Legendary Brazilian singer, guitarist and composer João Gilberto is the artist who revolutionized Brazilian popular music in the 1950s by creating the bossa nova sound.
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, better known as João Gilberto, was born June 10, 1931 in Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil.
Joa Gilberto was the creator of bossa nova, together with Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. His iconic song “The Girl from Ipanema” became an international sensation.
Gilberto has been idolized by music enthusiasts and musicians alike for his unique contributions to global music, and his influence continues to reach a wide array of artists-from Brazilian stars Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil to pop performers such as Beck and David Byrne.
Gilberto invited Caetano Veloso, his most accomplished and faithful follower, to sit at the production helm for João Voz e Violão. Veloso, a Brazilian music legend in his own right, helped Gilberto create a jewel of an album, one that easily takes its place alongside the most classic of Gilberto’s recordings.
Joao voz e violao includes favorite standards along with compositions by the newer generation of performers Gilberto inspired, although the initial idea for this project was to re-record songs featured on Gilberto’s first three albums. Released between 1958 and 1961, they are long out of print.
Veloso suggested recording some new songs, and Gilberto agreed. The final track listing included only two songs from Gilberto’s first albums: “Desafinado” (by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Newton MendonCa) and “Chega de Saudade” (by Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes)-the latter being the song that launched bossa nova. Gilberto added “Nao Vou Pra Casa” (written by Antonio Almeida and Roberto Roberti in 1941) and “Segredo” (written by Herivelto Martins and Marino Pinto in 1947).
Rounding out the João Voz e Violão’s repertoire are the Veloso-penned tracks “Desde que o Samba t Samba” and “CoraCao Vagabundo” Gil’s “Eu Vim da Bahia” jobim’s “Voce Vai Ver” Emesto Lecuona’s “Eclipse” and Bororo’s “Da Cor do Pecado,” a samba which Gilberto has been singing in concert for years.
João Gilberto died on July 6th, 2019.
Discography:
Quando Você Recordar/Amar é Bom (1951)
Anjo Crue/Sem Ela (1951)
Quando Ela Sai/Meia Luz (1952)
Chega de Saudade/Bim Bom (1958)
Desafinado/Hô-bá-lá-lá (1958)
Chega de Saudade (1959)
O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor (1960)
João Gilberto (1961)
João Gilberto Cantando as Musicás do Filme Orfeo do Carnaval (1962)
Boss of Bossa Nova (1962)
Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall (1962)
The Warm World of João Gilberto (1963)
Getz/Gilberto with Stan Getz (1964)
Herbie Mann & João Gilberto with Antônio Carlos Jobim (1965)
Getz/Gilberto Vol. 2 with Stan Getz (1966)
João Gilberto en Mexico (1970)
João Gilberto (1973)
The Best of Two Worlds with Stan Getz (1976)
Getz/Gilberto ’76 with Stan Getz (released in 2016)
Amoroso (1976)
Gilberto and Jobim (1977)
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira (1980)
Brasil, with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethânia (1981)
Interpreta Tom Jobim (1985)
Meditação (1985)
Live in Montreux (Nonesuch, 1986)
O Mito (1988)
Stan Getz meets João & Astrud Gilberto (1990)
The Legendary Joao Gilberto: The Original Bossa Nova Recordings, 1958-1961 (World Pacific, 1990)
João (1991)
Eu Sei que Vou Te Amar (1994)
João Voz e Violão (Verve, 2000)
Live at Umbria Jazz (Egea, 2002)
In Tokyo (2004)
For Tokyo – released only in Japan (Universal Japan, 2007)
Um encontro no Au bon gourmet, recorded live at in Copacabana in 1962 (Doxy, 2015)
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.