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Jobim, Fellow Musicians Revered in BrazilBy Larry Taylor
This was followed in 1964 with the collaboration between Getz and Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto on ”Getz/Gilberto,” which featured Jobim’s legendary “Girl From Ipanema,” voted ‘64s best jazz performance. From that time on bossa nova’s popularity was established, and today top musicians include bossa songs regularly in their repertoire. Vocalists Diana Krall and Tierney Sutton, along with guitarists John Pizzarelli, for example, feature bossa nova compositions in recent releases. Still performing today, Sergio Mendes emerged in the ‘60s with his group Brazil 66 performing pop versions of bossa with a lineup of eight musicians and singers, further pushing the popularity of the music. In fact a celebrations of the group’s 40th anniversary is slated this year. Bossa nova, pioneered by Jobim and Gilberto, evolved from the traditional Brazilian samba. In the late ‘50s, it is said, when the two heard “cool jazz” from the U.S., they adapted it to the gentler samba rhythm, syncopated on the guitar.
Today Jobim is considered a near saint in Rio. His nickname
is Tom (pronounced “Tone”), and–hear this–Rio’s airport is named the Tom Jobim
International Airport. (How about having a Charlie Parker Airport in Kansas
City?)
First stop, Vinicius, a restaurant and club named after Jobim’s close friend and fellow musician, Vinicius de Morais. (The street also takes his name) He wrote the lyrics for “Girl From Ipanema.” Behind him was the Jobim portrait.
At 9:30 first show started, Vinicius features local singers and musicians during the first show. Andre Goncalves, vocalist/guitarist got his groove going immediately and had us swaying in our seats with his soft, dreamy bossa style. We loved the songs but didn’t recognize most, but my ears did perk up on “One Note Samba.” Behind the stage was a painting of Jobim himself.
After the set, I cornered the very affable Goncalves who spoke English well. He says he plays two times a week at Vinicius. On Fridays he appears with Montezuma; on Sundays he performs alone. Other performers fill out the week .On weekends, the club brings in big names for 11 p.m. shows.” Mostly Goncalves concentrates on the classics. “At Vinicius,” he says, “they ask us to play only bossa nova, but sometimes I play different composers such as Ivan Lins, Caetano Velosa and Djavan.” He says the music of those three “is a very good example of MPB (Music Popular Brasileira), a type still very much influenced by the samba. Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque are popular in this genre. Goncalves defines MFB as “combination between a strong harmony, a sweet melody and an unforgettable poem.” The old songs and artists are still the most popular.”It’s impossible [for the young] to break this wall put up by the old,” he says. “It sometimes seems that there will never be a chance for a new Tom Jobim.” Goncalves loves the style. He sums up his feelings: “Bossa nova is not only a music style, because it represents our way of life and feelings but a very special way to compose about love.” Two blocks up the street is Toca do Vinicius where one can find practically every bossa recording in existence. As well, the store is a museum, containing bossa nova memorabilia from over the years–books, sheet music, artifacts that detail the history of the music. For aficionados, it is certainly a place to browse for half an hour and maybe pickup a hard-to-get recording. Another night club was recommended to us, La Mistura Fina, which schedules bossa nova along with jazz and MPB. As with Vinicius, a restaurant is on the ground floor with a showroom on the top. The night we were there a fine neo-bop pianist played in the bar opposite the dining room.
Next morning it was time to board ship. It was bye, bye Brazil–where bossa nova still thrives. Photos by Gail Taylor |
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TM
Since migrating from Brazil to America’s jazz scene in the
‘60s, bossa nova has been big with me.. I bought my first bossa nova-style LP
in 1962, “Jazz Samba,” featuring tenor Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd
playing compositions by innovators such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Joao
Gilberto. “Desafinado” was the big hit, and the album skyrocketed to popularity,
becoming one of the biggest hits in jazz history.
This new music–romantic, reflective, relaxed–projected
Rio’s laid-back beach life style. Listen to the singer longingly express in
“Girl from Ipanema ”: …each day when she walks to the sea, she looks straight
ahead but not at me.” Or in “Corcovado,” the singer passionately exults: “When
finding you I knew what is happiness.” This is music from the heart, not
the intellect.
Today the best place in Rio to hear bossa nova and to explore everything
bossa nova is on a two-block stretch on Rua de Morais, a short walk up from
Ipanema Beach. We had checked the books and asked the concierge, so we my wife
and I knew where we were going.
We decided to have dinner before the music. Nothing fancy,
the dining room is on ground level with the club venue upstairs. The traditional
Brazilian food was good, but looking out to across the street, we saw a flood
light on the wall of the bar Garota de Ipanema. The beam lit up a mural-sized
painting of sheet music for the lyrics and score of “Girl From Ipanema”–writ
large for all to see. Our waiter said that Jobim and Morais, sitting at the
outside bar, were inspired to compose the song as they observed a beautiful,
bikini-clad girl walk by each day. Sipping their drinks, they probably sighed
“a-a-ah!”
Midway during the set, he bought on singer Andrea
Montezuma. Her voice was beautiful in the husky Astrud Gilberto-style. And, of
course she did sing that Ipanema song everyone was waiting for. The crowd was
made up of middle-aged “cariocas” (the nickname for Rio residents), along with a
bevy of tourists.
Upstairs we went to a show featuring popular
singer-guitarist Jorge Simas and his Quinta. Simas led a large group consisting
of a clarinetist, mandolin player and two percussionists. Simas played guitar
and sang pleasantly in typical bossa nova manner, but the group on occasion
revved things up and really jammed with the horn, strings and percussion going
all out–bossa R and B or samba rock, if you will. Simas brought in others to
sing along with him. The audience loved it. All together a good show.“