By pejepeine
‘Anti-musical behaviour’: Bossa nova songs and their influence
Bossa nova, for me, is the music of living. It's what my wife and I raised a child to, it's what we play while cleaning on a Saturday morning or ironing shirts on a Sunday evening, it's sadness with hope, elegance with passion, the plan of the house, the body in bed...
I first became aware of it in the 80s, as bands like Weekend, Sade and Antena brought it into view and I saw the swooningly romantic film Un Homme et Une Femme with it's shabadaba soundtrack . I bought a Sergio Mendes album in a junk shop and didn't look back. The immense, gloriously varied world of Brazilian music has continued to fascinate me ever since.
Let's start at the beginning with Elizeth Cardoso's utterly gorgeous version of Manha de Carnaval, accompanied by Luiz Bonfa. I bought the soundtrack when I was about 20 and this is the one I kept playing. Marpessa Dawn, who played Euridice in the film, wasn't a bad singer herself, but Cardoso was another level, although her style would soon be eclipsed by those cool university students.
João Gilberto's complex but rhythmic guitar style and odd, nasal voice were a complete break with what had gone before and, and while his desafinado (out of tune) style infuriated the old guard who called it “anti-musical behaviour”, it inspired younger Brazilian artists deeply. In the 70s, Gilberto would strip down his style to an almost hypnotic minimalism: just listen to his contribution at the start of Aguas de Marco, before his second wife Miucha reprises the lyrics in English (“A truckload of bricks in the soft morning light” is one of my favourite images) and Stan Getz adds a typically cool sax solo.
If João was the instrumental pioneer, Astrud Gilberto's voice was the secret weapon that sent bossa nova mainstream. Roped into singing at the last minute because her husband João couldn't manage English, she adopted Chet Baker's artless vocal style and made The Girl From Ipanema a huge hit. Her version of Agua de Beber is typical of the formula, and her influence would reach down for decades as generations of female singers were captivated by her effortless tropical cool.
After the US-supported military coup in 1964, bossa nova suffered a backlash. It was considered too bourgeois, its jazz roots too American, and it soon gave way to the MPB (musica popular brasilieira) movement. But it didn't go away – bossa is key to many MPB artists, but they woiuld often focus on different subject matter. Vinicius and his ferocious guitarist Baden Powell's 's embrace of black Brazilian afro-candomble influences on the legendary Os Afro Sambas album is a fine example, with future standards such as Canto de Ossanha and Berimbau.
Bossa nova's popularity in America led to more musicians heading there to find their fortunes, with percussionist Airto Moreira and singer Flora Purim arriving in the late 60s . Both would become important elements of jazz rock scene, and Flora's spotless version of Jobim's Insensatez show how bossa survived into the 1970s.
Bossa nova never really took off in the UK – it was always far more popular in the US, Europe and Japan – but there was brief boom in the 1980s as post-punk groups explored their parents' record collections and a jazz-dance revival began. Weekend's View From Her Room and the Belgian label Disques de Crepescule gave bossa nova's cool detached image a new makeover, and Everything But The Girl took their first great single, Each And Every One, into the charts.
The five-beat bossa clave is a samba rhythm that is identical to the Cuban clave (aka the Bo Diddley beat) except the final beat is delayed by a measure. This makes it less emphatic but even more propulsive, suitable for endless parades of street dancers. Gallon Drunk show how the rhythm can be used in sleazy, loungy rock setting in Night Panic Bossa.
Beck is another rocker who seized on bossa nova and his track Tropicalia, which directly references the divina e maravilosa psychedelic movement within Brazilian music, is a disgusted dig at tourism and cheap tropical holidays in other people's misery.
Kahima Karie's I Am a Kitten is part of the shibuya-kei movement in Japan, which referred back to gentes such as lounge, sunshine pop and , of course bossa. This is an almost unbearably cute take on the French “Lolita pop” of France Gall, Lio and Cathy Claret.
I never knew that Todd Rundgren released an album of bossa nova-style covers in 1996, but his version of Marvin Gaye's I Want You is very staisfying indeed. Leon Ware, the Motown legend who wrote the original, was also a great advocate of Brazilian music and musicians.
