Tracing the journey from Samba to Bossa Nova ….
Bossa Nova, which loosely translates as the “New Wave” grew out of roots in Samba. Samba itself developed in Rio de Janeiro in the early 1900s, rooted in African rhythms, Portuguese melodies, and Afro-Brazilian traditions from Bahia. Its early form was percussive, lively, and dance-oriented and it soon became the national music of Brazil, especially after the 1930s with Carnival parades and radio broadcasts spreading its popularity. In the late 1950s, a group of middle-class, often university-educated musicians from Rio began experimenting with a softer, more harmonically complex, and intimate style of Samba. Influenced by American jazz (especially cool jazz) and Brazilian poetic lyricism, they slowed down the rhythm and introduced subtle guitar syncopations and sophisticated harmonies. Many consider the official birth of Bossa Nova was the song “Chega de Saudade” (1958), performed by João Gilberto and composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes – and with that, one of the world’s most influential music genres was born.
