R.I.P. João Gilberto


Associated Press

João Gilberto, who brought the bossa nova sound to the world, died at his home in Rio de Janeiro Saturday aged 88. The Brazilian musician started his career in 1951 and by 1964 he was known internationally because of the album Getz/Gilberto that he recorded with jazz saxophonist Stan Getz. “The Girl From Ipanema” was on this album and it was sung by his then-wife Astrud Gilberto. Antonio Carlos Jobim, who was another pioneer of the sound also worked on the album by writing most of the songs. Getz/Gilberto was the first the album from international stars to win Album of the Year in 1965. They set another precedent as artists with the first jazz album to win the award. Gilberto’s influence was felt and Quincy Jones recorded his Big Band Bossa Nova album in 1962 which has the popular instrumental “Soul Bossa Nova” that has been sampled many times and used in several TV shows and films. João Gilberto made dozens of recordings from the beginning of his career until the 2000s becoming a recluse in his later years. Brazilian singer Gal Costa described Gilberto as Brazil’s “biggest musical genius.”