Music Night Talk #32 | Music I Want to Listen to When Summer Comes - 10 Years of Bossa Nova

Upon hearing the news of yesterday's Kumamoto earthquake, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the disaster.

My heart aches when I think of those who spent an anxious night amidst the massive tremors, those whose safety is still unknown, and those who are living in difficult conditions.

I sincerely hope for the earliest possible recovery for everyone affected and for peaceful days to return.

I hesitated as to whether it was truly appropriate to write about music at a time like this.

However, I believe that music has the power to stand by people's hearts and light a small lamp within their sorrow.

Today, I will write about Bossa Nova, a gentle music born in Brazil.

Music that you hear here and there in the city when summer arrives.

Isn't that Bossa Nova?

Bossa Nova is a genre of music that was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the late 1950s.

The period during which it took the world by storm as a musical genre was less than 10 years. Before that, in Brazil, slow-paced, emotionally rich songs called "Samba-Canção" were popular.

From that movement, Bossa Nova, with its more sophisticated rhythm and harmony, was born through the efforts of João Gilberto and others.

It is said that the style was established in 1958 with the release of "Chega de Saudade" by guitarist and singer João Gilberto. Later, songs such as "The Girl from Ipanema" and "Wave," composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and others, became global hits and are still loved today as standard background music played in cafes and hotel lounges.

Bossa Nova has no flashiness.

The guitar is plucked as if whispering, and the singing voice is never strained, as if speaking right into your ear. There is a comfort in it, as if the sophistication of jazz and the rhythm of samba have melted together to help you relax your shoulders.

Perhaps that is why. Rather than under the strong sun of midsummer, scenes like the seaside at dusk, a breeze blowing through the shade of trees, or an afternoon where the ice in an iced coffee rings quietly—such scenes naturally come to mind.

The first time I consciously listened to Bossa Nova was, as expected, "The Girl from Ipanema." Since then, I have listened to "Corcovado," "Água de Beber," "Triste," and others.

And a person who is indispensable when talking about Bossa Nova is Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Bossa Nova is music that does not show off technique, does not pack in too many notes, and enjoys the space in between.

When summer comes, I want to listen to it again.

And, I want to play it again.

I think Bossa Nova has such a mysterious charm.

🎵 "Chega de Saudade"

The starting point of Bossa Nova. João Gilberto
Bossa Nova started here.

🎵 "The Girl from Ipanema"

A representative Bossa Nova song that everyone in the world knows.
The version by Stan Getz & João Gilberto (featuring Astrud Gilberto on vocals) is a masterpiece.

Thank you for coming again tonight 🍹