Bossa Nova

Created in Brazil in the late 1950s during a period of political

change and economical growth, bossa nova has been often
described as the music of the Brazilian middle and upper
classes. This music style originated in the wealthy
neighborhoods that sprouted along the beaches of the city of
Rio de Janeiro and both its music and lyrics were composed
by middle and upper-class musicians and marketed to the
same economic group. For this reason, bossa nova was
criticized by some for emphasizing a carefree way of living that
little resembled the life of most Brazilians, the great majority of
which belonged to the working class.
Indeed, bossa nova compositions often spoke of love, the
beach, and beautiful women and seemed to be a depiction of
the authors bohemian life rather than a tale of Brazilians daily
struggles as usually happened with samba, a music genre
popular among the working class. The Girl from Ipanema,
which became popular outside of Brazil both in its original
Portuguese form and in translation, is a perfect example of the
uncommitted quality of bossa nova songs. The Girl from
Ipanema is nothing more than the composers description of a
woman walking down towards the beach, the sweet way in
which she moves and how beautiful she is, culminating with the
authors statement that shes the most beautiful thing hes ever
seen go by. The music that accompanied the first wave of
bossa nova lyrics, while unique, used the same altered chords
found in jazz music combined with the drum beat characteristic
of samba.
Perhaps ironically, bossa nova, the music style associated with
complacence, is also considered responsible for the birth of
the protest music of the 1960s that denounced the political
uproar Brazil found itself in that led to the military coup of 1964.
Critical of the insipid character of bossa nova lyrics and
influenced by the precarious political and economic situation of
Brazil, artists started using music to voice their opinions and
as a vehicle to teach the largely uneducated Brazilian
population about their countrys current social, political and
economic status.
Following the coup of 1964, a new generation of bossa nova
musicians emerged. The music they composed was radically
different from that created by the first generation of bossa nova
musicians and depicted the plight of the Brazilian population
and denounced the countrys newly installed military
government. In addition, this new type of bossa nova music
had a nationalistic character that its predecessor lacked. This
new wave of bossa nova musicians not only sang about the
hardships of Brazilians, especially about the life in the drought-
stricken northeastern region of the country; the music they
composed to accompany their lyrics also made use of
traditional Brazilian instruments and borrowed from other
genres of Brazilian music like the type of samba heard in the
urban slums. But in spite of the differences that distinguish
them from one another, both styles of bossa nova were
intrinsically linked to Brazils history and reflected the historic
period in which they were created, one born during a time of
growth and the other created in a time of struggle













The Bossa Nova is one of Brazil's most popular forms of Latin music.
It is one of the more simple grooves to play, however it is extremely
effective. The Bossa Nova is usually played at slower tempos, and is
eighth-note based. You will notice there is a standard "Bossa Nova"
clave pattern played within this groove.
Bossa Nova Beats










(reverse)



This month's lesson deals with textures common to two popular
Brazilian styles of music, Bossa Nova and Samba. Like most
musical styles, there is more to them than can be covered in a single
lesson; instead, here we will examine some basic elements from the
perspective of a vibraphonist.
I tell my students that, in terms of chordal textures, jazz vibraphonists
should look to guitarists for inspiration, as much (if not more) than
pianists. The textures discussed in this lesson are very common in the
work of Brazilian musicians, such as Toninho Horta, Oscar Castro-
Neves, Tom Jobim, and the brilliant singer/guitarist Joao Gilberto;
the reader would do well to listen to recordings by these and other
Brazilian masters.
I. Bass Lines
The bass lines in Bossa Nova and Samba are rooted in the rhythms
of the surdo, the bass drum found in Samba bands. Here is the most
common surdo rhythm:


Bass players take that rhythm, and use it to create lines focusing on
the root and fifth of the chord:

This pattern is quite appropriate to mallet instruments as well.
However, one will find that at faster tempo, the quick repetition of
pitches can be difficult to execute cleanly. Here is the bass line, now
altered slightly to allow the use of double-lateral strokes between the
mallets of the left hand. This version is much more idiomatic to
mallet instrument performance:


Or, one can simplify the pattern, creating these variations:



II. Comping Rhythms
There are myriad rhythms which are used by guitarists and pianists
when comping in these styles. Here are some common examples:


Again, it is suggested that the reader listen to recordings by Brazilian
guitarists for still more ideas, and to hear how the rhythms are varied
in performance. These comping rhythms are not meant to be
completely static; the rhythms will change to reflect the melody, the
harmony, and the work of the soloist or other rhythm section players.
One should develop a vocabulary of idiomatic rhythms, and then let
one's ears be the deciding factor in performance.


III. Combining Bass Lines and Comping Rhythms
Four-mallet technique lends itself well to recreating these
bass/comping textures on the vibraphone. Perhaps the most obvious
approach is to dedicate the two left-hand mallets to the bass line,
leaving the right-hand mallets to comp the rhythms. Here, the guide
tones (the 3rd and 7th of each chord) have been assigned to the
right-hand mallets, with the left hand assigned a bass line:


One may take advantage of the rhythmic activity provided by the
comping patterns, especially at slower tempos, by simplifying the
rhythm of the bass line. This example pares the bass line down to
half notes (playing the root of each chord), but when combined with
the comping rhythm, the stylistic elements of the music are still
communicated to the listener:

At slower Bossa Nova tempos, one may apply slightly more
advanced four-mallet technique, as in the next example. Here, the
bass line is played by the left-hand's outside mallet, freeing the inside
mallet to fill out the chord voicing along with the right-hand's guide
tones. We're cheating a little bit by playing an inversion of the D7
chord, keeping the pitch "A" in the bass line. Still, with the voicings
above, the harmony is clearly stated:



By starting with basic stylistic elements of Bossa Nova and Samba, a
vibraphonist can create a series of variations on the material,
providing many different ways in which one can accompany in these
styles. As always, players should use their ears, both to learn from
other musicians who have mastered these styles, and also to make
one's own creative choices.



