Antonio Carlos Jobim

Antonio Carlos Jobim is often credited as being one of the founding fathers of bossa nova music, the rhythmic fusion of jazz and samba which emanated from Brazil in the early 1960s and introduced Brazilian music to a worldwide audience. Loosely translated, bossa nova means 'new trend' and this describes perfectly the influence Jobim's music had when he teamed up with legendary American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz to write songs for the seminal album 'Getz/Gilberto'. Released in 1963 'Getz/Gilberto' created a sensation in the USA picking up four Grammy Awards and becoming one of the best-selling jazz albums of all time introducing Jobim and his new bossa nova music to an international audience. The single from the album, 'Garota de Ipanema' ('The Girl from Ipanema') became a popular standard and has been recorded by over 240 different artists.

Jobin's outstanding talents as a songwriter, arranger and composer have left a legacy securing his place as one of the most important songwriters of the 20th century with artists such as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald frequently recording his songs. George Michael cited Jobim as one of his major musical influences and dedicated his album 1996 album 'Older' to the composer. Jobim died in 1994 aged 67 from surgical complications following an operation to remove a tumour.