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Johnny Alf
Antonio Carlos Jobim et al: Focus On Bossa Nova
by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
This is a trip into the world of bossa nova. Or the worlds of bossa nova. For the style that made Brazilian music so respected and famous all over the world has some subdivisions that coexist among its universe. Bossa nova ranges from the cool/introspective/airy sounds patented by Joao Gilberto in the late Fifties, to a strong/vigorous/hard-bop influenced samba-jazz that reigned in the mid-Sixties. But both streams are equally sophisticated in harmonic terms, mixing beautiful melodies with captivating grooves. So, ...
Continue ReadingBackgrounder: Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, 1961
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
For those in the know, Johnny Alf has long been thought of as the father of the bossa nova. Whether that statement is completely accurate or whether he was merely a significant influence has been hotly debated over the years. Even if the Brazilian singer-songwriter wasn't the bossa's earliest pure exponent, his softly romantic, Johnny Mathis-like vocal style, his jazzy sense of swing and his rich melodies certainly held sway over many of the artists who would become identified with ...
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Backgrounder: Johnny Alf, 1971
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Two sides of a single released in Brazil in 1953 by Johnny Alf set the stage for the bossa nova four years later. For those sides, Alf assembled a trio that featured him on piano, guitarist Garoto and bassist Vidal. The instrumentals were Alf's own Falseta (or Deceit) and Luiz Bonfa's De Cigarro em Cigarro (or From Cigarette to Cigarette). The recordings weren't hits, by any measure, but they would be celebrated later as the start of the bossa movement's ...
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10 Videos: Johnny Alf
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Most fans of the bossa nova are familiar with Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto. They also may be hip to Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes, Walter Wanderley, Luiz Bonfa and Sylvia Telles. New to you, however, may be Johnny Alf, who's often referred to as “the father of the bossa nova." Whether or not the title is completely accurate, Alf in the early '50s brought a cool jazz sensibility to his ...
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Johnny Alf, a 'Father of Bossa Nova,' Dies at 80
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Michael Ricci
Johnny Alf, an influential Brazilian songwriter, pianist and singer whose delicately swinging music was a precursor to the bossa nova, died on March 4 in Santo Andre, Brazil, just outside Sao Paulo. He was 80 and lived in Sao Paulo. The cause was prostate cancer, said his manager, Nelson Valencia. Though he was not widely known outside Brazil and enjoyed mass popularity only intermittently in his homeland, Mr. Alf, born Alfredo Jose da Silva, is highly regarded among Brazilian musicians ...
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Johnny Alf Bossa Nova's "Father" Dies at 80
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JAZZzology by Richard Watters
Johnny Alf, a Brazilian pianist and singer credited with inventing Bossa Nova, has died. He was 80... Alf died Thursday in a Sao Paulo hospital of multiple organ failure after a fight with prostate cancer. Alf always rejected the term bossa nova, but musicians who came after him, including Tom (Antonio Carlos) Jobim, Leny Andrade and Carlos Lyra, say they were influenced by his style. Ruy Castro, who wrote the definitive history Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music ...
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Bossa Nova Pioneer Johnny Alf Dies
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All About Jazz
RIO DE JANEIRO/ A founder of Bossa Nova music has died in Brazil after fighting prostate cancer. He was 80.
Pianist Johnny Alf was called the “true father of Bossa Nova" by Ruy Castro, who wrote a definitive history of the music. Alf widely influenced later stars. A statement from a hospital near Sao Paulo says Alf died Thursday evening of multiple organ failure. Alf was born Alfredo Jose da Silva on May 19, 1929, in Rio de Janeiro. He ...
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