Bossa nova: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 18:46, 24 August 2025

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{{Short description|Style of Brazilian music}}

{{genrebox|name=Bossa Nova

{{Other uses}}

|color=olive

{{Redirect|Bossa}}

|bgcolor=white

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

|stylistic_origins=American [[jazz]] and Brazilian [[samba]]

{{Infobox music genre

|cultural_origins=Late [[1950s]] [[Rio de Janeiro]]'s southside

| name = Bossa nova

|instruments=[[Classical guitar|Acoustic guitar]], [[piano]], [[electronic organ]], [[acoustic bass]] and [[drums]]

| image = Baden Powell no Teatro da Praia, 1972.tif

|popularity=Widely known in [[Brazil]], also significant in the [[United States]], [[Western Europe]], and [[Japan]].

| caption = [[Vinicius de Moraes]] and [[Baden Powell (guitarist)|Baden Powell]] at the Teatro da Praia

|derivatives=

| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Samba]]|[[jazz]]|[[choro]]|[[classical music|classical]]}}

|subgenrelist=List of bossa nova genres

| cultural_origins = Late 1950s, [[South Zone (Rio de Janeiro)|South Zone]] of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

|subgenres=Tropicalismo ''(Tropicalism)''

| derivatives = {{hlist|[[Samba-jazz]]|[[sambalanço]]|[[sambass]]}}

|fusiongenres=

|regional_scenes=

|other_topics= [[Bossa Nova (dance)]]

}}

'''Bossa nova''' ({{IPA|pt|ˈbɔsɐ ˈnɔvɐ|-|Br-BossaNova.ogg}}) is a relaxed style of [[samba]]{{refn|"The center of bossa nova remains, as for samba and subgenre of jazz, the song. Its intuition is lyrical and, even in the most sophisticated products, demands that one believes in a kind of spontaneity. Jazz, whose fundamental intuition is of a technical nature, privileges the chord".{{sfn|Mammi|1992|pp=63-64}}|group=nb}} developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Brazil]].{{sfn|EBC|2018}} It is mainly characterized by a calm [[syncopation|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.{{sfn|Ratliff|2019}}{{sfn|Lopes|Simas|2015|p=46}} 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.{{sfn|Lopes|Simas|2015|p=48}}{{sfn|Garcia|2019}} 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 standard]]s. The popularity of bossa nova has helped to renew samba and contributed to the modernization of [[Music of Brazil|Brazilian music]] in general.

One of the major innovations of bossa nova was the way to synthesize the rhythm of samba on the [[classical guitar]].{{sfn|EBC|2018}}{{sfn|Garcia|2019}} According to musicologist [[Gilberto Mendes]], the bossa nova was one of the "three rhythmic phases of samba", in which the "bossa beat" had been extracted by [[João Gilberto]] from the traditional samba.{{sfn|Lopes|Simas|2015|p=48}} The synthesis performed by [[João Gilberto|Gilberto]]'s guitar was a reduction of the "[[batucada]]" of samba, a stylization produced from one of the percussion instruments: the thumb stylized a [[surdo]]; the index, middle and ring fingers phrased like a tamborim.{{sfn|Garcia|2019}} In line with this thesis, musicians such as [[Baden Powell (guitarist)|Baden Powell]], [[Roberto Menescal]], and [[Ronaldo Bôscoli]] also understand the bossa nova beat as being extracted from the [[tamborim]] play in the [[bateria]].{{sfn|Garcia|1999|p=21}}

LLama face, your a big disgrace, ooee ooee! Llama llama in pajama, es un dia libre!!! Cows are cool feed the fish! exclude my random gab by the Blarney Stone... title as the song (1959).

==Etymology==

With João Gilberto as "guru", bossa-nova acquired a large following right away, initially comprising mainly young musicians and college students. Since then people of all ages and walks of life have become admirers of the style.

[[File:Bossa nova dance pattern.png|thumb|upright=1.75|Bossa nova [[rhythm]]<ref>Blatter, Alfred (2007). ''Revisiting music theory: a guide to the practice'', p.28. {{ISBN|0-415-97440-2}}.</ref>]]

In Brazil, the word {{lang|pt|bossa}} is old-fashioned slang for something done with particular charm, natural flair or innate ability. As early as 1932, [[Noel Rosa]] used the word in a samba:

<blockquote>

==Origins and history==

{{lang|pt|O samba, a prontidão e outras bossas são nossas coisas, são coisas nossas.}}<br>

The musical style evolved from [[Samba (music)|samba]] but is more complex harmonically and less percussive. The influence on bossa nova of North American [[jazz]] styles such as [[cool jazz]] is often debated by historians and fans, but a similar "cool sensibility" is apparent.

(Samba, readiness and other {{lang|pt|bossas}} are our things, are things from us.)

