Putumayo Presents: Bossa Nova

Various artists

A "new wave," or even better: a "new fad": that's how "bossa nova" translates. And it was indeed a new fad: After the pathetic samba cançao of the 1930s and '40s, young people were looking for lighter-footed, more playful sounds. A young bohemian from Bahia named Joao Gilberto had the recipe. At the end of the 1950s, he transferred the many percussion patterns of the samba to his six guitar strings in a refined rhythmic style. The poet Vinicius de Moraes provided him with the witty lyrics for his miniatures, and the pianist and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim with the arrangements. They later also created the world-famous song about the Ipanema girl. All three together developed what gradually crystallized under the name Bossa Nova. Since then, this new style has been carried around the world and is still played and constantly renewed by Brazilian artists as well as pop artists and jazz musicians all over the globe. A small, fine selection can be found on Putumayo's relaxed collection. Among them are old hands of the genre like guitarist and singer Ana Caram with her jazzy bossa style or Putumayo favorite Bïa, who sheds a cosmopolitan light on bossa from Montréal. Newly interpreted classics like "Manha De Carnaval" from the film "Orfeo Negro" by Amanda Martinez or the samba-bossa hermaphrodite "Dança Da Solidao" penned by the famous Paulinho Da Viola can be heard. And while some of the artists represented stick to the tried-and-true old school style in their bossa readings, others, like Tamy and YVY Maraey, dab on smooth soul and pop tones.

Price: $24.98

In stock
ships in 3 to 5 days