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The next generation of Brazil's bossa nova Heirs of Brazil's pre-eminent bossa icon Antonio Carlos Jobim re-examine the genre in a new century
by Howard Reich
Fifty years ago, a cadre of musicians and poets in Brazil launched one of the quietest revolutions ever heard: the whispered sounds of bossa nova.
The heirs of Brazil's pre-eminent bossa icon--Antonio Carlos Jobim convened recently in Orchestra Hall to re-examine the genre in a new century. Some were blood descendants of Jobim; others owed only their artistic inspiration to him. Together, they underscored the seductive power of a music that continues to lure new generations.
Not that the celebration approached the majesty of this summer's bossa nova extravaganza at Millennium Park. On that occasion, the Brazilian pianist-composer Joao Donato--an architect of the music--collaborated with Chicagoan Paulinho Garcia and his Orquestra Brazzilli for a sweeping history of the form.
The Orchestra Hall event proved less ambitious than Garcia's landmark concert, though not lacking in star power.
Brazilian singer-songwriter Milton Nascimento collaborated with the Jobim Trio, which included the son and grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim. And though the musicians offered only a few words of commentary, the music spoke eloquently for itself.
Exploring repertoire from their new release, "Novas Bossas," the artists visited several Jobim classics, including the inevitable "Girl From Ipanema." Pianist Daniel Jobim (the composer's grandson) dispatched the tune more briskly and less airily than Astrud Gilberto did on her famous recording.
"The Waters of March" long has been a favorite of jazz and bossa singers alike, and the Jobim Trio showed why. Playing lines that hovered gently above the beat, guitarist Paulo Jobim (the composer's son and Daniel's father) epitomized the nonchalant elegance of vintage bossa nova.
Surprisingly, singer Nascimento began the evening tenuously, his voice sounding worn, his pitch wavering. But he eventually gained some momentum and equilibrium, bringing imploring lyricism to music of Vinicius de Moraes (the quintessential poet of first-generation bossa) and duetting serenely with Daniel Jobim.
After the concert, a lone saxophonist on North Michigan Avenue blew freely into the night, playing--what else?--"Girl from Ipanema."
