Brazilian singer, songwriter and entertainer Astrud Gilberto, who became the world-famous voice of bossa nova with his cameo in English on “The Girl From Ipanema,” has died at the age of 83.
Musician Paul Rich, a family friend, confirmed her death on Monday. He declined to provide further details.
Born in Salvador, Bahia, and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Gilberto knew enough English to be hired by the creators of the classic bossa nova album Goetz/Gilberto, which featured saxophonist Stan Getz. In 1964, he became an unexpected superstar overnight. and her then-husband, singer-songwriter and guitarist Joao Gilberto.
The wistful ballad “The Girl from Ipanema,” written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, was already a hit in South America. But “Getz/Gilberto” producer Creed Taylor and others thought the inclusion of vocals in both Portuguese and English would further expand the appeal of the record. Astrud Gilberto said in her 2002 interview with her friend published on her website www.astrudgilberto.com that her husband had a surprise for her at her recording studio. I remembered.
Tall and tan and young and nice
ipanema girl walks
and when she passes
Say “oh” every time she walks by
“Getz/Gilberto” sold over two million copies, and “The Girl from Ipanema”, released as a single with Astrud Gilberto as sole vocalist, became the most standard of all time, often second only to “Yesterday” for the most covers. ranked as a song. present day. “Girl from Ipanema” won his 1965 Grammy Award for Record of the Year, and Gilberto was nominated for Best New Artist and Best Vocal Performance. The muted black-haired singer was so closely associated with “The Girl from Ipanema” that some considered her a source of inspiration. De Moraes wrote the lyrics about Brazilian teenager Heroisa Eneida Menezes Paez Pinto.
Over the next few years, Gilberto toured with Getz and others, releasing eight albums (in English and Portuguese), including The Astrud Gilberto Album, Beach Samba, and The Shadow of Your Smile. including songs) were released. After 1969, however, she had made only seven more albums, and by 2002 she had effectively retired from the industry, stopped giving interviews, and spent her later years focusing on her animal rights activism and visual arts. devoted to his career. She claimed that she received no funding for The Girl from Ipanema and that Taylor and Goetz (who called her “just a housewife”) unfairly praised her for “discovering” her. She also said she felt alienated from her home country, that she was treated disdainfully by the press, and that she had few performances in her home country even after becoming a star. claimed.
“Isn’t there an old saying to the effect that ‘I’m not a prophet in my own land’?” she said in 2002. “I have no qualms with Brazilians and it’s a lot of fun when I go to Brazil.” “
Astrud Weinert is the youngest of three sisters and was born into a family of musicians and foreign languages. His mother was a singer and violinist, his father a linguistics professor. By the time she was in her teens, she joined her circle of musical friends and met João Gilberto, a rising star of Rio’s emerging bossa nova scene.
“Since I joined João, the clan has grown, and the ‘elders’ such as Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Morais, Bene Nunez, Luis Bonfa, João Donato, and of course each of the ‘ The other half’ also joined,” she recalled. . “João Gilberto and I used to sing duets and he would accompany me on guitar. He gave it to me.”
She has been married twice and has two sons, João Marcelo Gilberto and Gregory Lazorza, both of whom worked with her. After passing her commercial peak, she was still a popular live act, and her songs became warmer and more jazzy as she sang both her covers and originals. She is also a notable recording artist, having sung “Fly Me to the Moon” backing trumpeter Chet Baker and “Desafinado” by George Michael and the bossa nova standard. I’ve had some moments where I should. In 2008, she received a Latin Grammy Award for her Lifetime Achievement.
“I am sometimes labeled a ‘recluse’ by frustrated journalists. I’m here. Just because an artist has chosen not to be interviewed, why should one be considered a recluse?” she said in 2002.
“I believe that artists who become famous through their work, whether it be music, movies, or other works, have a moral obligation to satisfy the curiosity of journalists, fans, and other members of the public about their private lives. Anything else that is not directly reflected in my work.My work tells its own story, whether it is perceived as good, bad, or indifferent. I have.”
Other Articles
