Joao Gilberto, father of Bossa Nova, has died in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 88.
I fell in love with Bossa Nova and Brazilian Jazz from my very first exposure to it. My appreciation for Gilberto came somewhat later as I came to understand the depth of his contributions to my own musical pastiche through his daughter Bebel, Charlie Byrd, and numerous others. Gilberto was one of those people who influenced so many other people that, for me, coming to appreciate the musical and cultural enrichment that he has brought to my life will be a lifelong endeavor.
His most famous recording was Girl From Ipanema, which introduced his then partner, Astrud Gilberto, to the world. That album, Getz/Gilberto, won the Grammy in 1964 for best album. It’s still some of my favorite Sunday listening music…
For those who might have a little less time:
Here he is in a duet with his daughter, Bebel, c.1979-80 singing Chega de Saudade
Another version by Yo-Yo Ma and Rosa Passos:
His influence lives on in many others. Here is his daughter, Bebel, singing another Brazilian classic many years later. This song gave me an appreciation for the beauty of the Portuguese language long before I learned to speak it. Some of you may remember this from the movie Eat, Pray, Love:
The piece that inspired my lifelong love of Bossa Nova:
Al DiMeola is an unusual way to have been introduced to Bossa Nova, but also a reminder that so many things in life are inextricably intertwined. Joao Gilberto, thank you for everything you did. Obrigado por tudo… descanse em paz, Mestre!
As I did the research for this diary, I was reminded again of how much he influenced so much of the Brazilian music that has become an indelible part of who I am, and yet how cursory my knowledge of his music truly is.
Contributions in the comment section are highly encouraged and appreciated…
Update: thank you to everyone for the contributions and for the Rec List. I feel like a big part of the reason the world is the way it is today is because we have lost much of our sense of connection to each other. Much of my sense of connection to the world has been learned and expressed through music, so I hope to rekindle that sense of connectedness in whatever way I can for whomever I can.