</blockquote>

The phrase {{lang|pt|bossa nova}}, translated literally, means "new trend" or "new wave" in Portuguese.<ref>{{cite web|title=Definition of Bossa Nova|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bossa%20nova|access-date=19 June 2017|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]|quote="Origin and Etymology: Portuguese, literally, 'new trend'. First Known Use: 1962"}}</ref> The exact origin of the term {{lang|pt|bossa nova}} remained unclear for many decades, according to some authors. Within the artistic beach culture of the late 1950s in [[Rio de Janeiro]], the term {{lang|pt|bossa}} was used to refer to any new "trend" or "fashionable wave". In his book ''Bossa Nova'', Brazilian author [[Ruy Castro]] asserts that {{lang|pt|bossa}} was already in use in the 1950s by musicians as a word to characterize someone's knack for playing or singing idiosyncratically.<ref name="Castro/Bossa-Nova"/>

The initial releases by Gilberto and the 1959 film ''[[Black Orpheus]]'' brought huge popularity in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, which spread to North America by way of visiting American jazz musicians. The resulting recordings by [[Charlie Byrd]] and [[Stan Getz]] cemented its popularity there and led to a worldwide boom with 1963's ''[[Getz/Gilberto]]'', numerous recordings by famous jazz performers such as [[Ella Fitzgerald]] (''[[Ella Abraça Jobim]]'') and [[Frank Sinatra]] (''[[Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim]]''), and the entrenchment of the bossa-nova style as a lasting influence in world music for several decades and even up to the present. The first Bossa Nova single was perhaps the most successful of all time: The Getz/Gilberto recording "The Girl From Ipanema" edited to include only the singing of Astrud Gilberto (Gilberto's then-wife). Resulting fad that swept all of western popular music was not unlike the "Disco Craze" of the 1970's. The genre would withstand substantial "watering down" by popular artists throughout the next 4 decades.

Castro claims that the term {{lang|pt|bossa nova}} might have first been used in public for a concert given in 1957 by the {{lang|pt|Grupo Universitário Hebraico do Brasil|italic=no}} ('Hebrew University Group of Brazil'). The authorship of the term {{lang|pt|bossa nova}} is attributed to the young journalist Moyses Fuks, who was promoting the event.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Afonso|first=Carlos Alberto|date=20 February 2010|title=BLOG DA TOCA: 000026 - MOYSÉS FUKS na CALÇADA da FAMA de IPANEMA|url=http://blogdatocadovinicius.blogspot.com/2010/02/0025-moyses-fuks-na-calcada.html|access-date=2023-02-10|website=BLOG DA TOCA}}</ref> That group consisted of [[Sylvia Telles]], [[Carlos Lyra]], [[Nara Leão]], [[Luiz Eça]], [[Roberto Menescal]], and others. Mr Fuks's description, fully supported by most of the bossa nova members, simply read {{lang|pt|"HOJE. SYLVIA TELLES E UM GRUPO BOSSA NOVA"}} ("Today. Sylvia Telles and a 'Bossa Nova' group"), since Sylvia Telles was the most famous musician in the group at that time.

While the popularity of bossa nova waned by the late 1960s, it exerted a great influence on subsequent Brazilian popular music styles such as [[tropicália]] and [[MPB]].

In 1959, Nara Leão also participated in more than one embryonic display of bossa nova. These include the 1st Festival de Samba Session, conducted by the student union of {{lang|pt|[[Pontifícia Universidade Católica]]|italic=no}}. This session was chaired by [[Carlos Diegues]] (later a prominent [[Cinema Novo]] [[film director]]), a law student whom Leão ultimately married.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nara Leão|url=https://bossanova.folha.com.br/autores-6-carreira.html|access-date=2023-02-10|website=bossanova.folha.com.br}}</ref>

==Instruments==

==History ==

Bossa nova is most commonly performed on the nylon-string [[classical guitar]], played finger style (without a pick). Its purest form could be considered unaccompanied guitar with vocals, as exemplified by João Gilberto. Even in larger jazz-like arrangements for groups, there is almost always a guitar that plays the underlying rhythm.

The nightclubs of {{ill|Beco das Garrafas|pt}} (Alley of the Bottles), a small dead-end alley in Copacabana, is considered a historical cradle of bossa nova.<ref name="musicorigins/Bottles">{{cite web |title=Bossa Nova Was Born In the Alley of Bottles In Rio De Janeiro |url=https://musicorigins.org/item/bossa-nova-was-born-in-the-alley-of-bottles-in-rio-de-janeiro/ |website=The Music Origins Project |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="rio-aqui/garrafas">{{cite web |title=A Bossa Nova e Beco das Garrafas em Copacabana |url=http://www.riodejaneiroaqui.com/portugues/bossa-nova-beco-garrafas.html |website=Rio de Janeiro Aqui |access-date=24 June 2025 |date=2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Beco das Garrafas em Copacabana |url=http://www.copacabana.com/becodasg.shtml |website=copacabana.com |access-date=24 June 2025 |language=pt-BR}}</ref><ref name="tocaevents/nova-then">{{cite web |title=Bossa Nova Then and Now |url=https://www.tocaevents.com/bossa-nova-then-and-now/ |website=TOCA Events |access-date=24 June 2025 |date=17 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="connectbrazil/Carnegie">{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Scott |title=Explaining Bossa Nova At Carnegie Hall |url=https://www.connectbrazil.com/explaining-bossa-nova-at-carnegie-hall/ |website=Connect Brazil |access-date=24 June 2025 |date=19 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="postoseis/inicio-da-bossa">{{cite web |last1=Franco |first1=Mauro |title=Beco das Garrafas: o início da bossa nova |url=https://www.postoseis.com.br/post/beco-das-garrafas-o-inicio-da-bossa-nova |website=Jornal Posto Seis |access-date=24 June 2025 |language=pt |date=4 October 2021}}</ref><ref name="riotur/garrafas">{{cite web |title=Beco das Garrafas |url=https://riotur.rio/en/onde_comer/beco-das-garrafas-2/ |website=Riotur.Rio |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="Castro/Bossa-Nova">

