João Gilberto

With a soft, breathy voice and an original style of playing the guitar drawn from samba and jazz known as the bossa nova, Joao Gilberto is called O Mito (The Legend) in his homeland. His recordings of 'The Girl from Ipanema' and 'Desafindo' became worldwide hits and established the singer-songwriter as a major force in jazz. In the United States, his albums with saxophonist Stan Getz, including the Grammy Award-winning 'Getz/Gilberto' in 1964, delighted jazz fans. He worked with other celebrated performers and after he returned to Brazil in 1980, he played with many great stars of Brazilian pop music.

Born in the north east of Brazil, he learned to play guitar as a teenager, influenced by both the domestic sounds of the day and American band leaders Duke Ellington and Tommy Dorsey. His career was listless for several years, although he performed on radio, but when he applied his original technique on his debut solo record 'Chega de Saudade' in 1959, both he and the bossa nova took off.

Something of a recluse, Gilberto seldom gave interviews. On 6th July 2019, he passed away at his home in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 88.