Astrud Gilberto, who passed away on Monday at the age of 83, has given millions of listeners around the world their first tantalizing taste of Brazilian bossa nova. Her collaborations with the likes of Stan Getz, Gil Evans, and Stanley Turrentine also helped solidify her bossa nova-jazz connection.
Her voice was remarkably understated, sometimes a little flat, sometimes just above a whisper. The effect was intimate, almost weightless. When she sings in English, her Brazilian accent, while lithe in phrasing, gives her a hint of endearing awkwardness and friendliness, while the translated lyrics are written by Antonio Carlos It invited a wide audience to listen to great Brazilian songwriters like Jobim. Her early recordings are her most glorious, filled with a pensive and nostalgic longing that Brazilians call saudade.
Here are six unforgettable performances from Astrud Gilberto.
Stan Getz featuring Astrud Gilberto: “girl from ipanema(1963)
This was bossa nova that captivated the world. A deliberate crossover collaboration between American saxophonists Stan Getz, Jobin and Astrud Gilberto and her then-husband, the definitive bossa nova guitarist and singer João Gilberto.this is Full version The song began with João Gilberto singing the Portuguese lyrics, but the world-conquering single quickly morphed into Astrud Gilberto’s breathless English voice, with Jobim’s piano sounding perfect. answered her by playing only a few notes.
New Stan Getz Quartet featuring Astrud Gilberto:it may be spring(1964)
In the Stan Getz Quartet’s live performance of the Rodgers & Hammerstein standards, Gilberto does not sound “hopping like a puppet on strings.” Instead, she’s calm and sure-footed, musing about the possibilities of romance as Goetz’s saxophone gallops and spirals around her.
“Agua de Bevel(1965)
Jobim rejoins Gilberto as a collaborator on his stellar solo debut, The Astrud Gilberto Album. His voice overshadows hers with a casually elegant version of his bossa nova standard “Água de Beber” (“drinking water”). As she sings about love that is as essential as water, the song shines with their love for one another.
“the shadow of your smile(1965)
In this song from the Oscar- and Grammy-winning film The Sandpiper, the studio orchestra provides a hint of fanfare before falling into an admiring silence behind Gilberto’s voice. Written by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster, and with strong bossa nova influences, the song’s arrangement ripples around Gilberto, with little glitz of instruments such as strings, flute, piano or vibraphone. but Gilberto’s voice retains its gentle wistfulness.
“berimbau(1966)
The berimbau, a prized single-string percussion instrument from the Brazilian state of Bahia, sounds in this piece by Baden-Powell and Vinicius de Moraes. A brassy and slightly eerie arrangement by Gil Evans highlights the pinpoint syncopation of Gilberto’s vocals.
“Maria Quiet(1966)
Gilberto sang most often about love coming and going. But she occasionally turned to other ideas. For example, the feminist outrage in “Maria Quiet,” a lilting samba with lyrics about women’s endless labor (translated by Norman Gimbel by De Moraes). Gilberto’s narrative is sharp and quietly boiling.