Nouvelle Vague's project, recording raucous post-punk classics in a restrained bossa-nova style, initially seemed like an ironic joke, but on closer listening the songs reveal different aspects of themselves. Love Will Tear Us Apart is a good example.
Breezy northern Brazilian rhythms such as the baio and frevo went global before Black Orpheus . Nina Miranda and Chris Franck's track Agua has a distinct northeastern flavour while maintaining bossa's intense minimal aesthetic. This is from the brilliant Far Out label run by Joe Davis, who compiled the Blue Brazil and Brazilica compilations in the early 90s.
Laufey is a classically-trained Icelandic musician who is “Tik Tok's jazz ambassador”. As before, the instant appeal of bossa nova seems to make it an element of any jazz revival. There's nothing particularly new about Fragile, but it still sounds as freshly-minted as quality bossa always sounds.
Brent Cash is an Ohio-based singer songwriter whose This Sea, These Waves lapses into Portuguese at one point, with listless, lovelorn, poetic lyrics that certainly show that he'd been listening to his Jobim.
Loud Atlas and Magicman both posted Beabadoobee's Perfect Pair minutes apart on the weekend she played at Glastonbury. It's a great pop tune with a latin montuno guitar line, but those bossa guitar licks and rimshots are definitely there – samba is the sound of carnival and often wears a mask, but it's too distinctive to ever disguise itself well.
Gabriel Da Rosa is another Brazilian artist who has followed the path to America, where he records for Stone Throw Records in L.A. In the video for the excellent Jasmim, he shows us some of his favourite Brazilian records. They're all excellent, too.
A Brazil and Beyond A-List Playlist:
Elizeth Cardoso – Manha de Carnaval (Nicko)
João Gilberto, Stan Getz & Miucha – Aguas de Marco (Magicman)
Astrud Gilberto – Agua de Beber (Tarquin Spodd)
Vinicius & Baden Powell – Canto de Ossanha (Magicman)
Flora Purim – Insensatez (Sara Von O)
Everything But The Girl – Each And Every One (Uncleben)
Gallon Drunk – Night Panic Bossa (Happyclapper)
Beck – Tropicalia (Magicman)
Karima Karie – I Am A Kitten ( Tarquin Spodd)
Brent Cash – This Sea, These Waves (Toffeeboy)
Nouvelle Vague – Love Will Tear Us Apart (Barbryn)
Todd Rundgren – I Want You (Fred Erickson)
Nina Miranda and Chris Franck - Agua (Altraego)
Laufey – Fragile (Loud Atlas)
Beabadoobee – Perfect Pair (Magicman/Loud Atlas)
Gabriel Da Rosa – Jasmim (Loud Atlas)
Bossa’n’Jazz B-List:
I'm afraid I'm back on the jazz again, so the B-List is very jazzy.
Dudley Moore Trio – Lilian Lust: Slow, soundtrack bossa by Dud, who composed some really lovely stuff in the 60s.
Timmy Thomas – Why Can't We Live Together: An early drum machine rhythm means the bossa influence isn't that clear until the organ stabs in that clave rhythm.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – Mas Que Nada: Not much Sergio this week, but this is the smash hit that made him and Jorge Ben rich, with Lani Hall's crystal clear vocals.
Horace Silver – Song For My Father: Another of my all-time favourite artists, with a tune I never tire of hearing . Supposedly Cape Verdean-influenced, but it's a bossa.
Joe Henderson – Blue Bossa: A Blue Note bossa classic I'd somehow missed out on. It's terrific.
Duke Pearson – Lamento: I love the Duke, too, and this is a lovely warm version of the Jobim tune.
João Donato – Nao Se Acabou: Donato's another favourite, always swinging, always effortless.
Serge Gainsbourg – Erotico Tico: Serge raids Jobim's A Felicidade to come up with a tres cool instrumental.
Luiz Bonfa & Don Burrows – In The Shade of the Mango Tree: Lovely stuff from Bonfa and an artist that's new to me.
Paul Winter Sextet - Con Alma: Paul Winter's albums are just as good as the famous Getz/Byrd ones. His Sound Of Ipanema with Carlos Lyra and Sergio Mendes is also terrific.
