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Rio and its magical music:
The birthplace of bossa nova

Bossa nova – the sweetest temptation since the invention of music – was born in the centre of Rio. Emanating from three small pubs, the velvety tunes, among them the immortal ‘Girl from Ipanema’, took the world by storm. A return to the roots in Copacabana, where the guitars never sleep.
Director’s cut: a podcast featuring the full story
Man on bicycle with surfboard

It’s a normal day in Rio; the city is smouldering. Scooters tear past, surfers cycle towards the beach. The neon sign of a nail studio, the logo of the Casablanca nightclub gleam across the street. A corner shop sells cigarettes, newspapers, bananas and green flip flops. Close by, amid the hectic comings and goings of the six-million metropolis, lies a small alley named Beco das Garrafas. It’s the cradle of bossa nova.

Three signs point the way to music heaven. ‘Bottles Bar’, ‘Baccara’ and ‘Little Club’ they say. Three dark pubs standing side by side. Most people just drive past today, ignorant of the fact that music history was made here.

‘Bottle Alley’ they called it, those in the know. This evening, Sérgio De Martino, 70, stands at the door of the Bottles Bar. He’s the boss of all three legendary music clubs. The lighting is dim. There’s a bar on the right, a narrow stage on the left. The walls are covered with photographs, witnesses to a bygone era. This is where it came to pass in the mid-1950s. A musical explosion, very quiet and utterly magical.

It’s a normal day in Rio; the city is smouldering. Scooters tear past, surfers cycle towards the beach. The neon sign of a nail studio, the logo of the Casablanca nightclub gleam across the street. A corner shop sells cigarettes, newspapers, bananas and green flip flops. Close by, amid the hectic comings and goings of the six-million metropolis, lies a small alley named Beco das Garrafas. It’s the cradle of bossa nova.

Three signs point the way to music heaven. ‘Bottles Bar’, ‘Baccara’ and ‘Little Club’ they say. Three dark pubs standing side by side. Most people just drive past today, ignorant of the fact that music history was made here.

‘Bottle Alley’ they called it, those in the know. This evening, Sérgio De Martino, 70, stands at the door of the Bottles Bar. He’s the boss of all three legendary music clubs. The lighting is dim. There’s a bar on the right, a narrow stage on the left. The walls are covered with photographs, witnesses to a bygone era. This is where it came to pass in the mid-1950s. A musical explosion, very quiet and utterly magical.

Man on bicycle with surfboard
Sugar Loaf Mountain
The music was outrageous. Warm and soft like the sea on our doorstep.
Bar owner in front of bar

Sérgio De Martino describes what happened. ‘Three musicians invented the bossa nova, Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Johnny Alf, whose real name was Alfredo José da Silva.’ No one knows for certain who was the first to grab a guitar and start breathing a new effortlessness into the music. In the late 1950s, Brazil was ruled by a socialist government and undergoing a burst of modernisation. Smack in the middle of this change, three gentlemen set off a wave that would engulf the entire world.

‘This is where they sat’, he says, pointing to the tiny stage. ‘They played and sang, and everyone listened as if bewitched.’ Musicians, celebrities, politicians, hundreds of people stood out on the street. They all wanted to hear it, a completely unfamiliar sound. ‘The music was outrageous. Warm and soft like the sea on our doorstep.’

Beco das Garrafas: live bands still play where music history was made
Bar owner in front of bar
Beco das Garrafas: live bands still play where music history was made

Sérgio De Martino describes what happened. ‘Three musicians invented the bossa nova, Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Johnny Alf, whose real name was Alfredo José da Silva.’ No one knows for certain who was the first to grab a guitar and start breathing a new effortlessness into the music. In the late 1950s, Brazil was ruled by a socialist government and undergoing a burst of modernisation. Smack in the middle of this change, three gentlemen set off a wave that would engulf the entire world.

‘This is where they sat’, he says, pointing to the tiny stage. ‘They played and sang, and everyone listened as if bewitched.’ Musicians, celebrities, politicians, hundreds of people stood out on the street. They all wanted to hear it, a completely unfamiliar sound. ‘The music was outrageous. Warm and soft like the sea on our doorstep.’

