Ok, so it is freezing (officially) here in England, the economy is in the doldrums and everyone is concerned with how their year is going to work out. Apprehensive and watchful would be the best description.

So here is one of What Makes A Man’s solutions. Bossa Nova. I cannot get to South America right now but I sure can evoke Rio with some classic Bossa Nova.

Bossa Nova from Brazil, just saying it evokes so many feelings and images for me.

As a musical form it evolved out of Samba, the dance music of African-Brazilians. Bossa Nova kept the warm rhythms of Samba but took out the heavy percussion that characterised traditional Samba and gave guitar and vocals the leading roles.

The original Bossa Nova sound was centred around the classical guitar and in most Bossa Nova, the guitar always plays the rhythm, the foundation of the tune. Bossa Nova kept the Samba’s sexy beat 3-2 beat but lightened it and by adding piano, created a more sophisticated musical form that was custom-built for cool, elegant vocals. In one sense Bossa Nova stripped out much of the Samba rhythm, then overlaid what was left with a smooth instrumental sound that could carry a more sophisticated song. The Bossa Nova sound was (and is) lush, romantic, sexy and cool.

 

 

The Bossa Nova Movement

The Bossa Nova “movement” was born in 1958 and only lasted six years, but the musical form has expanded, mutated and grown since that time. The “new” Bossa Nova of recent years has elements of pop and dance in it, which I really like. It can do this because the rhythmic foundation lends itself to integration with other popular music forms.  Really, Bossa Nova is cool, in the same way that Jazz is cool. It is a complex musical form with fluid, interwoven instrumentals. It gives the artist room to interpret the song in original ways. Part of its longetivity is that it always sounds fresh. EuroTechno and Chill-out sounds have drawn heavily on Bossa Nova, often layering their orchestration straight onto a Bossa Nova beat.

I like Bossa Nova. I like that it is happy music (for the most part). I like the romantic sound of the strings and the funky enveloping sound. I can dance to it. For me Bossa Nova evokes Latin America, sunlight, dancing and sexy women.

I like the fact that the men who sing it sound like they have lived some. Like me, they have some miles on them and, when they sing of lost love, I believe them. Their voices are knowing, romantic and masculine, cosmopolitan and worldly.

For Brazilians to have “Bossa” when doing something, is to do it with masculine grace and style. And as a man, we can ask for no more. Bossa Nova suits the man of style and this is why you are reading this, no?

 

Music and Style

For a man of style Bossa Nova is useful. Here are some ways in which you can use it:

  

Summer Parties
You know that moment, it is early evening, the party is just getting going. People are drinking, the garden/patio/clubhouse is filling up, but no-one is quite ready to dance. Now is the time for Bossa Nova, it gets everyone in the mood.

  

Single Seductions
Rock is too noisy, Jazz too damn complicated, Soul too meaningful. You want music while you kiss your favourite girl, champagne in hand. Bossa Nova is romantic, girls love it, it puts them in the mood, makes them feel that the two of you could live out a romantic fantasy…..

 

Dancing
Bossa nova has such a reliable rhythm, anyone can dance to it. Once you catch the beat you are ok and any man can look half-way decent, dancing to Bossa Nova.

 

Chill-out
Summer evening, sun going down, drink in hand? Bossa Nova, especially the classics.

 

 Background Music
I am listening to Antonio Carlos Jobim while I write this. I love this job.

   

So here are 12 of my favourite Bossa Nova albums, from the classics through to an album released last year. This is a snapshot of the music that is complementing my life at the moment. It is not a definitive Bossa Nova listing (way too long for a post), it does not even include all of my favourite artists. It is just those albums that lift my ears and my heart right now.

    

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Stone Flower
Antonio “Tom” Jobim was one of the originators of Bossa Nova and by all accounts a man who lived for music, though he had big appetites for both drink and women. Anything by Antonio Jobim is good but Stone Flower is magnificent. Made in 1970, his voice and style had matured, but he was still a young man, at the peak of his powers. Standouts on this album are his version of “Brazil” where the deep, melodic vocals simply outclass anyone else who has sung this song. However the best thing on the album is the title track. Clever guitar harmonies and a colourful string arrangement meet a hard bass line and becomes a moving and complex love song.