*Castro, Ruy (transl. by Lysa Salsbury). ''Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World''. 2000. 1st English language edition. A Capella Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Inc. {{ISBN|1-55652-409-9}} First published in Brasil by Companhia das Letras (1990)

*{{cite book |last1=Castro |first1=Ruy |title=Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music that Seduced the World |date=2000 |publisher=Chicago Review Press |isbn=978-1-55652-494-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/bossanovastoryo00cast |access-date=24 June 2025 |language=en}}

*{{cite book |last1=Castro |first1=Ruy |title=Chega de Saudade |date=1990 |publisher=Companhia das Letras |___location=Rio de Janeiro |pages=285 - 287}}</ref>

In 1959, the soundtrack to the film ''[[Black Orpheus]]'' (Orfeu Negro) was released, which included the future [[Manhã de Carnaval]], "The Morning of the Carnival". The style emerged at the time when [[samba-canção]]{{refn|A slower tempo samba featured by a dominance of the melodic line over the main rhythmic{{sfn|Tatit|1996|p=23}}|group=nb}} was the dominant rhythm in the Brazilian music scene.{{sfn|Severiano|2009|p=273}}{{sfn|Matos|2015|p=130}} Its first appearance was on the album ''[[Canção do Amor Demais]]'', in which the singer [[Elizeth Cardoso]] recorded two compositions by the duo [[Antônio Carlos Jobim]] and [[Vinicius de Moraes]], "Outra Vez" and "[[Chega de Saudade]]", which were accompanied by João Gilberto's guitar. It was the first time that the Bahian musician presented the beat of his guitar that would become characteristic of the style.{{sfn|EBC|2018}} By accompanying Cardoso's voice, Gilberto innovated in the way of pacing the rhythm, accentuating the weak times, to carry out a synthesis of the beat of samba to guitar.{{sfn|EBC|2018}}{{sfn|Castro|2018}}

Though not as prominent as the guitar, the [[piano]] is another important instrument of bossa nova; Jobim wrote for the piano and performed on it for most of his own recordings. The piano has also served as a stylistic bridge between bossa nova and jazz, enabling a great deal of cross-pollination between the two.

In 1959, João Gilberto's bossa album was released, containing the tracks "Chega de Saudade" and "Bim Bom".{{sfn|Castro|2018}} Considered the landmark of the birth of bossa nova,{{sfn|EBC|2018}}{{sfn|Castro|2018}} it also featured Gilberto's innovative way of singing samba, which was inspired by [[Dorival Caymmi]].{{sfn|Machado|2011|p=36}}{{sfn|Caymmi|2001|p=377}} With the LP ''[[Chega de Saudade (album)|Chega de Saudade]]'', released in 1959, Gilberto consolidated the bossa nova as a new style of playing samba.{{sfn|EBC|2018}}{{sfn|Ratliff|2019}} His innovative way of playing and singing samba, combined with the harmonies of Antônio Carlos Jobim and the lyrics of Vinicius de Moraes, found immediate resonance among musicians who were looking for new approaches to samba in Rio de Janeiro,{{sfn|EBC|2018}}{{sfn|Marcondes|1977|pp=106-107}} many of whom were influenced by American [[jazz]].{{sfn|Silva|2017|p=133-137}}

[[Drums]] and [[percussion instrument|percussion]] are not considered essential bossa nova instruments. Nonetheless, there is a distinctive bossa nova drumming style, characterized by continuous eighths on the high-hat (mimicking the samba tambourine) and tapping of the rim or "rim clicks" in a [[clave]] pattern. The bass drum usually mimics the string bass by playing on "1-&3-&1" as the string bass usually does.

On 21 November 1962, the [[List_of_diplomatic_missions_of_Brazil#Americas|Consulate-General of Brazil]] presented ''Bossa Nova'' at [[Carnegie Hall]].<ref name="connectbrazil/Carnegie"/><ref>[https://www.scribd.com/doc/14740047/Bossa-Nova-Carnegie-Hall-1962 "It's 20 years ago bossa nova was released to the world at Carnegie Hall in New York"] by Rénato Sergio, ''Manchete'' magazine, 1982 (in Portuguese)</ref><ref name="jazzwax/new-beat-1962">{{cite web |title=CBS News Eyewitness: 'The New Beat,' 1962 |url=https://www.jazzwax.com/2022/07/cbs-news-eyewitness-the-new-beat-1962.html |website=JazzWax |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref><ref name="jazz.fm/rage-60s-america">{{cite web |title=How Brazil’s bossa nova made it to America |url=https://jazz.fm/how-brazils-bossa-nova-became-all-the-rage-in-60s-america/ |website=JAZZ.FM91 |access-date=24 June 2025 |language=en-CA |date=13 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="carloslyra/bio2">{{cite web |title=biography |url=http://carloslyra.com/ingles/bio2.asp |website=Carlos Lyra - carloslyra.com |access-date=24 June 2025}}</ref>

