check out my Personal Homepage for my blogs/websites. I play music and write short stories.
check out my Personal Homepage for my blogs/websites. I play music and write short stories.
Member since:26.09.2008
Reviews:13
Anybody can recognize "The Girl From Ipanema", it's a classic. But where did it come from? Where did Bossa Nova spread its roots?
Pianist Tom Jobim is credited for the composition of most of the classic Bossa Nova standards, but is was Joćo Gilberto who took these standards, and interpreted on the guitar what we now identify as Bossa Nova. By harmonizing the chords on the guitar with the traditional Brazilian Samba rhythm, Gilberto evolved Jobims' compositions and popularized the style.
Gilberto's guitar playing is virtuous, but what really captures me is his voice. He sings with a "blown" quality as if he is blowing air from his gut, which produces an intimate close-to-the-microphone sound. It's possible to hear his lips smacking dryly during the pronounciation of certain words, and he has an excellent vocal amplitude, using mostly low-pitched but well chosen notes.
This album is fun to compare to his other work, as over the years his performances have become more sensitive and refined. The harmonizations are well thought out (Gilberto is notorious for spending weeks picking out the perfect chord), and byt the time this album was recorded his voice already had that grandfather-like quality. Classics such as "Ąguas de Marēo", "Falsa Baiana" and "Izaura" have amazing sound quality, comparable to todays' recordings.
If you can read Portuguese, or are able to find translations for the lyrics, it will heighten the experience if you read the poetry along with the performance. Joćo Gilberto has at least ten albums on the market, and is established as the "Father of Bossa Nova" with collaborations from Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Chico Buarque and many others.
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