(This page and all the materials within copyright 2001 James
Walker, All Rights Reserved. No portion of this page may be
duplicated or distributed without the author's written consent.)









Bossa nova
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bossa Nova
Stylistic
origins:
Afro-American jazz and
Brazilian samba
Cultural
origins:
1957 (Rio de Janeiro's
southside) - End: 1963
Typical
instrument
s:
Acoustic guitar, piano,
electronic organ, acoustic
bass and drums
Mainstrea
m
popularity:
Widely known in Brazil, also
significant in the United States,
Western Europe, Japan and the
Philippines.
Subgenres
Tropicalismo (Tropicalism)
Other topics
Bossa Nova (dance)
Bossa Nova is a style of Brazilian music popularized by Vinicius de
Moraes, Antnio Carlos Jobim and Joo Gilberto. Bossa Nova acquired a
large following, initially by young musicians and college students. [1].
Although the Bossa Nova movement only lasted six years (1958-63), it
contributed a number of songs to the standard jazz repertoire.
Origins and history
The musical style evolved from samba but is more complex harmonically
and is less percussive. The influence on Bossa Nova of Afro-American jazz
styles such as cool jazz is often debated by historians and fans, but a
similar "cool sensibility" is apparent. Bossa Nova developed in Brazil in
1958, with Elizete Cardoso's recording of Chega de Saudade on the
Cano do Amor Demais LP. Composed by Vincius de Moraes (lyrics)
and Antonio Carlos Jobim (music). The song was soon after released by
Gilberto himself.
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 and led
to a worldwide boom with 1963's Getz/Gilberto, numerous recordings by
famous jazz performers such as Ella Fitzgerald (Ella Abraa Jobim) and
Frank Sinatra (Francis Albert Sinatra & Antnio 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). The resulting fad
was not unlike the disco craze of the 1970s. The genre would withstand
substantial "watering down" by popular artists throughout the next four
decades.
An early influence of Bossa Nova was the song "Dans mon le" by French
singer Henri Salvador, featured in a 1957 Italian movie distributed in Brazil
(Europa di notte by Alessandro Blasetti) and covered later by Brazilian
artists Eumir Deodato (Los Danseros en Bolero - 1964) and Caetano
himself (Outras Palavras - 1981). In 2005, Henri Salvador was awarded
the Brazilian Order of Cultural Merit, which he received from singer and
Minister of Culture, Gilberto Gil, in the presence of President Lula for his
influence on Brazilian culture.
Instruments
Bossa Nova is most commonly performed on the nylon-string classical
guitar, played with the fingers rather than with a pick. Its purest form could
be considered unaccompanied guitar with vocals, as exemplified by Joo
Gilberto. Even in larger jazz-like arrangements for groups, there is almost
always a guitar that plays the underlying rhythm.
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.
Drums and percussion are not considered essential Bossa Nova
instruments. Nonetheless, there is a distinctive Bossa Nova drumming
style like that of Helcio Milito, 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.
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.
Structure
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 European march music. Samba's emphasis on the first
beat carries through to Bossa Nova (to the degree that it is often notated in
2/4 time). 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. Overall, the rhythm has a swaying
rather than swinging (as in jazz) feel. As bossa nova composer Carlos Lyra
describes it in his song "Influncia do Jazz", the samba rhythm moves
"side to side" while jazz moves "front to back".
In terms of 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" ("Off-Key"). Often the melody goes
to the altered note in the chord. For example, if the chord is DM7#11, the
note sung in the melody line there would be G#, or the sharp 11.
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, its song structure often differs 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 frequently have no
more than two lyrical verses, and many lack a bridge. Some of Joo
Gilberto's earliest recordings were less than two minutes long, and some
had a single lyrical verse that was simply repeated.
Origin of the term "bossa nova"
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 prontido e outras bossas / So nossas
coisas, so coisas nossas (The samba, the readiness and other bossas /
Are our things, are our things.) As yet, the exact origin of the term "Bossa
Nova" remains uncertain. What is certain 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. 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". [2].
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 Universitrio Hebraico do Brasil (University
Hebrew Group of Brazil) in 1958 for a group consisting of Sylvinha Telles,
Carlinhos Lyra, Nara Leo, Luizinho Ea, Roberto Menescal, et al.
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] which became known as "Bossa Nova", and is often
simply known as "Bossa" today.
Later developments
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.
From this newer crop of artists came new singers like Bebel Gilberto,
daughter of Bossa Nova co-creator Joo Gilberto and singer Micha, and
new European bands like 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 1950s.

Important bossa nova artists
. Milton Banana
. Luiz Bonf
0. Charlie Byrd
0. Quarteto em Cy
0. Gal Costa
0. Stan Getz
0. Astrud Gilberto
0. Bebel Gilberto
0. Joo Gilberto
0. Antonio Carlos Jobim
0. Nara Leo
0. Carlos Lyra
0. Sergio Mendes
0. Roberto Menescal
0. Vinicius de Moraes
0. Elis Regina
0. Elza Soares
0. Toquinho
0. Marcos Valle
0. Ana Caram

[edit]
References
. 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.