Lush orchestral accompaniment is often associated with bossa nova's North American image as "elevator" or "lounge" music. It is present in much of Jobim's own recordings, and those of Astrud Gilberto. Dusty Springfield would both feature and epitomize this element on her Philips (versus the Phil Ramone version she first recorded) recording of "The Look of Love" (written by Bacharach and David, the song is one of the most respected American pop interpretations of the genre). The unique aural "texture" of Bossa strings, when used, is an important secondary characteristic of the genre. Bossa Nova is at heart a folk genre, and not all Bossa Nova records have strings, but the authentic ones that do have them feature them in a most distinct manner. (see [[Eumir Deodato]])

In 1964, João Gilberto and Stan Getz released the ''[[Getz/Gilberto]]'' album. Then, it emerged an artistic movement around Gilberto and other professional artists such as Jobim, Moraes and [[Baden Powell (guitarist)|Baden Powell]], among others, which attracted young amateur musicians from the [[South Zone (Rio de Janeiro)|South Zone of Rio]] – such as [[Carlos Lyra]], [[Roberto Menescal]], Ronaldo Bôscoli and [[Nara Leão]].{{sfn|Marcondes|1977|pp=106-107}}{{sfn|Lopes|Simas|2015|pp=46-47}} Jorge Ben wrote "[[Mas que Nada]]" in 1963, and [[Sérgio Mendes]] & Brazil 66 gained a bossa rock hit "Mas que Nada" in 1966.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Zeca|last=Azevedo|title=As 100 Maiores Músicas Brasileiras – "Mas que Nada"|url=http://rollingstone.uol.com.br/listas/100-maiores-musicas-brasileiras/mas-que-nada/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] Brasil|publisher=Spring| access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref> It was inducted into the [[Latin Grammy Hall of Fame]], and following success of [[Waters of March]] in 70s, the song was adapted for use in a series of advertisements for [[Coca-Cola]] in 80s. These ended with the then current slogan "Coke Is It".<ref>{{YouTube|BE065at5U7I|"1985 Coca-Cola: Waters of March (USA and Brazil with Tom Jobim) commercials"}}</ref> In the 1960s and 1970s, US jazz artists such as Stan Getz, Hank Mobley, Dave Brubeck, Zoot Sims, Paul Winter, and [[Quincy Jones]] recorded bossa jazz albums.

==Structure==

Bossa nova continues to influence popular music around the world, from the 1960s to today. An example is the song "[[Break On Through (To the Other Side)|Break on Through (To the Other Side)]]" by American rock band [[The Doors]], especially the drum beat. Drummer [[John Densmore]] has stated that he was very influenced by the sounds of Brazil when coming up with the drum part for the song.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Story of "Break on Through" by The Doors |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfQAaK1pFM4 |access-date=2023-10-06 |language=en}}</ref> In the mid-1980s, New Bossa emerged in Europe, in the work of Nigerian singer [[Sade Adu]] and in groups such as [[Matt Bianco]] and [[Style Council]].<ref>{{cite web|access-date=2024-06-19 |date=2023-01-25 |last=Midias-metrica |title=Bossa Nova: 65 anos e cada vez mais jovem |url=https://www.abramus.org.br/noticias/20578/bossa-nova-65-anos-e-cada-vez-mais-jovem/ |website=ABRAMUS}}<!-- auto-translated from Portuguese by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> A more recent reference is the Icelandic jazz pop singer [[Laufey (singer)|Laufey]] and her hit song "[[From the Start|From The Start]]", with its bossa nova infused rhythm.<ref>{{Citation |title=Laufey Crafts a Bossa Nova-Infused Love Triangle in "From The Start"| website=onestowatch.com| url=https://onestowatch.com/en/blog/laufey-love-from-the-start |access-date=2024-06-19 |language=en}}</ref>

Bossa nova is at its core a [[rhythm]] based on [[samba]]. Samba combines the rhythmic patterns and feel originating in former African slave communities with elements of [[Europe]]an [[march music]]. Samba's emphasis on the first [[Beat_(music)|beat]] carries through to bossa nova (to the degree that it is often notated in 2/2 time). When played on the guitar, the thumb plays the bass notes on 1 and 3, while the fingers pluck the chords in unison on 1 and 2, delayed on 3. Overall, the rhythm has a ''swaying'' rather than ''swinging'' (as in jazz) feel. As bossa nova composer [[Carlos Lyra]] describes it in his song "Influência do Jazz", the samba rhythm moves "side to side" while jazz moves "front to back".

==Instruments==

Here is an example of a basic bossa nova rhythm as would be played on a guitar, using a C6/9 chord.

