A short history of Bossa Nova

Bossa Nova has an interesting history. Created in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s it rose in popularity over a six year period in what is known as the Bossa Nova movement.  Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Joao Gilberto, Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd are just a few of the notable Bossa Nova artists. This fusion mix of jazz and samba began during a new beginning for Brazil. With its economy booming many were moving to the cities and a middle class was emerging – this was the music of the young intellectuals. During the early 1960s its popularity began to grow around the world, particularly in the US where João Gilberto and Stan Getz’ version of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’ sung by Astrud Gilberto, became a huge hit reaching the top of the charts. But this was not to last. In 1964 backed by the US government, a military coup ousted the left-wing government and along with many things, Bossa Nova began to be censored and even repressed. Over the years Bossa Nova has be synonymous with carefree spirit of the Brazilian people and lives on through artists like Bebel Gilberto and Sitti Navarro.

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