 Get it in England here and in the US here

   

  

Sabrina Malheiros: New Morning

This is “New” Bossa, stripped down and re-sung for the modern era.  The sound is a little less lush, the percussion is sharper, but the guitar still leads and the piano still lends a romantic tone.  This album has pin-sharp production and Sabrina’s jazz-inflected vocals sing out in total control over the orchestration.  This album has a host of pop and rock influences and the songs will bring a smile to your face and a sway to your hips.  This is hi-energy Bossa and so good.  There is also a Bossa Nova cover of Carole King’s “Its too late” and it is very fine. 

 Get it in England here and in the US here        

  

 

Caetano Veloso:  The definitive collection

In the seventies Caetano Veloso took the core of Bossa Nova and really worked it, changing the form to see what it would do.  Along the way that has meant marrying Bossa rhythms to rock and pop, to peeling Bossa back to it’s Samba origins and several other adventures.  He is often less the romantic Bossa singer than the funky Samba singer.  However you can still hear Bossa there, because first and last Veloso’s instrument has always been the classical acoustic guitar.  And you know, some of these songs are pure Bossa, love songs, brass sections, strings, girl choruses and a true lightness of heart.  These are songs to make your day feel good. 

  Get it in England here 

 

The “Definitive Collection” album is not available in the US.  For our US readers can I suggest “The best of Caetano Veloso” here 

 

 

 

     

Charlie Byrd/Stan Getz: Jazz Samba
Charlie Byrd, like other Jazz guitarists, saw the affinities between Jazz and Bossa Nova. He and Stan Getz recorded Jazz Samba in 1962 and it became the definitive Bossa Nova album for the United States and Europe. Byrd and Getz treated Bossa Nova with the respect it deserved and result is tight, lyrical and captivating. It still sounds fresh today with its cultured interpretations of Desafinado and One-Note Samba.

 Get it in England here and in the US here    

 

   

Luciana De Souza: Duos, New Bossa Nova
This woman has the richest deepest sexiest voice. She is the daughter of Walter Santos, himself a Bossa Nova composer, has a classically trained voice and leans to the jazz side of Bossa Nova. On Duos she covers songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Caetano Veloso, so it is a classic voice singing classic songs. Her voice is by turns passionate, sad, exhilarating and tender. These are songs of love and loss, for late nights and cold days.

The New Bossa Nova has covers and duets of and with American artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Leonard Cohen. Re-interpeted as Bossa Nova tunes, her wonderful strong voice breathes electric life into older songs like the Beach Boys “God Only Knows” and Michael MacDonald’s “I can let go now”. Her ability to hold a note is marvellous and she makes rich, glorious music.

 Get them in England here  and here

 Get them in the US here and here

 

    

Marcos Valle: Carioca Soul
A teenager during Bossa’s early years, Marcos Valle became one of the music’s most enduring stars, especially during the eighties and ninties, mixing pop and soul influences into the classic 3-2 beat. Still around after a long and varied career, Valle has tried all sorts of variations on the Jazz Samba. For me he is the most Brazilian, a master of the Samba beat, but also the most showbiz, with lush strings and an almost rock piano. Putting together a Marcos Valle collection is a labour of love but at the moment I am hooked on Carioca Soul because it includes “Nova Bossa Nova” with its urgent rhythm and soulful vocals. It is cool and modern simultaneously and just makes you want to dance.

 Get it in England here  or in the US here

 

        

Pure Bossa Nova:  The classic songs

This one is in here because, well I really like it, it includes some of great songs. It includes songs by people we have not even mentioned like Joao Donato, Sergio Mendes and Gal Costa.  It spans a really fruitful period in the music’s history with songs from the early seventies through the eighties and is full of zippy funky songs.  These are tune stuffed with light and breezy brass orchestrations and clever piano.  Real dance floor music.  It is also here because though it is not a particularly well-known album, it is the one I would recommend to anyone looking for a starter Bossa Nova album.  Infectiously happy, full of classic crowd-pleasers, it is an easy set of songs to get into.    

  Get it in England here and in the US here

   

 

Marisa Monte:  Memories, chronicles and declarations of love.

Marisa Monte is a popular singer in Brazil, where she is classified as a MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) singer.  MPB is one of Bossa Nova’s successors, and describes a musical tradition that draws on Samba and Bossa Nova, adding elements of jazz, pop and South American folk.  “Memories, Chronicles” , is the “new” Bossa Nova of recent years, none more so than the stunning opener “Amor I love you” which is classical Bossa guitar with some of the most heartfelt vocals I have ever heard.  The album spans Choro (pre-Samba bahia folk music) Samba, Bossa Nova.  Her electric Samba “Nao Va Embora” is urgent and sexy and goes straight to your dancing feet. 

