ANTÔNIO CARLOS JOBIM ( ARR . LIGON ) “ Desafinado ”
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1927 in Rio , Brazil ; died 1994 in New York City , NY
• Born in Rio , Jobim was raised in the beachside neighborhood of Ipanema . His stepfather encouraged his musical interest , giving him his first piano . As a young man , Jobim earned a living playing at nightclubs and eventually started arranging music for a record label .
• Jobim was greatly influenced by Pixinguinha , the legendary musician and composer who spearheaded modern Brazilian music . Other influences included Villa-Lobos , Ravel , and Debussy .
• In 1958 , Jobim released an album with the famed musician João Gilberto that was considered the inauguration of the Bossa Nova movement . Jobim ’ s music gained international recognition with songs like “ The Girl from Ipanema .” He won a Grammy for Album of the Year , Best Jazz and Instrumental Album , and Best Engineered Album . Additionally , he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 54th Grammy Awards and was posthumously inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1959
MUSIC Miles Davis ’ Kind of Blue
FILM The Shaggy Dog
FUN FACT
Antônio Carlos Jobim was commonly known as Tom Jobim in his lifetime .
ABOUT THE PIECE
• “ Desafinado ” translates to “ out of tune ” or “ off key ” and was written in 1959 as a response to the critics of Bossa Nova , who claimed it was a genre for singers who can ’ t sing .
• The song has been remade and performed by countless musicians including Ella Fitzgerald and Stan Getz .
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BSO SESSIONS | MARCH 2021
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