Joao gilberto

João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira known as João Gilberto (Juazeiro, June 10, 1931-Rio de Janeiro, July 6, 2019) was a singer, Brazilian composer and guitarist, considered along with Antônio Carlos Jobim as one of the creators of the bossa nova in the late 1950s. Throughout the world he was often called the "father of bossa nova" 3. 4; and in his home country of Brazil, he was referred to as "O Mito"; (The Myth) or (The Legend).

Biography

He taught himself to play the guitar. In 1950, he emigrated to the city of Rio de Janeiro, where he had some success singing in the band Garotos da Lua. After being kicked out of the band for rebellion, he spent a few years without a job, but with the stubborn idea of creating a new form of musical expression with the guitar.

His effort finally paid off after he met Tom Jobim —a classically educated pianist and composer who also liked American jazz—, with whom the style that became known as Bossa nova began to mature.

The bossa nova (new wave) was a distillation of the percussive, syncopated rhythm of samba, in a simplified form that could be played on a guitar without accompaniment. João Gilberto is credited with creating this genre. He also introduced a new way of singing, at a low volume.

In 1958 the album Canção do Amor Demais by singer Elizeth Cardoso was released, which included compositions by Jobim with lyrics by Vinícius de Moraes. A short time later João Gilberto recorded his first album, called Chega de Saudade . Gilberto's title track was also on Cardoso's album and was a hit in Brazil. This work launched the musical career of João Gilberto, and also the Bossa Nova musical movement. In addition to various Tom Jobim compositions, the disc contained various sambas and popular songs from the 1930s but arranged in the distinctive bossa nova style.

In 1960 and 1961, Gilberto released two more albums containing songs composed by a new generation of singer-songwriters.

Around 1962 bossa-nova had already been assimilated by American jazz musicians such as Stan Getz. The latter invited João Gilberto and Tom Jobim in 1963 to collaborate on what ended up becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and best-selling bossa-nova/jazz fusion records in history. Getz/Gilberto was released in March 1964 and won a Grammy in 1965. Notable of this work is the Jobim/de Moraes composition "Garota de Ipanema", which became a classic international pop song and brought fame to the singer Astrud Gilberto, at that time the wife of João Gilberto. In its English version it was sung by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Martino, and Tony Bennett.

In 1968 —when João Gilberto was living in Mexico— he released the album Ela é carioca. The album João Gilberto, released in 1973, represents a change from the creation of bossa nova. In 1976 The Best of Two Worlds was released, with the participation of Stan Getz and the Brazilian singer Miúcha (Heloísa Maria Buarque de Hollanda), Chico Buarque's sister, who had become João's wife. Gilberto in April 1965. The album Amoroso (1977) had arrangements by musician Claus Ogerman.

On the 1981 album, Brasil, João Gilberto worked with Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso and María Bethania, who in the late 1960s had created the Tropicalismo movement based on bossa nova and fusing it with rock elements. In 1991 he released João , a record notable for not having any compositions by Tom Jobim and, instead, using songs by Caetano, Cole Porter and compositions in Spanish and Italian. The work João Voz E Violão, released in 2000, marked a return to the bossa-nova classics and had the musical production of Caetano Veloso.

He also has live albums, such as Live in Montreux, Prado Pereira de Oliveira, Live at Umbria Jazz, In Tokyo.

Musical style

Gilberto's style blends traditional samba elements with contemporary jazz. His "one of a kind" acoustic guitar involving a syncopated rhythm of plucked strings, with a progression in the rotation of the strings of traditional jazz. His vocal style has been described as "relaxed and understated." Leonardo Rocha, in his obituary for the BBC, states that Gilberto's music describes a period of great optimism in Brazil.

Personal life

Gilberto's first marriage was to the singer Astrud, with whom he collaborated on the recording of the hit "The Girl from Ipanema" (The girl from Ipanema). He divorced and later married singer Miúcha (who died in 2018). They had a daughter, Bebel Gilberto, who is also a singer. They later separated. Gilberto also had a daughter with Claudia Faissol, a journalist.

Gilberto had lived alone since 2009. His final years were marked by money problems and declining health. In 2011, he was sued and evicted from an apartment in Leblon by his owner, Countess Georgina Brandolini d'Adda. This was reported in December 2017 until his daughter Bebel (Isabel) took control of his finances, altered by mental deterioration and her large debt.

Death

Gilberto died on July 6, 2019, in his apartment in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His body was entombed in Niterói after a private ceremony on July 8, 2019. His cause of death has not been made public.