88 and finally out on Saturday.
Lots of loving tributes from his contemporaries and fans. Just a rather sour and grudging acknowledgement from Brazil’s right-wing president.
I’ve avoided posting the obvious clip, even though it’s a beautiful thing, especially the full album version where he sings it first in Portugese before his missus gives us the English translation.
Brazilian guitarist/singer Mario Bakuna dedicated his set at the pub earlier this evening to his memory.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/07/brazil-mourns-death-of-musician-joao-gilberto
Graun gave him a good obit, I thought. Interesting to read of his links with the other brazilians in music, contemporaneous and later. The Getz/Gilberto album is truly a summer jam, see post below.
Really sad to hear and was surprised to read he only ever released ten albums – remarkable really for such an influential figure. That track above is a real beauty – the albums with string arrangements by Claus Ogerman and Johnny Mandel are both superb (particularly Amoroso).
His last studio album from 2000-ish with Caetano Veloso producing is very lovely in his imitable “close to the mic” solo guitar/vocal style:
The “Bossa Nova – The Cool Sound From Brazil” 10-CD box set recommended by @Morrison in the latest Blogger Takeover thread has a couple of his old albums “Chega De Saudade” and “O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor” included. I’ve just seen that the followup box “Bossa Nova – Another Brazilian Love Affair”, another 10 CD set, also has one of his albums “João Gilberto” plus a live set “Um Encontro No Au Bon Gourmet” with tracks by João, Tom Jobim and Vinicius De Moraes. One for my To Buy list.
Correction:
It was in fact @timtunes who recommended the Bossa Nova box set in the Takeover thread.
Incidentally, that series of cheap (between £10 and £15 each) 10-CD jazz box sets from Intense Media are an absolute goldmine. Usually a couple of albums on each disc and only the absolute minimum of detail on each CD’s cardboard sleeve, such as when recorded and who plays what, but the sound quality is good and they’re just the thing for digitising and listening to that way. I have bought several and have a list of others I intend getting.
Cheers Mike – yes, based on my sample of one – agreed. In ripping I’ve attached the original artwork. What I have enjoyed is the fact that a lot are from late 50s early 60s, good SQ and new artists to me such as
I have the second volume in my listening pile.
Any of those other Intense Media/ Document sets you’d particularly recommend @Mike_H?
“Blue Notes” and “More Blue Notes”, “Jazz Guitar” and “More Jazz Guitar”, “West Coast Jazz” and that first Bossa Nova set are the ones that I have. Pleased with all of them. A good mix of acknowledged classics and more obscure surprises. On my list for future purchasing are the second Bossa Nova set and the second West Coast Jazz box. Their Ray Charles box looks interesting too. Some very interesting single-artist boxes in their list.
Cheers – will look, I had noted the Ray Charles and the Fats Domino
Thanks for posting about João, Mike. One of the greats: guitarist, singer, songwriter.
Here he is with his daughter Bebel.
From the Guardian, here is a very well-written description by Ted Gioa of a JG concert in San Francisco in 1998, A fine piece of writing which gets to the heart of this very shy genius.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/jul/07/an-evening-with-joao-gilberto-the-bright-wallflower-of-bossa-nova
And here is a clip which captures the magic of his live performances,
The three great founding fathers of bossa nova were Joao, pianist and composer, Tom Jobim,
and this guy, poet and lyricist, Vinicius De Moraes who wrote the lyrics of Girl from Ipanema. He and om also contributed to the soundtrack of Black Orpheus, the film which put bossa on the map big time.
This version is far better but is only audio.
Sounds Of The Universe record shop (of Soul Jazz Records fame) in Soho recently rganised a special screening of Black Orpheus. The whole film is available on Youtube.
With the amazing Baden Powell there… that oughta warm the cockles of an Englishman’s heart!
Coincidentally listening to Getz/Gilberto as I write this, specifically Corcovado. Beautiful.
Reading an obituary, I was interested to discover that Joao chose to live in exile in the USA during the period of the dictatorship and did not return to Brazil until 1980.
That led me to this fine biographical article full of stories and anecdotes
http://daniellathompson.com/Texts/Brazzil/Plain_Joao.htm
Quite a few of the “Tropicalistas”, as they were known, found themselves very unwelcome in Brazil under the dictatorship and chose to move abroad for safety.
His compatriot Caetano Veloso came to London and shared digs with Terry Reid for a while, inspiring some of the material on Reid’s album “River”.
While in London he wrote this song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Xngs4VuoU
And here are the two of them together
Sad passing of someone who had genuine real influence on Latin American music.
At the risk of upsetting the purists I must point you in the direction of the rather splendid new album by Caryn Ellis and Rio 18 called Joia. Authentic bossanova with Welsh lyrics.
You just made my day! Steve! Never heard any Welsh bossa!
Here is the Carwyn Ellis homepage.
https://carwynellis.com/about/
Bossa does in fact travel rather well into other languages and countries.
A taste of Carwyn ……
Bossa really has conquered the world. Here is a Swedish variant form Cornelis Vreeswijk.
And now Jose Feliciano showing off his bossa chops.