

He occasionally wrote in a modal style (“Favela”).In “ Dindi,” note the bVIImaj7 and Vm7 chords substituting for V in the verse and in the A section, and the bVIm6 chords substituting for V in the bridge. For example, in “ Girl From Ipanema,” note the bII7 tritone-substitute chords in the A section. Jobim used various substitutions for the V7 chord.He was as fluent in using melodic and harmonic blues devices as any American “Golden Age” songwriter (“Agua de Beber”).He used diminished chords more freely than American jazz composers of the same period (e.g., “ Once I Loved” or “ How Insensitive”).He employed this harmonic vocabulary with sophistication, building on the achievements of his predecessors. American music was popular in Brazil in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and as a young pianist, Jobim had spent many long nights playing jazz standards in Rio de Janeiro nightclubs. Jobim was certainly familiar with the work of Gershwin, Kern, and Porter.


The harmony of bossa nova derives to a great extent from American standards all of the “harmonic cliches” listed in the article “ Jazz Standards: Harmony and Form” are applicable here. Beyond these influences, Jobim had a profound gift for melody.īossa nova received worldwide recognition with the release of the film “Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro)” in 1959, featuring a soundtrack with songs by Jobim and Luiz Bonfa. His composing style was influenced not only by American and Brazilian genres, but also by his classical training (particularly Chopin and Debussy). Other songwriters wrote in this style - for example, Roberto Menescal (“My Little Boat”) and Luiz Bonfa (“Black Orpheus,” “Samba de Orfeu,” “Gentle Rain”) - but it is fair to say that when we talk about bossa nova compositions, we are talking mostly about Jobim. His hits included “ Desafinado,” “Chega de Saudade (No More Blues),” “ A Felicidade,” “ One Note Samba,” “ Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars),” “ Meditation,” “ The Girl from Ipanema,” “ How Insensitive,” “ Once I Loved,” “ Dindi,” “ Triste,” “ Wave,” “Waters of March,” “Agua de Beber,” and others. Jobim was the most accomplished composer of bossa nova, and the most prolific he left a legacy of over 300 songs. The most prominent lyricist in the genre was Vinicius de Moraes, although original Portuguese lyrics were lost on American audiences, who only heard translations of varying quality. Bossa nova did not evolve or achieve popularity as a dance, but rather as a musical form.īossa is largely defined by the compositions of Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim, and by the vocal and guitar styles developed by Joao Gilberto.

Beginning in the early 1960s, bossa nova became an important influence on both jazz and American popular music. Until the late 1950s, the Latin styles influencing American popular music were predominantly Cuban (two exceptions were tango in the 1910s and samba in the early 1940s).īossa nova originated in mid-1950s Brazil, a fusion of the melody and rhythm of samba and samba-cancao with the harmonic vocabulary of American standards and the feel of “cool” jazz. has generally been linked to the popularity of dance steps (tango, rhumba, conga, samba, mambo, cha-cha-cha). The popularity of Latin music in the U.S. Stan Kenton’s band used Latin rhythms in the early 1940s Charlie Parker recorded Latin tunes and Dizzy Gillespie was a pioneer in the development of “Latin jazz” (this term is generally used to refer to Afro-Cuban jazz).
Bossa nova jazz skin#
Cole Porter’s “ Begin the Beguine (1935),” and “ I’ve Got You Under My Skin (1936)” were originally set to Latin rhythms. “ The Peanut Vendor (El Manisero)” (1928), “ Green Eyes (Aquellos Ojos Verdes)” (1929), and “ Besame Mucho” (1941) achieved hit status in their time. Louis Blues” (1914) includes a tango section, reflecting the popularity of that dance in the 1910s. The habanera rhythm is occasionally present in ragtime piano pieces “ St. Latin American styles have played a part in jazz since its earliest days. By Peter Spitzer - Jazz Author, Musician, and Instructor
