Featured In
ALBUMLive In San Francisco, 2003João Gilberto
Albums by João Gilberto
ALBUMChega de Saudade (Ultimate Mix)João Gilberto
ALBUMO Mito (Digital Edition)João Gilberto
ALBUMJoão Gilberto (1973)João Gilberto
ALBUMRosa MorenaJoão Gilberto
ALBUMJoão Voz e ViolãoJoão Gilberto
ALBUMBrasil (feat. Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethania)João Gilberto
ALBUMAmorosoJoão Gilberto
ALBUMEn MéxicoJoão Gilberto
ALBUMRecorded In Rio de JanerioAntônio Carlos Jobim, Herbie Mann & João Gilberto
ALBUMGetz/GilbertoStan Getz & João Gilberto
João Gilberto's Popular Music Videos
The Girl From Ipanema (feat. Astrud Gilberto)
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars) [feat. Astrud Gilberto & Antônio Carlos Jobim]
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Artist Playlists
João Gilberto Essentials
The Brazilian icon was one of bossa nova's founding fathers.
Inspired by João Gilberto
He opened a new door with bossa nova—these artists followed him through.
João Gilberto: Deep Cuts
Drawing other Latin styles into bossa nova's fold.
João Gilberto: Live
Artist Biography
Brazilian singer/guitarist João Gilberto was one of the key architects of bossa nova. Born in 1931 in Bahia, Gilberto started as a drummer before teaching himself guitar. He released his first single in 1951. Along with arranger/songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim and others, Gilberto helped develop the bossa nova style by mixing samba and other Brazilian genres with an American jazz influence, creating a sinuous sound, complex yet sultry. His 1958 single “Chega de Saudade,” written by Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, was really the beginning of the genre’s explosion, with Gilberto’s supple acoustic rhythms and subtle, seductive croon fitting Jobim’s sophisticated music perfectly. His 1964 album with American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, Getz/Gilberto, became a Grammy-winning phenomenon thanks to Jobim and de Moraes’ “The Girl from Ipanema,” featuring a guest vocal by João’s wife, Astrud Gilberto. Its success made bossa nova a global sensation, and João became a worldwide legend, working his magic all the way into the 21st century, dying in 2019 and leaving an enormous legacy.
Hometown
Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil
Genre
Bossa Nova