"João Gilberto, Master Of Bossa Nova, Dies At 88"

[ThelmaLou]

João Gilberto is credited by some Brazilian music historians as writing the first bossa nova, or new beat, a style that drew on the country’s African-influenced samba tradition but was performed without the usual battery of drums and rhythm instruments, and at much lower volumes. Gilberto’s intimate and nuanced style of guitar playing and singing, eventually central to the bossa nova sound, were reportedly developed in 1955 when he sequestered himself inside of a bathroom at his sister’s house so as not to disturb her family and to take advantage of the acoustics provided by the bathroom tiles.

“Bim-Bom,” often named as the first bossa nova song, came from that period. Soon thereafter, the style began to sweep Rio’s cafe’s and bars. Gilberto became the center of a vanguard of young Brazilian musicians that included composer Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. …

Cite

I discovered this genre in the late 1960s when I was in college, and it is still my favorite kind of music. At the NPR link, there’s a sweet YouTube playlist.

Rest in peace. (I don’t know how to say that in Portuguese…)

[Snowboarder_Bo]

Getz/Gilberto is a must-have; I have it and am listening to it now.

DEP Sr. Gilberto; você fez bem.
(I sure hope the translator got all that right. It translated “rest in peace” as “descanse em paz”.)

[outlierrn]

Sad news, I’ll be playing it tonight.

[Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Getz/Gilberto is a must-have…[/size]

Absolutely.

Getz’s sensual saxophone sound was a miraculous fit for Bossa Nova’s voluptuous swing. Still my favourite album of his (as a co-leader here).

[RTFirefly]

@Snowboarder_Bo

Getz/Gilberto is a must-have

Indeed. I was 11, maybe, when that album came out, but it was one of those records my parents were into that I really appreciated as well. Good stuff.

[Chefguy]

A tumultuous life and some great music. I fell hard for the bossa nova sound when Getz/Gilberto was released in '63. The album is still in my rotation today. Even though none of the songs on that album were written by Gilberto, his playing and vocals helped make it a hit. Muito obrigado, o senhor.

[Two_Many_Cats]

Blame it on the Bossa Nova.

Well, somebody had to say it.