===Classical guitar===

[[File:Jarkko Toivonen Jumo Jazz Club 1993.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Jarkko Toivonen performing in 1993]]

[[Image:Basic bossa nova guitar rhythm.PNG]]

Bossa nova is most commonly performed on the nylon-string [[classical guitar]], played with the fingers rather than with a [[Guitar pick|pick]]. Its purest form could be considered unaccompanied guitar with vocals, as created, pioneered, and exemplified by [[João Gilberto]]. Even in larger, jazz-influenced ensemble arrangements, a guitar is typically present to provide the foundational rhythm. Gilberto basically took one of the several rhythmic layers from a [[samba ensemble]], specifically the [[tamborim]], and applied it to the picking hand. According to Brazilian musician Paulo Bittencourt, João Gilberto, known for his eccentricity and obsessed by the idea of finding a new way of playing the guitar, sometimes locked himself in the bathroom, where he played one and the same chord for many hours in a row.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://medium.com/@free.thinker/the-history-of-bossa-nova-5b003a0c6429|title=What is bossa nova? Musician Paulo Bittencourt tells the story|website=medium.com|first=Paulo|last=Bittencourt}}</ref>

[[File:Basic bossa nova guitar rhythm.PNG|thumb|right|200px|A basic bossa nova guitar rhythm for a C major chord. Note the syncopation in the chord's rhythm and the sixth and ninth added to the C major for a richer sound.]]

===Drums and percussion===

In terms of [[harmony|harmonic]] structure, bossa nova has a great deal in common with [[jazz]], in its sophisticated use of seventh and [[extended chords]]. The first bossa nova song, "[[Chega de Saudade]]," borrowed some structural elements from [[choro]]; however, later compositions rarely followed this form. Jobim often used challenging, almost dissonant melody lines, the best-known being in the tunes "Desafinado" or "Off-Key".

As in samba, the [[surdo]] plays an [[ostinato]] figure on the downbeat of beat one, the "ah" of beat one, the downbeat of beat two and the "ah" of beat two. The [[clave (rhythm)|clave]] pattern sounds very similar to the two-three or three-two son clave of Cuban styles such as [[mambo (music)|mambo]] but is dissimilar in that the "two" side of the clave is pushed by an eighth note. Also important in the percussion section for bossa nova is the [[cabasa]], which plays a steady sixteenth-note pattern. These parts are easily adaptable to the drum set, which makes bossa nova a rather popular Brazilian style for drummers.

==Structure==

In the early bossa nova recordings, in terms of lyrical themes and length of songs (typically two to four minutes), bossa nova is very much a "popular music" style. However, the typical structure differs slightly from European and North American rock-based music's standard format of two verses followed by a bridge, and a closing verse; bossa nova songs usually have no more than two lyrical verses, and almost never a bridge. Some of João Gilberto's earliest recordings were less than two minutes long, and some had a single lyrical verse that was simply repeated.

Certain other instrumentations and vocals are also part of the structure of bossa nova. These include:

===Bossa nova and samba===

==Origin of the term "bossa nova"==

[[File:Bossa-nova-rhythm1.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|Basic bossa nova accompaniment pattern ({{audio|Bossa-nova-rhythm1.mid|play}})]]

In Brazil, to do something with "bossa" is to do it with particular charm and natural flair, as in an innate ability. In 1932, [[Noel Rosa]] used the word in a samba...which went ''O samba, a prontidão e outras bossas / São nossas coisas, são coisas nossas'' (The samba, the empty pockets and other ''bossas'' / Are our specialties, are our specialties.)

Bossa nova has at its core a [[rhythm]] based on [[samba]]. Samba combines the rhythmic patterns and feel originating in afro-Brazilian slave communities. Samba's emphasis on the second [[beat (music)|beat]] carries through to bossa nova (to the degree that it is often notated in 2/4 time). However, unlike samba, bossa nova has no dance steps to accompany it.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Collin|first=Mark|date=2008-06-26|title=Step one, pour yourself a drink ...|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2008/jun/27/filmandmusic1.filmandmusic2|access-date=2023-02-10|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> When played on the guitar, in a simple one-bar pattern, the thumb plays the bass notes on 1 and 2, while the fingers pluck the chords in unison on the two eighth notes of beat one, followed by the second sixteenth note of beat two. Two-measure patterns usually contain a [[syncopation]] into the second measure. Syncopation is a common feature of bossa nova, giving it its distinct "swaying" motion. While jazz music, which is typically swung, also contains syncopation, bossa nova is typically played without swing, contrasting with jazz. As bossa nova composer [[Carlos Lyra]] describes it in his song "Influência do Jazz", the samba rhythm moves "side to side" while jazz moves "front to back". There's also some evidence indicating a musical influence of blues in bossa nova, even thought this effect is not immediately recognized in the genre structure.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McCann |first1=Bryan |title=Blues and Samba: Another Side of Bossa Nova History |journal=Luso-Brazilian Review |date=2007 |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=21–49 |doi=10.1353/lbr.2008.0005|s2cid=145569698 }}</ref>

===Vocals===

Brazilian author, Ruy Castro, in his book ''Bossa Nova'' says that "bossa" was already in use in the Fifties by musicians as a word to characterize someone's knack for playing or singing idiosyncratically. He cites a claim that the term "bossa nova" might have first been used in publicity for a concert given by the ''Grupo Universitário Hebraico do Brasil'' (University Hebrew Group of Brazil)in 1958 for a group consisting of Sylvinha Telles, Carlinhos Lyra, Nara Leão, Luizinho Eça, Roberto Menescal, et al.