Bar owner in front of bar
Beco das Garrafas: live bands still play where music history was made

Sérgio De Martino describes what happened. ‘Three musicians invented the bossa nova, Antônio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Johnny Alf, whose real name was Alfredo José da Silva.’ No one knows for certain who was the first to grab a guitar and start breathing a new effortlessness into the music. In the late 1950s, Brazil was ruled by a socialist government and undergoing a burst of modernisation. Smack in the middle of this change, three gentlemen set off a wave that would engulf the entire world.

‘This is where they sat’, he says, pointing to the tiny stage. ‘They played and sang, and everyone listened as if bewitched.’ Musicians, celebrities, politicians, hundreds of people stood out on the street. They all wanted to hear it, a completely unfamiliar sound. ‘The music was outrageous. Warm and soft like the sea on our doorstep.’

Bottles and glasses in bar

The sessions lasted far into the night. People gathered near the door in groups, drinking, smoking, celebrating. Until the residents got so irritated, they began hurling bottles at the music-crazed crowd. That’s how the name Bottle Alley was born. The alley of bottles, in reality the street of the illuminated, would soon be known as the ‘Broadway of Rio’.

What had they done? How had the musicians infused the music with such beauty?

They had taken out the heaviness, the abrasiveness. Blues, swing, bebop, rock ’n’ roll, tango: what once hurtled and pounded from measure to measure found gracefulness in playing between the lines. Bossa nova conquered the upper atmosphere. No longer galloping, the music effervesced. It made you float through life.

The sessions lasted far into the night. People gathered near the door in groups, drinking, smoking, celebrating. Until the residents got so irritated, they began hurling bottles at the music-crazed crowd. That’s how the name Bottle Alley was born. The alley of bottles, in reality the street of the illuminated, would soon be known as the ‘Broadway of Rio’.

What had they done? How had the musicians infused the music with such beauty?

They had taken out the heaviness, the abrasiveness. Blues, swing, bebop, rock ’n’ roll, tango: what once hurtled and pounded from measure to measure found gracefulness in playing between the lines. Bossa nova conquered the upper atmosphere. No longer galloping, the music effervesced. It made you float through life.

Bottles and glasses in bar
This music was the gentlest drum roll the world had ever heard. Everyone wanted a part of it, wanted to play like that. Wanted to live that beautiful, soft sound.
Picture gallery in bar

De Martino points to an old photograph of Antônio Carlos Jobim, the grandmaster of bossa nova. He had written the songs ‘Chega de Saudade’ and ‘Desafinado’, but they hadn’t yet become global hits. Musicians played them in Rio and Brasília, the melodies wafting across the beaches and through the nightclubs. But then something extraordinary happened: bossa nova met the brilliance of João Gilberto.

As a young man, he had played guitar in school bands, at festivals and weddings. Later, he earned a living doing odd jobs, but practiced tirelessly on the side. Gilberto’s chords had a particular transparency, his voice and guitar playing were like palm fronds dancing in the wind. When the hypersensitive musician recorded ‘Chega de Saudade’ in the summer of 1958, time stood still. ‘A minute and 59 seconds that changed everything’, Brazilian author Ruy Castro would later write.

João Gilberto’s whispered lyrics and delicate guitar playing were the gentlest drum roll the world had ever heard. Everyone wanted to be part of it, wanted to play like him. And live that beautiful, soft sound.

Mango stall in market

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Musicians in a bar

When word of the new Brazilian sound reached the international music scene, many stars flocked to Rio to hear it with their own ears. De Martino points to a small round table in front of the stage. ‘This is where Edith Piaf sat’, he says, ‘virtually inhaling bossa nova.’

Ella Fitzgerald came, Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis Junior. And none of them could believe their ears. The singing Brazilian guitaristas up on stage transported them to unimagined spheres. ‘That’s how it started’, De Martino says. ‘What followed was music history.’

Bossa nova from faraway Brazil was suddenly famous. Then a certain garota appeared, the ‘Girl from Ipanema’. Antônio Carlos ‘Tom’ Jobim wrote and recorded the piece, and soon sang it live with Frank Sinatra in front of millions. The world swooned.

The ‘Girl from Ipanema’ stormed the global charts. It’s still the most played track after the Beatles’ classic ‘Yesterday’. A song about a Brazilian girl walking down to the beach made bossa nova immortal.

