The Universal Bossa Nova Collection - 50 Years of Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova Yesterday, Today and Forever

Brazil's Bossa Nova sound sprang from the musical talents of guys and girls that lived between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, in Rio de Janeiro. Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Nara Leao and Sylvia Telles are among the leading names in this group.

The musical movement officially began in August 1958 when Joao Gilberto's 78 rpm featuring the tracks "Chega de Saudade" (Vinicius de Moraes & Tom Jobim) and "Bim Bom" (composed by the singer) arrived at the Brazilian music stores.  With his voice and guitar always forming an unbeatable pair, Gilberto created a new way of syncopating the samba. Attractive and sophisticated, the Bossa Nova is acknowledged as a musical revolution and has enchanted musicians, instrumentalists and devotees of all ages, races and cultures over the past 50 years.

In the early '50s, L˙cio Alves, Dolores Duran, Billy Blanco and Tito Madi innovate their sambas. Pianist and composer Johnny Alf plays in the nightclub Plaza in Copacabana and attracts the attention of Tom Jobim. João Donato, initially on the accordion, inspires João Gilberto with his revolutionary beat. In 1956, Vinicius de Moraes invites Tom Jobim to write the musical "Orfeu da Conceiao", which premiered in the Municipal Theater in Rio de Janeiro in September.

1958 In May, Elizeth Cardoso releases the LP "Canao do Amor Demais" with songs composed exclusively by the newcomers Antonio Carlos Jobim (Tom Jobim) & Vinicius de Moraes. João Gilberto plays guitar on the tracks "Chega de Saudade" and "Outra Vez". Two months later, João Gilberto records a 78 rpm with the songs "Chega de Saudade" (Tom & Vinicius) and "Bim-Bom" (Joao Gilberto). This symbiosis of Gilberto's voice and guitar; the lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes, the music, piano and arrangements by Tom Jobim inaugurate the Bossa Nova.

1959 "Orfeu da Conceiao" becomes "Orfeu Negro" in the movie version by the French director Marcel Camus and wins the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. The soundtrack features "Manhã de Carnaval" (Luiz Bonf· and Antonio Maria), which becomes the first major international success of the Bossa Nova.

1961 Jazzmen such as Coleman Hawkins, Herbie Mann and Zoot Sims play in the Municipal Theater in Rio and go back to the United States with many LPs of Brazilian music.

1962 Bud Shank, Cannonball Adderly and Paul Winter record with Brazilian musicians. Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes play in a show, alongside Joao Gilberto and Os Cariocas the legendary tune "Garota de Ipanema". In November, several Brazilian artists introduce the Bossa Nova to the US in a concert at the Carnegie Hall in New York.

1963 Aloysio de Oliveira, producer of Carmen Miranda's Bando da Lua - who had worked in the Disney Studios - leaves Odeon and creates his own label Elenco which becomes the main Brazilian music label. "Pobre Menina Rica", musical by Carlos Lyra is presented in Rio.

1966 Born in Rio de Janeiro, but living in the United States, pianist Sergio Mendes, master of the samba-jazz, conquers the world with his pop version of the Bossa Nova, with his group Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66.

1967 The album "Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim" is released uniting the biggest American singer and the main Brazilian composer.

The '70s The Bossa Nova is considered a movement from the past in its home country, but many Brazilian artists keep on singing the genre outside Brazil.

The '80s In England, pop artists such as Everything but the Girl, Sade, Style Council and Swing Out Sisters use elements of Bossa Nova in their music. The first signs of a Bossa Nova revival appear in Brazil. In 1989 Leila Pinheiro's "Benção, Bossa Nova" is a huge success. In 1990, journalist Ruy Castro writes the book "Chega de Saudade" about the legacy of the musical style.

The '90s London DJs discover acts like Joyce, Marcos Valle and João Donato and play classics of Brazilian music at nightclubs.

In Japan, singer Lisa Ono records with Roberto Menescal, João Donato, Eumir Deodato and Oscar Castro Neves, among others.

The third millennium of songs and beats have survived and keep on swinging. The Bossa Bova is celebrating its 50th anniversary, still in good shape and continuing to seduce the world.