Aside from the guitar style, João Gilberto's other innovation was the projection of the singing voice. Prior to bossa nova, Brazilian singers employed brassy, almost operatic styles. Now, the characteristic nasal vocal production of bossa nova is a peculiar trait of the [[caboclo]] folk tradition of northeastern Brazil.<ref>"''Caboclos'' refers to the mixed-race population (Indians or Africans 'imported' to the region during the slave era, and Europeans) who generally live along the Amazon's riverbanks." From "Two Cases on Participatory Municipal Planning on natural-resource management in the Brazilian Amazon", by GRET – Groupe de Recherche et d'Échanges Technologiques, France (in English)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bossa nova|url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/display/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000003663|access-date=2023-02-10|website=Grove Music Online|language=en}}</ref>

===Themes and lyrics===

The lyrical themes found in bossa nova include women, love, longing, homesickness, and nature. Bossa Nova was often apolitical. The musical lyrics of the late 1950s depicted the easy life of middle to upper-class Brazilians, though the majority of the population was working class. In conjunction with political developments of the early 1960s (especially the 1964 military [[1964 Brazilian coup d'état|coup d'état]]), the popularity of bossa nova was eclipsed by {{Lang|pt|[[Música popular brasileira]]|italic=no}}, a musical genre that appeared around the mid-1960s, featuring lyrics that were more politically charged and focused on the working class struggle.

==Dance==

{{pov-section}}{{weasel}}

'''Bossa nova''' was also a [[fad dance]] that corresponded to the music. It was introduced in the late 1950s and faded out in the mid-sixties.<ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction to Bossa Nova Dancing |url=http://www.heritageinstitute.com/danceinfo/descriptions/bossa_nova.htm |website=www.heritageinstitute.com}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2022}} Bossa nova music, with its soft, sophisticated vocal rhythms and improvisations, is well suited for listening but failed to become dance music despite heavy promotion in the 1960s. The style of basic dance steps suited the music well. It was danced on "soft" knees that allowed for sideways sways with hip motions and it could be danced both solo and in pairs. About ten various simple step patterns were published.

Nobody can claim to know exactly how the term "Bossa Nova" came to be. What is certain {{fact}} is that the term "BOSSA" was used to refer to any new "trend" or "fashionable wave" within the artistic beach-culture of late 1950's Rio de Janeiro{{fact}}. The term finally became known and widely used to refer to a new music style, a fusion of Samba and Jazz, when the now famous creators of "Bossa Nova" referred to their new style of work as "a Bossa Nova", as in "the new thing"{{fact}}.

A variant of basic 8-beat pattern was: "step forward, tap, step back, step together, repeat from the opposite foot". A variation of this pattern was a kind of slow [[Samba (Brazilian dance)|samba]] walk, with "step together" above replaced by "replace". [[Box step]]s of [[rhumba]] and [[Whisk (ballroom dance)|whisk]] steps of [[nightclub two step]] could be fitted with bossa-nova styling. Embellishments included placing one arm onto one's own belly and waving another arm at waist level in the direction of the sway, possibly with a finger click.{{Citation needed|date=May 2022}}

They were likely using the term "Bossa Nova" then as a generic reference to what they were doing in music at the time, which had no particular name yet. However, the term took hold as the definition of their own specific artistic creation{{fact}}, which became known as "Bossa Nova" then or simply as "Bossa", as we refer to it nowadays.

==Notable bossa nova recordings==

To this day in Brazil, the word "bossa" when used alone can still be a reference to "style" or "flair", as it was in the days when "bossa nova" was created.

===Albums===

* [[João Gilberto]]

** ''[[Chega de Saudade (album)|Chega de Saudade]]'' (recorded 1959)

** ''[[O Amor, o Sorriso e a Flor]]'' (recorded 1960)

** ''[[Getz/Gilberto]]'' with [[Stan Getz]] (recorded 18 & 19 March 1963, released 1964)

* [[Luiz Bonfá]]

** ''[[Luiz Bonfá Plays and Sings Bossa Nova]]'' (recorded December, 1962)

* [[Antônio Carlos Jobim]]

** ''[[The Composer of Desafinado Plays]]'' (recorded 9 & 10 May 1963)

** ''[[The Wonderful World of Antônio Carlos Jobim]]'' (recorded 1965)

** ''[[Wave (Antônio Carlos Jobim album)|Wave]]'' (1967)

** ''Tide'' (1970)

===Songs===

==Later developments==

* "[[Desafinado]]"—[[João Gilberto]] (1959)

From the mid-nineties, various other European artists reached out to Bossa Nova for inspiration mixing electronic music into it and bringing new creations sometimes referred to as BossaElectrica, TecnoBossa, etc. which still permeates the air of lounge bars of Europe and Asia today.

