Song:Desafinado
Album:Getz/Gilberto
Along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto is one of the creators of Bossa Nova and a legend of Brazilian music. This 1963 album with Stan Getz is probably the best way to be introduced to Gilberto. He was born June 10, 1931 in Juaziero, Bahia, Brazil. He moved to Rio de Janiero in 1950 to be the lead singer of Garotos da Lua. He was soon fired for consistent tardiness. This lack of discipline would plague Gilberto throughout his career. Things weren't going very well when Luiz Telles of Quitandhina Serenaders rescued Gilberto and forced him to practice his guitar in seclusion. Gilberto surfaced in 1957 and more or less created the rhythms of Bossa Nova. He moved to the US in 1962 at a time when Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd had a hit with an instrumental version of Desafinado. Getz then asked Gilberto and Jobim to do an album and the result was Getz/Gilberto. Of course the biggest hit from this album was Astrud Gilberto singing Girl From Ipanema. But Gilberto's vocal on Desafinafo is one of his definitive performances. Verve released Getz/Gilberto on CD in 1997 with bonus tracks. There's also a Best Of Joao Gilberto but it's from Universal Japan so it's expensive. Gilberto recorded for many years on Warner Bros. so you can get some of his other recordings but Getz/Gilberto is a must. Gilberto moved back to Brazil in 1980 and in recent years he's become somewhat of a recluse. His most recent CD Joao Gilberto In Tokyo was released in 2004 on Verve. Here's Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobin performing Desafinado.
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