Joao Gilberto Profile

Born:  in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Called O Mito (The Legend) in his native country Brazil, Joao Gilberto has finished his Japan tour this September. Without Gilberto, Bossa nova would not have been what it is like now. Combined with Antonio Carlos Jobim's brilliant compositions, Gilberto's original approach with softly whispering singing and Batida - the way he plays a guitar, taking on a different beat that relocated samba's rhythm - gave birth to Bossa Nova.

Joao Gilberto was born June 1931 in Juazeilo in the northeastern section of Brazil known as Bahia. He grew up listening to samba, jazz and American music and took up the guitar at age 14. When he was 18, he moved to Bahia's largest city, Salvador, then to Rio de Janeiro where he joined the band Garotos da Lua. Although his performance and songwriting was already inspiring, Gilberto was soon fired by the band because of his unprofessional manners. Gilberto was once known for his strange, exotic habits. He failed to show up at rehearsals and performances frequently and had no fixed address. After spending the next few years living from hand to mouth, Gilberto had a chance to make some recordings in late '50s.

In July, 1958 he released Jobim's 'Chaga Da Sausade', which is regarded as the first bona fide Bossa Nova recording. The single was followed in Nov. by another Bossa Nova classic, 'Desafinado/Oba-la-la', but it was not until early '60s that the Bossa Nova became the worldwide craze and Gilberto and Jobim rose to international stardom.

In 1962, saxophonist Stan Getz recorded the successful album 'Jazz Samba' with guitarist Charlie Byrd, including re-creation of Jobim's 'Desafinado'. In the following year came the groundbreaking 'Getz/Gilberto', which resulted in the Bossa Nova boom. Featuring both Gilberto and Jobim, the album brought Gileberto's soft whisper, Portuguese lyrics and uniquely mellow guitar sound to the fore. 'The Girl From Ipanema', featuring his wife Astrud (whom he divorced later) on vocal, became a massive hit and the album sold over a million copies, winning a number of Grammys, including Album of the Year.

Gileberto settled in U.S. until 1980 and returned to Brazil where he collaborated with a host of MPB (Brazilian Pop) big stars such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Maria Bethania. He married singer Miucha and had a daughter Bebel, who is also a popular singer worldwide.

In 2000, Gilberto took the world by surprise with his first studio album in ten years, 'Joa Voz e Viola', produced by Caetano Veloso. On the album he revisited such hits as 'Desafinado' and 'Eu Vim da Bahia' (Gilberto Gil). In 2003, he visited Japan for a handful of dates for the first time in his over forty-year career.

The effect that Joao Gilberto and Bossa Nova had on guitarists and popular music is so enormous that almost any kind of music has its influence in varying degrees. Bossa Nova was the truly the biggest worldwide music phenomenon before the Beatles stormed the world in mid-60s. Joao Gilberto really is worh the title of "The Legend".