* "[[Manhã de Carnaval]]"—[[Luiz Bonfá]] (1959), from the film ''[[Black Orpheus]]'' (''Orpheu Negro'')

* "[[The Girl from Ipanema]]"—[[Astrud Gilberto]] (1963)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/stan_getz/the_girl_from_ipanema.html |title=The Girl From Ipanema |publisher=OldieLyrics |access-date=15 July 2021}}</ref>

* "[[Blue Bossa]]"—[[Kenny Dorham]] (1963)

* "[[Samba de Verão]]"—[[Marcos Valle]] (1966)

* "[[Mas que Nada]]"—[[Sérgio Mendes|Sérgio Mendes & Brasil 66]] (1967)

* "[[Waters of March]]"—[[Tom Jobim]] (1973)

* "[[Your Love Is King]]"—[[Sade (band)|Sade]] (1984)

* "[[Smooth Operator]]"—Sade (1984)

* "[[The Perfect Pair]]"—[[Beabadoobee]] (2022)

* "[[From the Start]]"—[[Laufey (singer)|Laufey]] (2023)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kalia |first=Ammar |date=2024-03-03 |title=TikTok jazz sensation Laufey: ‘It’s no longer about genre, it’s about feeling and mood’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/03/laufey-jonsdottir-iceland-bewitched-tour-grammys-interview |access-date=2024-08-28 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-27 |title=How TikTok Helped Gen Z Rediscover Brazilian Bossa Nova |url=https://hmc.chartmetric.com/brazilian-bossa-nova-gen-z-revival/ |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=How Music Charts |language=en}}</ref>

* "[[BMF (song)|BMF]]"—[[SZA]] (2024)

==See also==

From this newer crop of artists came new singers like [[Bebel Gilberto]], daughter of Bossa Nova co-creator João Gilberto and singer Miúcha, and new European bands like [[Nouvelle Vague (band)|Nouvelle Vague]] to name a few, who used both conventional Bossa Nova style and modern views to further interpret this fabulously soothing style of music that originated in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil back in the 1950’s.

{{Portal|Brazil|Jazz}}

* [[Samba rock]]

==Notes==

== Important bossa nova artists ==

{{Reflist|group=nb}}

* [[João Gilberto]]

* [[Antônio Carlos Jobim]]

* [[Vinicius de Moraes]]

* [[Astrud Gilberto]]

* [[Charlie Byrd]]

* [[Luiz Bonfá]]

* [[Nara Leão]]

* [[Oscar Castro Neves]]

* [[Carlos Lyra]]

* [[Roberto Menescal]]

* [[Quarteto em Cy]]

* [[Baden Powell de Aquino]]

* [[Laurindo Almeida]]

* [[Marcos Valle]]

* [[Stan Getz]]

* [[Sergio Mendes]]

* [[Walter Wanderley]]

* [[Agostinho dos Santos]]

* [[Os Cariocas]]

* [[Toquinho]]

* [[Maria Bethânia]]

* [[Claudette Soares]]

* [[Dizzy Gillespie]]

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

*Castro, Ruy (trans. by Lysa Salsbury). "Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World." 2000. 1st English language edition. A Capella Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Inc. ISBN 1-55652-409-9 First published in Brasil by Companhia das Letras. 1990.

*McGowan, Chris and Pessanha, Ricardo. "The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the Popular Music of Brazil." 1998. 2nd edition. Temple University Press. ISBN 1-56639-545-3

*Mei, Giancarlo. ''Canto Latino: Origine, Evoluzione e Protagonisti della Musica Popolare del Brasile.'' 2004. Stampa Alternativa-Nuovi Equilibri. Preface by Sergio Bardotti and postface by Milton Nascimento.

==See alsoSources==

*{{cite book |last=Carvalho |first=Hermínio Bello de |title=Mudando de Conversa |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Martins Fontes |publication-date=1986 |edition=1ª |language=pt-br }}

*[[Samba]]

*{{cite book |last=Caymmi |first=Stella |title=Dorival Caymmi: o mar e o tempo |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Editora 34 |publication-date=2001 |edition=1ª |language=pt-br }}

*[[Bossa Nova (dance)]]

