Bossa nova is a relaxed style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a calm syncopated rhythm with chords and fingerstyle mimicking the beat of a samba groove, as if it was a simplification and stylization on the guitar of the rhythm produced by a samba school band. Another defining characteristic of the style is the use of unconventional chords in some cases with complex progressions and "ambiguous" harmonies. A common misconception is that these complex chords and harmonies were derived from jazz, but samba guitar players have been using similar arrangement structures since the early 1920s, indicating a case of parallel evolution of styles rather than a simple transference from jazz to bossa nova. Nevertheless, bossa nova was influenced by jazz, both in the harmonies used and also by the instrumentation of songs, and today many bossa nova songs are considered jazz standards. The popularity of bossa nova has helped to renew samba and contributed to the modernization of Brazilian music in general.
Carlos Eduardo Lyra Barbosa was a Brazilian singer, and composer of numerous bossa nova and Música popular brasileira classics. He has also worked as a writer, with notable contributions to musical films such as Para Viver um Grande Amor and Intimidade. He and Antônio Carlos Jobim were the first two music composers, together with lyricists Vinicius de Moraes and Ronaldo Boscoli, to be recorded by João Gilberto on his first LP entitled Chega de Saudade (1959), which was called the first generation of Bossa Nova.
Eumir Deodato de Almeida is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger and record producer, primarily in jazz but who has been known for his eclectic melding of genres, such as pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, Latin and bossa nova.
Getz/Gilberto is an album by American saxophonist Stan Getz and Brazilian guitarist João Gilberto, featuring pianist and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, who also composed many of the tracks. It was released in March 1964 by Verve Records. The album features the vocals of Astrud Gilberto on two tracks, "Garota de Ipanema" and "Corcovado". The artwork was done by artist Olga Albizu. Getz/Gilberto is a jazz and bossa nova album and includes tracks such as "Desafinado", "Corcovado", and "Garota de Ipanema". The last received a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and started Astrud Gilberto's career. "Doralice" and "Para Machucar Meu Coração" strengthened Gilberto's and Jobim's respect for the tradition of pre-bossa nova samba.
Elenco is a Brazilian record label established in 1963 by Aloysio de Oliveira. It was a major factor in the development of the bossa nova style, also releasing samba, jazz, and spoken word recordings. It is often considered one of the most influential labels in the bossa nova and MPB genres.
Nara Lofego Leão was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB singer and occasional actress. Her husband was Carlos Diegues, director and writer of Bye Bye Brasil.
Marcos Kostenbader Valle is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has produced works in many musical styles, including bossa nova, samba, and fusions of rock, soul, jazz, and dance music with Brazilian styles. Valle is credited for popularizing bossa nova in the 1960s.
João Donato de Oliveira Neto was a Brazilian jazz and bossa nova pianist as well as a trombonist from Rio Branco. He first worked with Altamiro Carrilho and went on to perform with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Astrud Gilberto. Because of the area he grew up in Brasil he was able to hear Cuban music on the radio. This influence would manifest itself in many of his compositions, piano, and trombone playing. Donato's most well-known compositions include: "Amazonas", "Lugar Comum", "Simples Carinho", "Até Quem Sabe" and "Nasci Para Bailar".
Silvia D'Atri Telles was a Brazilian jazz Samba and Bossa Nova singer and composer of the 1950s and 1960s, considered one of the major artists of Bossa Nova and MPB. Most of her original recordings are out of print, though occasional compilations are released.
"Samba de uma Nota Só", known in English as "One Note Samba", is a bossa nova and jazz standard song composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with Portuguese lyrics by Newton Mendonça. The English lyrics were written by Jon Hendricks. It was first recorded by João Gilberto in 1960 for his album O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor.
Moacir Santos was a Brazilian composer, multi-instrumentalist and music educator. Musicians such as Baden Powell, Bola Sete and Wilson das Neves studied under him. As a composer, Santos worked with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal, Sérgio Mendes and Lynda Laurence, among others. His music was highly respected by musicians in Brazil and the United States, despite never achieving wider recognition.
Bob Tostes is a singer, composer and producer of Rádio Guarani FM, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In 1969 he was the leader of a local group of the Musicanossa movement, which was set up in Rio de Janeiro by composer Roberto Menescal. In the same year he was a final contestant of the local phase of the IV Festival Internacional da Canção, with the tunes "Caminhada" and "Noite mais linda". In the 70s he directed and produced FEC - Festival Estudantil da Canção which counted with the participation of the novices Lô Borges, Beto Guedes, Flávio Venturini, Toninho Horta, Túlio Mourão, Tavinho Moura and Ivan Lins. The festival unveiled the song Clube da Esquina. Bob Tostes graduated in Law from UFMG - the local state-owned university in 1971 and registered for the Communication Course at [Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais]. In the 70s he composed soundtracks for children plays put up by the "Teatro de Equipe" including "O Cavalinho Azul" by Maria Clara Machado and "Casaco Encantado", which was directed by Priscila Freire. He also wrote for musical columns in newspapers, Diário da Tarde and Diário do Comércio in 1960, 1970 and 1980. In the 90s he published essays in the "Pensar" section of the major newspaper Estado de Minas.
Dez Anos Depois is a 1971 double album of bossa nova standards by Brazilian singer Nara Leão.
Ugo Marotta is a Brazilian musician, conductor, arranger, composer, keyboardist and vibraphonist. He took part at the Brazilian music movements Bossa Nova and Musicanossa.
Itaiguara Mariano Brandão is a New York City-based recording artist and bassist. A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brandão has toured internationally and recorded extensively with a wide range of Latin and World Music artists such as: Dianne Reeves, Ivan Lins, Marcos Valle, Toquinho, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Leny Andrade, Joyce (singer), Paulo Braga, Randy Brecker, Dom Salvador, Paquito D'Rivera, Claudio Roditi, Robin Eubanks, Jovino Santos-Neto, Emílio Santiago, Elba Ramalho, Guilherme Arantes, Romero Lubambo, Léo Gandelman among many others. He has recorded on major labels and played on the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards winning album Ancestras by Petrona Martinez. Brandão has been one of the most sought-after Brazilian bassists in the Northeast and freelance musicians in the United States, having completed nearly 7,500 performances in the past 30 years.
Pery Ribeiro was a Brazilian singer of bossa nova, MPB and jazz, active from 1959 until shortly before his death.
Elis & Toots is a 1969 bossa nova album by Brazilian singer Elis Regina and Belgian jazz musician Toots Thielemans recorded at a studio in Sweden and released on Philips Records. It features Toots Thielemans on harmonica, whistling and vocalizing playing guitar alongside. Thielemans and Elis Regina are actually heard on just four songs together, they both sit out on four of the twelve tracks. The accompanying quintet throughout comprises pianist Antônio Adolfo, Roberto Menescal, guitarist and the composer of four songs on the album, bassist Jurandir Duarte, Wilson das Neves on drums and Hermes Contesini on percussion. On three tracks Claes Rosendahl wrote arrangements for an additional string section.
Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros is an album by American jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd featuring tracks recorded in 1962 and released on the Riverside label.
"A felicidade" ("Happiness") is a bossa nova song by Antônio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes, composed in 1958 for the French film Orfeu Negro.
Alaíde Costa Silveira Mondin Gomide, known as Alaíde Costa, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter.
