The Birth of Bossa Nova

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Brasil is a country full of music. Samba, which was strongly influenced by African music, originated in Rio de Janeiro about 100 years ago Bossa nova, the focus of this hour, is basically a fusing of the harmonic vocabulary from jazz with the rhythmic complexity brought from samba and choro

Since its inception in Rio de Janeiro during the late 1950s, Bossa nova has had a lasting influence on the global music scene The bossa nova style arrived in the 1950s at a time the country aspired to take a larger role on the international stage. A new generation of middle-class and wealthy people moved away from the sounds of samba and embraced the quieter, café-friendly sounds of bossa nova.

Bossa Nova's twin figureheads are Antônio Carlos Jobim (Tom Jobim), a gifted composer, and Joao Gilberto, a guitarist and singer who pioneered the the new bossa nova sound

Tune in to discover the origin of this infectious music, and hear the music's pioneers.

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