I've been dreading the day I'd have to post this but it's here.
New York Times:
In short order US jazz musicians, who appreciated the complex jazz chords Gilberto was using, took notice and started integrating and collaborating, probably the most notable being saxophonist Stan Getz, the recording sessions of which produced the US hit Garota de Ipanema, sung in English by Gilberto's then-wife Astrid. Miles Davis noted "that guy could read a newspaper and sound good".
An introverted recluse, Gilberto was born in the northeastern heavily-African state of Bahia June 10, 1931, in a wealthy family and was expected to follow the path of his father to be a doctor, which he rejected in favour of his natural free spirit. His father even had him committed to a mental institution at one point, where he famously looked out the window and noted, "look at the hair on the trees"; a nearby doctor 'corrected' him saying "trees have no hair, João" to which Gilberto immediately snapped, "and there are people who have no poetry!".
João Gilberto was absolutely unique and we will never see his like again. He stayed true to his art for six decades and inspired countless musicians and music appreciators. When we count our fortunes to live in the time we do, one of them must be that we shared this time with this master hear his exquisite music, appreciate his originality and for some of us, watch him perform on stage. I was one of them.
Caetano Veloso (among many others) appears here at 8:10 noting how important João Gilberto was to his music path. "He made me make music" Veloso told me in interview. Others he worked with and/or influenced also appear: Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Bebel, Daniela Mercury etc. Lots of vintage footage clips here.
CrusaderFrank
New York Times:
>> João Gilberto, one of the primary creators of bossa nova, the intimate Brazilian music that became a major cultural export, has died. He was 88.
His son, João Marcelo Gilberto, confirmed the death on Facebook, although he did not say where or when Mr. Gilberto died.
Starting with his 1958 single “Chega de Saudade,” Mr. Gilberto in his late 20s became the quintessential transmitter of the harmonically and rhythmically complex, lyrically nuanced songs of bossa nova (slang for “new thing” or “new style”), written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Donato, Vinicius de Moraes and others. <<
To be more accurate than the various stories returned on search, João Gilberto singlehandedly invented bossa nova (new style) which is a guitar fingerpicking style integrating the rhythm pattern of the Brazilian tamborim, a small and very loud plastic-headed hand drum typically played in a batucada band, into the motions of his right hand. Simultaneously he would sing the tune in an exquisitely soft near-whisper, in stark contrast to popular Brazilian music that up to that time had commonly featured brash, operatic bellowing voices. Gilberto turned that upside down. It was a sound that had never been imagined before and took the country by storm, making literally the entire music community sit up in awe.His son, João Marcelo Gilberto, confirmed the death on Facebook, although he did not say where or when Mr. Gilberto died.
Starting with his 1958 single “Chega de Saudade,” Mr. Gilberto in his late 20s became the quintessential transmitter of the harmonically and rhythmically complex, lyrically nuanced songs of bossa nova (slang for “new thing” or “new style”), written by Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Donato, Vinicius de Moraes and others. <<
In short order US jazz musicians, who appreciated the complex jazz chords Gilberto was using, took notice and started integrating and collaborating, probably the most notable being saxophonist Stan Getz, the recording sessions of which produced the US hit Garota de Ipanema, sung in English by Gilberto's then-wife Astrid. Miles Davis noted "that guy could read a newspaper and sound good".
An introverted recluse, Gilberto was born in the northeastern heavily-African state of Bahia June 10, 1931, in a wealthy family and was expected to follow the path of his father to be a doctor, which he rejected in favour of his natural free spirit. His father even had him committed to a mental institution at one point, where he famously looked out the window and noted, "look at the hair on the trees"; a nearby doctor 'corrected' him saying "trees have no hair, João" to which Gilberto immediately snapped, "and there are people who have no poetry!".
João Gilberto was absolutely unique and we will never see his like again. He stayed true to his art for six decades and inspired countless musicians and music appreciators. When we count our fortunes to live in the time we do, one of them must be that we shared this time with this master hear his exquisite music, appreciate his originality and for some of us, watch him perform on stage. I was one of them.
Caetano Veloso (among many others) appears here at 8:10 noting how important João Gilberto was to his music path. "He made me make music" Veloso told me in interview. Others he worked with and/or influenced also appear: Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Bebel, Daniela Mercury etc. Lots of vintage footage clips here.
CrusaderFrank
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