Brazilian bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto, famed for her rendition of The Girl from Ipanema, has passed away at the age of eighty three. A prominent determine in Brazil’s music scene during the 1960s and 70s, Gilberto labored with an array of artists, together with Quincy Jones and George Michael, and recorded sixteen albums. Her version of The Girl From Ipanema sold over five million copies, contributing to the global recognition of bossa nova.
Sofia Gilberto, the singer’s granddaughter, announced the news of her passing on Instagram. New York-based guitarist Paul Ricci, who collaborated with Gilberto, additionally confirmed her dying on Facebook.
Born in Bahia as Astrud Evangelina Weinert, Gilberto grew up in Rio de Janeiro, the place she was impressed by her musically inclined household. In her teenage years, she grew to become a half of a “musical clan” that included singer Nara Leao and guitarist João Gilberto, who co-created bossa nova. Astrud and João married shortly after meeting.
Astrud Gilberto’s recording career began by accident in 1963 when she accompanied her husband to New York as a studio translator for his album with jazz legend Stan Getz. When the band wanted a vocalist for the English lyrics of The Girl From Ipanema, Gilberto volunteered. Despite having little time to organize, her vocals captured the essence of the track, which went on to win the Grammy Award for document of the yr.
Although Light received a $120 session payment for her performance, it launched her successful solo career, starting with 1965’s The Astrud Gilberto Album. She collaborated with renowned jazz guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim on a group of Brazilian requirements.
Gilberto’s son, Marcelo, revealed in an interview with The Independent last 12 months that his mom struggled with objectification from the press and faced misogyny in the music trade. In the Seventies, she started writing her personal songs, featured on albums similar to Astrud Gilberto Now (1972) and That Girl From Ipanema (1977). She additionally acted in films and recorded soundtracks, together with the one for The Deadly Affair, organized by Quincy Jones.
In the early 1980s, Gilberto shaped a bunch with her son Marcelo on bass and toured the world. However, she rarely carried out in Brazil, the place she felt underappreciated. “Brazil turned its again on her,” Marcelo advised The Independent.
Throughout her career, Gilberto collaborated with varied artists, together with recording an album of samba classics with James Last and a duet with George Michael for the charity album Red Hot + Rio in 1996. Her final album, Jungle, was launched in 2002, after which she announced an indefinite hiatus from public performance..