Bossa Nova: American Jazz 'married To' Brazilian Guitar Music

Brazilian musicians Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim created the Bossa Nova sound. It was basically soft samba of Brazil to which very refined American jazz harmonies were blended. It was a 1959 Brazilian movie Black Orpheus that introduced musical gift of Brazil to international audience. The much acclaimed film presented to the viewers the genuine Brazilian culture and music to the world. The movie plays the story of lovers Orpheus and Eurydice in Rio de Janeiro during carnival. The musical storytelling used exotic repercussion instruments and call and response singing with solo guitar melodies composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa, the then young musicians of Rio. Their compositions combined rhythm and texture from Brazil with elements from American Jazz. These elements fused so well that soon the world was going to have its enormous influence on popular music as bossa Nova or new beat (Kirchner 2005). Basically the experimentation had begun in early 1960s to create this unique blend. In 1956, in the guitar academy of Carlos Lyra lots of experiments with chords influenced by the jazz music of Gerry Mulligan carried out. Along with other musician Jobim and Gilberto created new combined style by fusion of samba, jazz and Villa-lobos and other Brazilian music. Harmonically their bossa nova tunes included altered chords, inverted chords and unusual harmonic progression as well as unexpected melodic leaps and tonal shifts. Thus a low key, simple and extremely melodious effect was created (McGowan and Pessanha, 1998). Bossa nova is based on samba rhythm and has a swaying rather than swinging (as in jazz) feel. In terms of harmonic structure, bossa nova has a great deal in common with jazz ,particularly, in its sophisticated use of seventh and extended chords . Marshall (1999) states that bossa nova was a fusion of Brazilian rhythm with American cool jazz of that time. The lyrics were poetic, sung in a soft, sensual voice giving a soothing musical sound. This type of music became popular with university -educated and middle class of Brazil. This fusion of samba with jazz created huge following both in Brazil and United States. Antonio Carlos Jobim's immensely popular song "Garota de Ipanema" or the girl from Ipanema was a craze around world so much that Frank Sinatra also sang it in his own style. Till date, the Brazilian sounds of bossa nova are present distinctly in jazz music (Candelaria and Garcia, 2004).

The Bossa nova was typically played with slow Brazilian samba rhythm and performed in a light unaccented manner just like the cool jazz of 1950s United States (Kirchner, 2005). However, it was not only Jobim who created exceptionally melodious bossa nova, American artist too were mesmerized by it and created further musical fusions using it. American jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd heard bossa nova music on his good neighbor trip to Brazil in 1961. He took a few records of jazzy bossa nova back to America for his saxophonist colleague Stan Getz. Getz also fell immediately in love with the rhythmic music. Together they created Jazz samba which became instant huge hit. The bossa nova craze was not only limited to music, there were bossa nova tee-shirts , buttons and other accessories in the markets of Brazil and United states . Byrd took out the music from night clubs of Rio and made it international music.

Currently the popular music of Brazil, Musica Popular Brasileira (MPB) has all categories of Brazilian rock, pop and tropicalia. These music categories are defined by the electric instrument used and represent the post bossa nova musical movement in Brazil (Candelaria and Garcia, 2004).

Sources:

Candelaria, C. and Peter J. Garcia. Encyclopedia of Latino popular culture.

Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004

Kirchner, B. The Oxford companion to jazz. Oxford University Press US, 2005

Marshall, Dave. Learn to Play Brazilian Jazz Guitar. Mel Bay Publications, 1999

McGowan, C. and R. Pessanha. The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the

Popular Music of Brazil. Temple University Press, 1998