João Gilberto

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For the self-titled album, see João Gilberto (1973 album).

João Gilberto
João Gilberto.jpg
Gilberto in 2006
Background information
Birth nameJoão Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira
Born(1931-06-10)10 June 1931
Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil
Died6 July 2019(2019-07-06) (aged 88)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
GenresBossa nova, samba, Latin jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, singing
Years active1950–2019
Labels

João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto (Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w ʒiwˈbɛʁtu]; 10 June 1931 – 6 July 2019), was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s; as such, he is sometimes known as the "father of bossa nova".[1][2][3] In his native Brazil, he was referred to as "O Mito" ("The Legend").[4]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

João Gilberto was born in Juazeiro, Bahia, the son of Joviniano Domingos de Oliveira, a wealthy merchant, and Martinha do Prado Pereira de Oliveira. He lived in his native city until 1942, when he began to study in Aracaju, Sergipe, returning to Juazeiro in 1946. At the age of 14, he got his first guitar from his grandfather despite disapproval from Gilberto's father.[4] Still, in Juazeiro, he formed his first band, called "Enamorados do Ritmo". He moved to Salvador, Bahia, in 1947. During his three years in the city, he dropped out of his studies to dedicate himself exclusively to music and at the age of 18 began his artistic career as a crooner at the Rádio Sociedade da Bahia.[5][6][7][8]

Career[edit]

Gilberto's first recordings were released in Brazil as two-song 78-rpm singles between 1951 and 1959. In the 1960s Brazilian singles evolved to the "double compact" format, and Gilberto released some EPs in this new format, which carried four songs on a 45-rpm record. In 1956, he returned to Rio and struck up old acquaintances, most significantly with Antônio Carlos Jobim, who was by then working as a composer, producer, and arranger with Odeon Records. Jobim was impressed with Gilberto's new style of guitar playing and set about finding a suitable song to pitch the style to Odeon management.[9][10][11]

Gilberto was known for his demanding acoustic and noise-control standards. During a recording session of the song "Rosa Morena", he insisted on 28 takes to get the pronunciation of the o in "Rosa" just right.[12] Nonetheless, despite his high acoustic standards, he skipped a contractually required sound check prior to a July 2003 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, in Los Angeles. This negligence (and the ensuing sound fiasco) prompted the audience to stream from the venue before the concert ended.[13] In 1997, Gilberto sued record label EMI over their reissue of several of his early works, which he contended had been poorly remastered. According to The New York Times, "A statement by his lawyer at the time declared that the reissues contained sound effects that 'did not pertain to the original recordings, banalizing the work of a great artist." Following the incident, EMI ceased production of the albums in question, and, as of 2008, the lawsuit was yet to reach a decision.[14]

In 2000, Gilberto won the nomination for the Best World Music Album category in the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards for his work in the album João Voz e Violão.[15] A year later, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.[16]

On September 2003, Gilberto performed four shows in Japan.[17] His performance at the Tokyo International Forum on 12 September was recorded for a live album titled In Tokyo which was released in 2004.[18] At the 6th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2005, In Tokyo received a nomination for Best MPB Album.[19] On 17 May 2017, Gilberto received an honorary doctorate in music from Columbia University but did not attend the commencement ceremony.[20]

Musical style[edit]

Gilberto's style combines traditional elements of samba with more-contemporary jazz. Leonardo Rocha, in his obituary for the BBC, describes his guitar playing as "unique"; Rocha states that Gilberto's music describes "a period of huge optimism in Brazil".[1]

Personal life[edit]

Gilberto first married the singer Astrud; the couple had a son. They divorced, and he married the singer Miúcha (d. 2018); they had a daughter, Bebel Gilberto, who is also a singer. They later separated. Gilberto also had a daughter with Claudia Faissol, a journalist.[1][3]

Gilberto lived alone from around 2009. His final years were marked by money problems as well as declining health.[1] In 2011, he was sued and evicted from an apartment in Leblon by his landlord, Countess Georgina Brandolini d'Adda.[21][22] It was reported in December 2017 that his daughter Bebel (Isabel) was seeking control of his financial affairs because of his declining mental state and heavy indebtedness.[23]

On 6 July 2019, Gilberto died at his apartment in Rio de Janeiro.[24][25][26]

Discography[edit]

In his career, João Gilberto has released several studio and live albums:[27][28][29]

Gilberto in concert, 1996

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "João Gilberto: Brazilian 'father of bossa nova' dies aged 88". BBC. 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Brazilian musician João Gilberto dies aged 88". The Guardian. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b Robin Denselow (6 July 2019). "João Gilberto obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  4. ^ a b Dougan, John. "João Gilberto — Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  5. ^ Garcia, Walter (1999). Bim bom : a contradição sem conflitos de João Gilberto (in Portuguese). Paz e Terra. ISBN 852190343X. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  6. ^ Garcia, Walter (2012). João Gilberto (in Portuguese). Cosac Naify. p. 451. ISBN 8575037374. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  7. ^ "João Gilberto do Prado Pereira de Oliveira". Dicionário da Música Popular Brasileira (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  8. ^ "A vida de João Gilberto, símbolo da bossa nova e da consagração da música brasileira no mundo". Terra.com.br (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Relembre principais momentos da carreira de João Gilberto". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  10. ^ Máximo, João. "João Gilberto: O verdadeiro pai da bossa nova". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  11. ^ Rossi, Marina; Galarraga Gortázar, Naiara. "Morre João Gilberto, o cantor que apresentou a Bossa Nova ao mundo". El País (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  12. ^ Chediak, Almir (1990). Bossa nova (in Portuguese). Irmãos Vitale. ISBN 9788585426347.
  13. ^ Heckman, Don (25 July 2003). "Primed for perfection but never reached". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  14. ^ Ratliff, Ben (15 June 2008). "João Gilberto's Pioneering Bossa Nova Records Are Caught In a Legal Limbo". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Awards". GRAMMY.com. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  16. ^ "Blades, Jobim Among Latin Hall Inductees". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 4 April 2001. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  17. ^ Loudon, Christopher (1 October 2004). "Joao Gilberto: In Tokyo". JazzTimes. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  18. ^ O'Niel, Tim (7 June 2004). "João Gilberto: In Tokyo". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  19. ^ "Complete list of 6th annual Latin Grammy nominations". Orange County Register. 4 November 2005. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  20. ^ "João Gilberto to Receive Honorary Doctorate". Columbia University Department of Music. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  21. ^ "EGO - NOTÍCIAS - João Gilberto devolve apartamento a condessa, diz jornal". ego.globo.com.
  22. ^ Nassif, Luis (30 January 2011). "A condessa que está despejando João Gilberto".
  23. ^ Clarin.com. "El drama de Joao Gilberto, uno de los padres de la bossa nova" (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Brazilian musician João Gilberto dies aged 88". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  25. ^ "Morre o cantor e compositor João Gilberto". Época (in Portuguese). 6 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  26. ^ Forrest, Adam (6 July 2019). "Joao Gilberto dead: Brazilian Bossa Nova legend dies, aged 88". The Independent. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  27. ^ "Conheça a discografia de João Gilberto". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  28. ^ "João Gilberto". Discogs. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  29. ^ Fernando Vianna, Luiz. "Discografia de João Gilberto vai do transcendental ao mais do mesmo". Folha de S. Paulo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 July 2019.

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]


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