The Sound of Bossa Nova: Brazil's Musical Gem

By: L. Gurney

Bossa Nova emerged in Brazil during the late 1950s, it originated in Rio de Janeiro where young artists and musicians created a new sound expressing a youthful celebration of romance and beach culture. The music genre has the name “Bossa Nova” because it became known as the new rhythm. Interestingly, in Brazil the word “Bossa” meant something done with charm; this music style blends the elements of samba (a traditional Brazilian rhythm) with jazz. Overall, Bossa Nova is a sophisticated musical form and has become Brazil’s cultural treasure.  
João Gilberto is often referred to as the “father of Bossa Nova”; his álbum 'Chega de Saudade (1959)' is considered to be revolutionary. Other artists such as Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes are also iconic in Bossa Nova; part of a wider Bossa Nova family.  

Bossa Nova is characterized by its calm rhythm, guitar style and smooth vocal chords, typically the lyrics are about love and longing. Around the 1960s, Bossa Nova took over the world, booming especially in the United States during the Jazz revival. In 1962 there was a concert at New Yorks’ Carniege Hall, there Bossa Nova exploded, and its craze arrived. In 1964, American Stan Getz recorded The Girl from Ipanema with Joao Gilberto, the song spent 96 weeks in the US charts, becoming the world’s second most played song behind the Beatles ‘Yesterday’.  

Overall, Bossa Nova is a cultural gem, encapsulating Brazil’s most vibrant culture.  ​