Lisa Ono – Corcovado: Probably my favourite of Jobim's songs. a perfect casual snapshot of happiness.
Cannonball Adderley Sextet - Jive Samba: Yusef Lateef does his inimitable stuff on this one.
The Bossa B-List Playlist:
Dudley Moore Trio – Lilian Lust (Nilpferd)
Timmy Thomas – Why Can't We Live Together (Altra Ego)
Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 – Mas Que Nada (Sweet Home Alabama)
Horace Silver – Song For My Father ( Uncleben)
Joe Henderson – Blue Bossa (Ajostu)
Duke Pearson – Lamento (Nicko)
João Donato - It Didn't End (Nao Se Acabou) (Magicman)
Serge Gainsbourg – Erotico Tico (Tarquin Spodd)
Luiz Bonfa & Don Burrows – In The Shade of the Mango Tree (Nicko)
Paul Winter Sextet -Con Alma (Nicko)
Lisa Ono – Corcovado (Sara Von O)
Cannonball Adderley Sextet - Jive Samba (Nilpferd)
Guru’s Wildcard Picks:
Three gorgeous clips to share here:
Rosinha Da Valença – Consolacão: Fiery versión of Jobim’s classic by a brilliant guitarist who appared on a German tour in 1966 along with Sylvia Telles, Edu Lobo and Rubens Bassini (the tamborim player on this clip) . Telles died in a car accident shortly afterwards. Da Valença entered a coma in 1992 and died 12 years later.
Gal Costa – Saudosismo: Gal singing Caetano Veloso’s tribute to João Gilberto in her flat before backcombing her afro, putting on her boa and driving her VW Beetle to perform some wild tropicalia.
Robert Wyatt – Left On Man: Lovely, warm bossa nova version of the Dondestan track, with Jennifer Maidman on guitar.
Further listening:
Here’s a list of my favourite bossa albums if anyone fancies exploring further:
Sergio Mendes & Brazil 77 – All seven albums contain brilliantly arranged versions of pop standards and Brazilian hits. If pushed I’d take Ye Me Lé first, then Herb Alpert Presents….
Vinicius & Toquinho, Maria Creuza etc - En La Fusa : Wonderful, warm semi-live date recorded in Argentina , where Vinicus would spend summers in a freer atmosphere than Brazil’s dictatorship. It didn’t last long and Vinicius never returned to Argentina after his pianist, Tenorio Jr, was arrested, tortured and murdered in Buenos Aires in 1976.
João Gilberto – João Gilberto (“The White Album”) 1973 –Zen and the art of bossa nova.
Elis Regina - Como & Porque– At her best Elis seems like she could do anything, and she’s at her peak on this one.
Wanda – Vagamente –Copacabana surf chick with blank, ultra-cool voice
Baden Powell Quartet – Vos 1,2 & 3 (Barclay): Probably the most important bossa guitarist after Gilberto, he made loads of excellent albums. These French recordings are my favourites.
Quarteto Em Cy – s/t: First album by these four sisters, whose tight harmonies are strangely addictive.
Edu Lobo – A Musica de Edu Lobo: First album by this brilliant composer. They're all good, though.
Jorge Ben – Samba Esquema Nova: An even more brilliant debut than Edu’s, by my favourite artist. Jorge wasn’t strictly bossa, but his first album is strongly aimed at that market.
Caetano Veloso & Gal Costa – Domingo: The two tropicalistas' first album is pure, serenely beautiful bossa.
The Essential Joyce 1970-1996: You want the CD of this one. Track after track of bossa, MPB and jazz by a talented singer and guitarist.
Elizeth Cardoso
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations in response to last week's topic: Less becomes new: striking acoustic song versions. The next topic will launch on Thursday after 1pm UK time.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained in About/FAQs ...
Fancy a turn behind the pumps at The Song Bar? Care to choose a playlist from songs nominated and write something about it? Then feel free to contact The Song Bar here, or try the usual email address. Also please follow us social media: Song Bar X, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube, and Song Bar Instagram. Please subscribe, follow and share.