The Portuguese words Bossa Nova mean new wave or new trend. Bossa Nova started on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro in the late 50s. The principal figures in its creation were Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, also known as Tom Jobim, and Vinicius de Moraes. What is considered the first bossa nova song? Beanbalm.
Joa Gilberto wrote it around 1956 and released it in 1958. Although Joa didn't continue writing and composing much after that, Beanbalm had a lot of the light-hearted characteristics that we find in the genre. But it was Chega de Saudades released on the same album as Beam Bomb that made history. Chega de Saudades was composed by Joe Beam and the lyrics were written by Vinicius.
When Joe added his relaxed vocal style and syncopated guitar rhythm, the recipe was complete. Joe's, Joe Beam's, and Vinicius' first big hit. It was 1958 and Bossa Nova was born.
The three of them would also team up on How Insensitive and The Girl From Ipanema, which happens to be the second most recorded song in history after Yesterday by The Beatles. Other songs Joe Beam is famous for composing are Wave, Corcovado, Desafinado, and One Note Samba. And there are others. It's unbelievable how many great songs he composed. But let's backtrack to a decade earlier.
In the late 40s and early 50s, Luis Bonfoy Brazilian composer and guitarist, was already part of a samba-influenced style of music called samba canção, a kind of music that derived its beat from samba and the lyrics revolved around lost love. This probably had an influence on Bossa Nova's more refined sound. Either way, Luis Bonfa added directly to the Bossa Nova scene with songs like Mana da Canava and Samba de Orfeu. which he composed for the 1959 Brazilian film Black Orpheus. Before completing this history, let's cover the rhythm, harmony, and lyrics of Bossa Nova.
It has a 2-4 feel, borrowing the rich harmony from jazz but swaying instead of swinging. The rhythm for bossa nova is based on the samba but with a softer sound and slower tempo. The singing is very relaxed, laid back.
We've already mentioned the jazzy chords but it also has an obvious blues influence and it stands out in a song like wave. Of course jazz had already been influenced by the blues when bossa nova borrowed some of its harmonies so it's hard to say if it came directly from the blues or not. But in general The harmony had a lot of jazz chords, especially major 9ths, major 6th 9ths, minor 11ths, and dominants of all kinds, including altered dominants. The lyrics tend to revolve around women, nature, and love.
The girl from Ipanema is tall and tan and young and lovely. In the song Corcovado, it's quiet nights of quiet stars, quiet chords from my guitar. And Once I Loved, it's Love is the saddest thing when it goes away. But, Bossa Nova was not done yet.
It had to make its way out of Brazil. What was the album that made Bossa Nova famous worldwide? It was the 1963 album Gets Gilberto.
This album with saxophonist Stan Getz took Bossa around the world. Corcovado is the mountain in Rio with the statue of Christ the Redeemer. In conclusion, Bossa Nova is a beautiful genre of music. It just makes life feel good. It's a mental transport to a beach in Rio.
Well, that's my opinion. Thanks for listening. If you have any questions, leave a comment below.