Re: "Jazz" thread
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 11:03 pm
I love bossa nova.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POXvY53pJcQ
Stan Getz, Tom Jobim and Joao Gilberto. What are you gonna do against that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzxVBXCP1jg
Joao and daughter Babel who is now a grown woman and one of the greatest singers in the history of Brazil but then she's descended from Brazilian musical royalty. The song was written by Jobim and utterly beautiful--as usual.
Oddly, though, neither Tom nor Joao ever made any money. Joao was a Bahian vagabond who didn't even have his own home and Tom was a Carioca beach bum who played piano in lounges and could barely afford his apartment. And neither man really liked the other but both recognized the other's sheer genius. And both were geniuses--make no mistake. Joao, however, was an extremely difficult man to work with in the studio. He fought and argued about everything nearly driving Tom crazy. Tom also had to keep contact between Stan and Joao to a minimum because Joao was so irascible and didn't really like Stan much. Stan probably didn't like Joao much either but he certainly liked Joao's wife, Astrud, and Joao, no doubt, sensed it. Strangely, Astrud never sang in public and yet Joao wanted her to sing "Girl From Ipanema" and thought the others would say no and was prepared to make a scene over it. The others, however, had no problem with it and so Astrud sang it and the song became a huge hit and an immortal classic and Astrud became a much sought after singer overnight and thereafter. Tom was prepared to record Joao just by himself if need be because the man was an orchestra in and of himself--just him and his guitar was you really needed. Tom also played guitar but moved to piano when backing Joao who didn't need a second guitarist.
Tom also wrote the music for the Brazilian classic movie, "Black Orpheus" or "Orfeo Negro" as it's called. It was some of the first bossa nova ever written as was Joao's "Bim Bom" recorded at the same time (late 50s) even though neither man knew the other at the time. In fact, when Tom first met Joao, he had no idea the man played guitar. Joao was known then as Joe Reefer because he grew his own dope and smoked a great deal of it. He never could stand tobacco but all Brazilian musicians smoked so Joao took up pot and was a real pothead for most of his adult life and was quite an expert on how to grow it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfBD_FL7Qtc
But Tom didn't just write bossa nova. Here is a piece he wrote for Claus Ogerman's orchestra that is breath-taking lovely. What an incredible genius he was.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POXvY53pJcQ
Stan Getz, Tom Jobim and Joao Gilberto. What are you gonna do against that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzxVBXCP1jg
Joao and daughter Babel who is now a grown woman and one of the greatest singers in the history of Brazil but then she's descended from Brazilian musical royalty. The song was written by Jobim and utterly beautiful--as usual.
Oddly, though, neither Tom nor Joao ever made any money. Joao was a Bahian vagabond who didn't even have his own home and Tom was a Carioca beach bum who played piano in lounges and could barely afford his apartment. And neither man really liked the other but both recognized the other's sheer genius. And both were geniuses--make no mistake. Joao, however, was an extremely difficult man to work with in the studio. He fought and argued about everything nearly driving Tom crazy. Tom also had to keep contact between Stan and Joao to a minimum because Joao was so irascible and didn't really like Stan much. Stan probably didn't like Joao much either but he certainly liked Joao's wife, Astrud, and Joao, no doubt, sensed it. Strangely, Astrud never sang in public and yet Joao wanted her to sing "Girl From Ipanema" and thought the others would say no and was prepared to make a scene over it. The others, however, had no problem with it and so Astrud sang it and the song became a huge hit and an immortal classic and Astrud became a much sought after singer overnight and thereafter. Tom was prepared to record Joao just by himself if need be because the man was an orchestra in and of himself--just him and his guitar was you really needed. Tom also played guitar but moved to piano when backing Joao who didn't need a second guitarist.
Tom also wrote the music for the Brazilian classic movie, "Black Orpheus" or "Orfeo Negro" as it's called. It was some of the first bossa nova ever written as was Joao's "Bim Bom" recorded at the same time (late 50s) even though neither man knew the other at the time. In fact, when Tom first met Joao, he had no idea the man played guitar. Joao was known then as Joe Reefer because he grew his own dope and smoked a great deal of it. He never could stand tobacco but all Brazilian musicians smoked so Joao took up pot and was a real pothead for most of his adult life and was quite an expert on how to grow it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfBD_FL7Qtc
But Tom didn't just write bossa nova. Here is a piece he wrote for Claus Ogerman's orchestra that is breath-taking lovely. What an incredible genius he was.
