“The Girl from Ipanema” Stan Getz Quartet, Astrud Gilberto soloist (1964)

Remembering the great Astrud Gilberto who was born this week in 1940. One of the most important figures of the bossa nova movement, she entered show business in 1963 through her husband at the time, guitarist and composer João Gilberto. They worked with Antonio Carlos Jobim on developing bossa nova, a musical style that combined Brazilian samba rhythms and jazz.
The sound interested American jazz musician Stan Getz, who invited the two men to record with him. One of the tracks, “The Girl from Ipanema,” required a vocalist who could sing in English. Astrud, musically inexperienced but conversant in Portuguese and English, tried the lyrics, and her soft, even voice and low-key style fit the song. “The Girl From Ipanema” earned a 1964 Grammy Award as record of the year, and Getz/Gilberto was honored as best album.
Here, she is performing “The Girl From Ipanema” with the Stan Getz Quartet live in 1964.