Musicians in a bar

When word of the new Brazilian sound reached the international music scene, many stars flocked to Rio to hear it with their own ears. De Martino points to a small round table in front of the stage. ‘This is where Edith Piaf sat’, he says, ‘virtually inhaling bossa nova.’

Ella Fitzgerald came, Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis Junior. And none of them could believe their ears. The singing Brazilian guitaristas up on stage transported them to unimagined spheres. ‘That’s how it started’, De Martino says. ‘What followed was music history.’

Bossa nova from faraway Brazil was suddenly famous. Then a certain garota appeared, the ‘Girl from Ipanema’. Antônio Carlos ‘Tom’ Jobim wrote and recorded the piece, and soon sang it live with Frank Sinatra in front of millions. The world swooned.

The ‘Girl from Ipanema’ stormed the global charts. It’s still the most played track after the Beatles’ classic ‘Yesterday’. A song about a Brazilian girl walking down to the beach made bossa nova immortal.

Then she came along, the garota, the ‘Girl from Ipanema’. Antônio Carlos Jobim wrote the piece and soon sang it live with Frank Sinatra. The world swooned.
Musician Yumi Park with microphone

At nine o’clock Yumi Park steps on stage. The Korean musician lives in Rio and sings bossa nova with a passion. The band plays well-known tunes, modern interpretations and their own compositions. Yumi Park sings, dances, flies away. The music doesn’t pound, it floats, just like always. Some have tried to define it this way: ‘Bossa nova parts the sea, it is a watershed.’ Beauty on one side, trash on the other.

It’s after midnight, getting late. The boss leans up against the bar, listening to the singing and guitar playing. That’s all this soundtrack needs. Rio, at night. A small breeze moves the tropical air and, down the street, the Atlantic surf crashes onto Copacabana Beach.

Musician Yumi Park with microphone

At nine o’clock Yumi Park steps on stage. The Korean musician lives in Rio and sings bossa nova with a passion. The band plays well-known tunes, modern interpretations and their own compositions. Yumi Park sings, dances, flies away. The music doesn’t pound, it floats, just like always. Some have tried to define it this way: ‘Bossa nova parts the sea, it is a watershed.’ Beauty on one side, trash on the other.

It’s after midnight, getting late. The boss leans up against the bar, listening to the singing and guitar playing. That’s all this soundtrack needs. Rio, at night. A small breeze moves the tropical air and, down the street, the Atlantic surf crashes onto Copacabana Beach.

Lively scene on the beach
The Brazilian composer Gastão Villeroy has his own approach to creating a new song. ‘I sing the melody’, he says. ‘No guitar, no piano, no accompaniment of any kind.’ With bossa nova, the melody is king. It has to be logical and sound absolutely natural. ‘In the end’, he says, ‘the song writes itself.’
Musician Gastão Villeroy with acoustic guitar
Musician Gastão Villeroy with acoustic guitar
The Brazilian composer Gastão Villeroy has his own approach to creating a new song. ‘I sing the melody’, he says. ‘No guitar, no piano, no accompaniment of any kind.’ With bossa nova, the melody is king. It has to be logical and sound absolutely natural. ‘In the end’, he says, ‘the song writes itself.’

The Brazilian composer Gastão Villeroy has his own approach to creating a new song. ‘I sing the melody’, he says. ‘No guitar, no piano, no accompaniment of any kind.’ With bossa nova, the melody is king. It has to be logical and sound absolutely natural. ‘In the end’, he says, ‘the song writes itself.’

No one wrote melodies like Antônio Carlos Jobim, the godfather of bossa nova. Jobim is a national hero in Brazil. Sacrosanct, almost like Pelé. They’ve even named Rio’s international airport after him: Aeroporto Antônio Carlos Jobim. A fitting testimonial. Flight. Becoming airborne. Jobim knew what that was like; his melodies had wings.

No one wrote melodies like Antônio Carlos Jobim, the godfather of bossa nova. Jobim is a national hero in Brazil. Sacrosanct, almost like Pelé. They’ve even named Rio’s international airport after him: Aeroporto Antônio Carlos Jobim. A fitting testimonial. Flight. Becoming airborne. Jobim knew what that was like; his melodies had wings.

