The Anniversary of the Bossa Nova

This year is the 50th anniversary of the Bossa Nova. Needless to say, there have been commemorative concerts, TV shows, films and recordings in Brazil. (I've included a few tracks from Tom Zé's amazing upcoming release Learning the Bossa Nova — a reference to his 70s record, Learning the Samba.) Everyone has heard “Girl From Ipanema”; it's one of the most popular songs in the world, after “Happy Birthday,” “Yesterday,” and “White Christmas.” It has become a bit of a lounge cliché, but try playing it using the original Jobim chords — it'll kick your ass.

I'm no historian of this movement that combined sophisticated jazz chords with incredible pop songwriting and lilting samba rhythms, but I can sense some influences flowing back and forth, north and south, east and west. I hear touches of the quiet vibrato-less vocal style that Chet Baker made famous, the textural harmonies of Debussy and the poetry of Cole Porter and many others. It was sensual and intellectual at the same time — a rare and potent combination. Too bad more art movements can't share that approach.

Bossa Nova became a unique sound, groove, and approach all its own — João Gilberto, being maybe the cool epitome of the style, with his almost whispered vocals, sparse minimal guitar chords implying a samba groove, and sometimes surprising and radical orchestral touches. The work of songwriters Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes (who was also ambassador to France) extend throughout the movement.

With the jazz chords and sophisticated melodies, there's a certain sadness, a wistfulness that prevents the light groove, “pretty” tunes, and singing from descending into kitsch or sentimentality — no matter how some associate the tunes with lounge singers and tropical drinks. Here are a lot of the original recordings, and a few loving re-interpretations by the Tropicália crowd — Caetano, Gal Costa and some others.

— DB
On the road in Phoenix, Arizona