 

This is not music for purists but it is really joyful and soulful.  Also I really need to declare an interest here.  This woman is truly beautiful to look at.   She is not pretty but has a dark beauty that somehow manages to be both elegant and sexy.  Her eyes are liquid pools of deep, dark brown, she has a wide sensual mouth and thick black hair.  Think of the archetypal Brazilian woman, dark, beautiful, sexy and full of life.  This is her. 

 Get it in England here or in the US here

 

      

Stan Getz: Bossa Nova
Another classic. Bossa Nova was made for Getz and for a while he personified the sound in America. Getz’ sax is variously languorous, spiky and plaintive as it weaves in and out of the complex arrangements of these Bossa classics.

This album features a wonderfully romantic and classy Corcovado (you will know it for its opening line “Quiet nights for quiet stars”). The vocalist is Astrid Gilberto and this one of her best. Whenever you play it, it takes you to a starlit night, love and romance.

There are so many classics on this album, a sparky but sexy version of So Danco Samba, a Desafinado which is late-night seduction. Play this when you are having a romantic evening at home, wine and candles, lights down low.

 Get in England here or in the US here

   

    

CeU: CeU
Ceu is new. She is the best-selling Brazilian pop music phenomenon of 2007. Huge in South America, she is busy taking over Europe as we speak.  Coming from a Samba, Choro, Bossa Nova tradition, her music has elements of everything from rock, jazz, soul and early Brazilian folksong. Her composition is inspired, tight, modern and intricate. She has a strong, sexy expressive voice that dominates her upbeat songs. Samba rhythms and a fat bass sound dominate much of this album.

There is some great songs here, in the tracks Bobagem, Samba Na Sola and others. The album does what the New Bossa Nova promises, update Bossa Nova for today.

 Get it in England here or in the US here

   

  

Vinicius De Moraes: Favourites
Well, along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, he created Bossa Nova and at the moment he is the perfect antidote for winter blues.  Here are the lush orchestrations, trumpets and tombones, girl choruses, the 3-2 beat, everything that we expect. Songs such as “Deve Ser Amor” have it all, and more. However Moraes also wrote many of the classic guitar Bossas, romantic, cool, poetic. They are here too on this comprehensive compilation. This is definitive Bossa Nova.

 Get it in England here or in the US here

  

  

Milton Nascimento and the Jobim trio: Novas Bossas

I have always liked Milton Nascimento for his ability to interpret lyrics and the sheer energy he puts into a song.  His amazing tonal range is shown at its best on this album, where he interprets classics from Jobim and De Moraes.  The sad songs were never more poignant than here, the happy songs never more full of life.  This album was recorded last year with Jobim’s trio. It has beautiful production values and it really shows.  There are some classic interpretations here, especially De Moraes “Medo de Amar” and Jobim’s “Caminhos Cruzados”.

 

If I was going to buy just one Bossa Nova album I would buy this one.  It is passionate, modern and yet incredibly respectful of the songs. 

 Get it in England here and in the US here

 

  

Here ends the tour

Looking at this post, I can see that some of the music here detours a little into Samba, Jazz and Pop.  But that is the nature of Bossa Nova, its a very flexible and accomodating sound.  For me it is the sound of having fun and of course I can….Blame it on the Bossa Nova.

I am sure that many readers have their own Bossa favourities.  Send me a comment and I will be happy to post your lists.  I am always interested new recommendations for all types of Latin American music.

 

Thanks and an appreciation 

Like everyone I find my music through all sorts of sources.  But I found Luciana Souza and Marisa Monte through the John Rain thrillers by Barry Eisler.  John Rain, Eisler’s American-Japanese assassin is not only a martial artist who loves Jazz and Malt Whisky, but is also a man having a love affair with all things Brazilian.  Luciana Souza and Marisa Monte are both recommended, directly and indirectly, in the John Rain novels.  So my thanks to Barry Eisler for introducing me to two wonderful singers.  If you have not read Barry Eisler’s novels I recommend you do so.  He writes beautiful and is a captivating storyteller.  He has a very elegant website and the link to it is here.