Armando Pittigliani, now 89, also knows something about the magic. The bossa nova producer who helped create the wave explains it this way: ‘Bossa nova is the most beautiful thing we have. Why? I’ll tell you. It’s medicine. It’s the best heart medicine you can get in the whole wide world.’

Asked where he thinks the magic comes from, Flávio Mendes, another singer, guitarist, composer, says: ‘Bossa nova is like a tender caress.’ But a recipe? There’s no such thing. ‘If you listen to Gilberto, you’ll know why.’

Musician Flavio Mendes in concert hall

No one wrote melodies like Antônio Carlos Jobim, the godfather of bossa nova. Jobim is a national hero in Brazil. Sacrosanct, almost like Pelé. They’ve even named Rio’s international airport after him: Aeroporto Antônio Carlos Jobim. A fitting testimonial. Flight. Becoming airborne. Jobim knew what that was like; his melodies had wings.

Armando Pittigliani, now 89, also knows something about the magic. The bossa nova producer who helped create the wave explains it this way: ‘Bossa nova is the most beautiful thing we have. Why? I’ll tell you. It’s medicine. It’s the best heart medicine you can get in the whole wide world.’

Asked where he thinks the magic comes from, Flávio Mendes, another singer, guitarist, composer, says: ‘Bossa nova is like a tender caress.’ But a recipe? There’s no such thing. ‘If you listen to Gilberto, you’ll know why.’

Armando Pittigliani, now 89, also knows something about the magic. The bossa nova producer who helped create the wave explains it this way: ‘Bossa nova is the most beautiful thing we have. Why? I’ll tell you. It’s medicine. It’s the best heart medicine you can get in the whole wide world.’

Asked where he thinks the magic comes from, Flávio Mendes, another singer, guitarist, composer, says: ‘Bossa nova is like a tender caress.’ But a recipe? There’s no such thing. ‘If you listen to Gilberto, you’ll know why.’

Musician Flavio Mendes in concert hall
Bossa nova is the most beautiful thing we have. The music is like a balm. It’s the best heart medicine you can get in the whole wide world.
Lufthansa Aluminium Collection in front of a pool

No one else made the music sound like silk. In his search for absolute beauty, Gilberto did nothing but play guitar, sing his verses and lose himself in harmonies, day and night. One day, he appears to have locked himself in the bathroom and played only for the tiles. Mister bossa nova, the most sensitive lonely heart of music history.

But perhaps there is a recipe after all. Perhaps all you need to do is to go down to the beach. To where the sea is and the palm trees rustle in the wind. Where the waves are so green. Where the sand is soft and life is warm. To the source of this whole Brazilian feeling for life.

All you have to do then is be able to play it.

No one else made the music sound like silk. In his search for absolute beauty, Gilberto did nothing but play guitar, sing his verses and lose himself in harmonies, day and night. One day, he appears to have locked himself in the bathroom and played only for the tiles. Mister bossa nova, the most sensitive lonely heart of music history.

But perhaps there is a recipe after all. Perhaps all you need to do is to go down to the beach. To where the sea is and the palm trees rustle in the wind. Where the waves are so green. Where the sand is soft and life is warm. To the source of this whole Brazilian feeling for life.

All you have to do then is be able to play it.

Lufthansa Aluminium Collection in front of a pool
Lufthansa Aluminium Collection in front of a pool

No one else made the music sound like silk. In his search for absolute beauty, Gilberto did nothing but play guitar, sing his verses and lose himself in harmonies, day and night. One day, he appears to have locked himself in the bathroom and played only for the tiles. Mister bossa nova, the most sensitive lonely heart of music history.

But perhaps there is a recipe after all. Perhaps all you need to do is to go down to the beach. To where the sea is and the palm trees rustle in the wind. Where the waves are so green. Where the sand is soft and life is warm. To the source of this whole Brazilian feeling for life.

All you have to do then is be able to play it.

Marc Bielefeld

Marc Bielefeld
Author

From a balloon to the desert, out to sea, into the ice: in twelve captivating reports and podcasts, the author describes fascinating places around the world and encounters with remarkable people.
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Lufthansa Aluminium Collection

Lufthansa
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Unabridged versions of all of our stories: This way to our podcast.

Immerse yourself in other worlds: Enjoy our exciting stories and adventures uncut in full length. Read by the author himself!