm gives “Lucid Girl” forward motion under a vocal that keeps its cool. “Waiting on the Right Time” lets the daydream linger a little longer. Try the record when you want a soul band with a beat present enough to get your attention and space left for everyone else in the room.

The voices over the pulsing guitar on “Tudo Que Você Podia Ser” make a lively opening for a record that takes plenty of detours. “Cravo e Canela” is a good place to hear how another change of rhythm brings everyone together again.

The guitar on “On Verra Ça” moves lightly enough to hear the voices passing across it. “El Son Te Llama” gives the percussion more elbow room and brings out a different side of the band’s Afro-Cuban swing. It’s a record for an afternoon that’s quietly becoming a gathering.

Follow the bass against the nimble drums on “Tioga Pass.” They can make the room feel more active before you’ve actually decided to do anything. The wider album changes singers, instrumental textures and pace without losing its concern for how a beat feels.

Hathaway can make room for a sweeping entrance, then bring the focus down to one voice. “Love, Love, Love” is the easy room-filler here, with a melody that works as well across a conversation as it does up close.

“The Bird” moves gently enough for the first few minutes after you sit down. “Am I Wrong” changes the pace with a much quicker dance rhythm. Pick this when you want the Sunday afternoon to gain some momentum and a record that will still hold your attention when you stop moving.

When the room needs more energy, “Just Kissed My Baby” makes the guitar and organ feel like part of the same rhythmic conversation. “People Say” gets there from a different angle. There’s plenty to catch in the playing even if you’re halfway through putting lunch together.