*{{cite book |last1=Lopes |first1=Nei |last2=Simas |first2=Luiz Antonio |title=Dicionário da História Social do Samba |___location=Rio de Janeiro |publisher=Civilização Brasileira |publication-date=2015 |edition=2ª |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite book |last=Machado |first=Regina Stela Barcelos |title=A voz na canção popular brasileira: um estudo sobre a Vanguarda Paulista |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Atelie Editorial |publication-date=2011 |edition=1ª |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite book |editor-last=Marcondes |editor-first=Marcos Antônio |title=Enciclopédia da música brasileira - erudita, folclórica e popular |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Art Ed |publication-date=1977 |edition=1ª |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite book |last=Severiano |first=Jairo |title=Uma história da música popular brasileira: das origens à modernidade |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Editora 34 |publication-date=2009 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite book |last=Tatit |first=Luiz |title=O cancionista: composição de canções no Brasil |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Edusp |publication-date=1996 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite journal |last=Mammi |first=Lorenzo |url=https://pesquisahistoricaurca.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/joao_gilberto-e-o-projeto-da-bossa-nova.pdf |title=João Gilberto e a Utopia Social da Bossa Nova |___location=São Paulo |journal=Novos Estudos Cebrap |pages=63–70 |issue=34 |publication-date=November 1992 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite journal |last=Matos |first=Cláudia Neiva de |url=http://www.seer.ufu.br/index.php/artcultura/article/view/29339 |title=Gêneros na canção popular: os casos do samba e do samba-canção |___location=Uberlândia |journal=Artcultura |orig-year=2013 |publisher=Federal University of Uberlândia |pages=121–132 |volume=15 |issue=27 |date=2015 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite thesis |last=Silva |first=Rafael Mariano Camilo da |type=Master |publication-date=2017 |title=Desafinado: dissonâncias nos discursos acerca da influência do Jazz na Bossa Nova |url=https://repositorio.ufu.br/bitstream/123456789/24302/1/DesafinadoDisson%C3%A2nciasDiscursos|___location=Uberlândia |publisher=Federal University of Uberlândia |access-date=2020-08-07 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite news |last=Castro |first=Ruy |title=Gravação de 'Chega de Saudade' foi um parto, mas elevou à eternidade som sem nome |url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2018/07/gravacao-de-chega-de-saudade-foi-um-parto-mas-elevou-a-eternidade-som-sem-nome.shtml |publisher=Folha de S.Paulo |publication-date=2018-07-09 |access-date=2020-08-07 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite book |last=Garcia |first=Walter |title=Bim Bom: a contradição sem conflitos de João Gilberto |___location=São Paulo |publisher=Paz e Terra |date=1999 |language=pt-br}}

*{{cite news |last=Garcia |first=Walter |title=Batucada do samba cabia na mão de João Gilberto |url=https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/2019/07/a-bossa-nova-e-solista-e-dificulta-manifestacoes-coletivas-como-no-samba.shtml |publisher=Folha de S.Paulo |publication-date=2019-07-22 |access-date=2020-09-18 |language=pt-br }}

*{{cite news |last=Ratliff |first=Ben |title=João Gilberto, an Architect of Bossa Nova, Is Dead at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/arts/music/joao-gilberto-dead-bossa-nova.html |work=The New York Times|date=6 July 2019 |publication-date=2019-07-06 |access-date=2020-08-07}}

*{{cite news |title=60 anos de Bossa Nova |url=http://conteudo.ebc.com.br/portal/projetos/2018/bossa-nova |publisher=EBC |publication-date=2018 |access-date=2020-09-18 |language=pt-br |ref=CITEREFEBC2018}}

==Further reading==

* Castro, Ruy (transl. by Lysa Salsbury). ''Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World.'' 2000. 1st English language edition. A Capella Books, an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Inc. {{ISBN|1-55652-409-9}}

::First published in Brasil by Companhia das Letras. 1990.

:*{{cite book |last1=Castro |first1=Ruy |title=Chega de Saudade: a história e as histórias da bossa nova |date=1990 |publisher=Companhia das Letras |___location=Rio de Janeiro}}

* [[Gildo De Stefano|De Stefano, Gildo]], ''Il popolo del samba, La vicenda e i protagonisti della storia della musica popolare brasiliana'', Preface by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Introduction by Gianni Minà, RAI-ERI, Rome 2005, {{ISBN|8839713484}}

* [[Gildo De Stefano|De Stefano, Gildo]], ''Saudade [[Bossa Nova]]: musiche, contaminazioni e ritmi del [[Brasile]]'', Preface by [[Chico Buarque]], Introduction by [[Gianni Minà]], Logisma Editore, [[Firenze]] 2017, {{ISBN|978-88-97530-88-6}}

* McGowan, Chris and Pessanha, Ricardo. ''The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova and the Popular Music of Brazil.'' 1998. 2nd edition. Temple University Press. {{ISBN|1-56639-545-3}}

* Perrone, Charles A. ''Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Song: MPB 1965–1985''. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1989.

* Mei, Giancarlo. ''Canto Latino: Origine, Evoluzione e Protagonisti della Musica Popolare del Brasile.'' 2004. Stampa Alternativa-Nuovi Equilibri. Preface by Sergio Bardotti; afterword by Milton Nascimento. (in Italian)

==External links==

{{Commons category|Bossa nova}}

*[http://www.astrudgilberto.com Astrud Gilberto]

*[http://www.thebraziliansound.com/ The Brazilian Sound: Brazilian Music & Culture Website]

*[http://www.etc.ch/~jason/tabs.html Bossa Nova Guitar Transcriptions]

*[http://www.drummingstyles.com/Genres/Latin/Bossa-Nova/ Bossa Nova Drumming - with sound clips]

{{Samba}}

*[http://bjbear71.com The Music Discographies at bjbear71.com (covers several bossa nova artists)]

{{Lusophonemusic}}

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[[Category:1960s in Latin music]]

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