Astrud Gilberto was the legendary Brazilian singer sometimes referred to as The Girl from Ipanema. She was also known as The Queen of bossa nova. Her unique style combines seductive rhythms of Brazilian and American pop and jazz.
She was born on March 29, 1940, in Salvador, in the Northeast of Brazil, in the state of Bahia, Astrud was one of three sisters of a German father and a Brazilian mother. She grew up in Rio de Janeiro. Later, she immigrated to the United States in the early 1960s, where she resided until her passing in 2023.
In the 1960s, Astrud Gilberto was married to Joao Gilberto, a prominent figure in bossa nova music. Joao Gilberto collaborated with saxophonist Stan Getz in 1963 to create the influential album “Getz/Gilberto.” This project introduced Brazilian bossa nova to a global audience by blending samba rhythms with cool jazz elements. Astrud’s captivating vocals were featured on the album, notably in the popular duet “The Girl from Ipanema,” which became its standout track. “Getz/Gilberto” received critical acclaim and achieved significant success, earning three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, a remarkable achievement for a jazz record.
For Astrud Gilberto, “The Girl from Ipanema” marked the beginning of an unexpected career. Originally sung by her husband, the song came into Astrud’s life in 1963 while she was collaborating with Stan Getz and Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim in New York City. Despite her lack of recording experience, Astrud was invited to participate and ended up recording the song, launching her remarkable journey in the music industry.
After relocating to the United States, she embarked on a tour with Getz. Initially singing bossa nova and American jazz classics, Gilberto began recording her own compositions in the 1970s. She made recordings in various languages such as Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese.
Gilberto was honored with the Latin Jazz USA Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1992 and was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2002. In 1996, she contributed to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio, organized by the Red Hot Organization, where she performed the classic song “Desafinado” originally composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Newton Mendoca alongside George Michael, who had invited her.
Besides having had an accomplished career as a singer, Astrud was also a prolific songwriter. She influenced several generations of musicians and vocalists, worldwide. The combination of international touring, the reissuing of some of her early records on CD, as well as the release of the Desafinado duet with George Michael created an additional new generation of international fans for Astrud Gilberto, who joined the large number of her long time followers.
Astrud Gilberto died on June 5, 2023.
Discography:
Getz Au Go Go (Verve Records, 1964)
The Astrud Gilberto Album (Verve Records, 1965)
The Shadow of Your Smile (Verve Records, 1965)
Look to the Rainbow (Verve Records, 1966)
Beach Samba (Verve Records, 1967)
A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness (Verve Records, 1967)
Windy (Verve Records, 1968)
17-Sep-69 (Verve Records, 1969)
I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do (Verve Records, 1970)
Gilberto with Turrentine CTI Records, 1971)
Now (Perception Records, 1972)
That Girl from Ipanema (Audio Fidelity Records, 1977)
Astrud Gilberto Plus James Last Orchestra (Polygram Record, 1987)
Live in New York (Pony Canyon, 1996)
Temperance (Pony Canyon, 1997)
Jungle (Magya Productions, 2002)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.