De Musica Ligera: Jobim

This Saturday marks what would have been the 87th birthday of the famed Brazilian singer and songwriter Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, "Tom" gained prominence in his native land after he collaborated with poet Vinícius de Moraes to write music for the 1956 play "Orfeu da Conceição" and its subsequent film adaptation, "Black Orpheus." He would soon help spearhead the bossa nova musical genre along with the likes of Luiz Bonfá and João Gilberto.  Jobim would make his name on the world stage by the mid-1960s with the skyrocketing popularity of bossa nova music worldwide.  His first big hit abroad was the recording of "Desafinado" by saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist Charlie Byrd in 1962.  Yet his main claim to fame was Astrud Gilberto's version of "The Girl From Ipanema" from the classic 1964 album "Getz/Gilberto."
 
Over the next three decades Jobim emerged as an influential jazz artist who worked on albums with well-known musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as well as Brazilian contemporaries like Ellis Regina, Gal Costa and Sergio Mandes.  Songs including "Waters of March", "One Note Samba" and "Wave" became mainstays of jazz and Brazilian music.

The video below the page break comes from Jobim's 1986 performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival.  Recorded eight years before he passed away, Jobim interpreted some of his best-known tunes that continue to be cherished today: 

De Musica Ligera: Antonio Carlos Jobim

Friday would’ve marked the 81^st birthday of legendary Brazilian singer, songwriter, and composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. His music was instrumental to the bossa nova genre with songs like “Agua De Beber”, “Chega de Saudade”, and the global hit “Girl from Ipanema.” Jobim may have passed away in 1994, but his legendary sound lives on as a symbol of Brazilian culture.

Here is a small sample of some of Jobim’s music including a cover:

• Antonio Carlos Jobim – Brasil
• Antonio Carlos Jobim & Claus Ogerman – Lamento
• Anya Marina- Aguas de Marco (Live, 2007)
• Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim – Agua de Beber
• Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz & Antonio Carlos Jobim – Desafinado

Sources- YouSendIt, Wikipedia, NPR Music, Songwriters Hall of Fame

Image- Telegraph.co.uk