Album that Led to Bossa Nova Celebrates Its 60th Year Anniversary and Will Be Performed Live in SP

04/10/2018 - 11h05

In April, "Canção do Amor Demais", the album that many consider the precursor to bossa nova, will celebrate its 60th year anniversary.

The album consists of 12 compositions that mark the beginning of the partnership between Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim, including the first recording of "Chega de Saudade", which already features the characteristic feel of João Gilberto's guitar playing - the guitarist can also be heard on "Outra Vez".

"The record is beautiful, meticulous and precious", said Paulo Jobim, a musician and son of Tom Jobim. "It was the album that sealed by father's partnership with Vinicius. Soon after, João [Gilberto] recorded albums of theirs that were more definitive in terms of bossa nova."

The tracks also include the powerful voice of Elizeth Cardoso, who had a knack for samba songs. According to Beatriz Paes Leme, the coordinator of the music collection at the Moreira Salles Institute - which possesses part of the singer's discography since 2003 - her performance on the album proved that she was capable of singing difficult melodies.

Upon being released in May of 1958, "Canção do Amor Demais", which was released by Festa, a non-commercial label, did not become an immediate success. "It wasn't even a minor success", wrote Ruy Castro, a columnist at Folha de S.Paulo, in the book "Chega de Saudade".

"The record only became a success retroactively, after João Gilberto recorded 'Chega de Saudade' [in July of that year]. The impact was so huge that people started associating one thing with the other", said Ms. Leme.

The Moreira Salles Institute (IMS) will celebrate the album with the "Canção do Amor Demais, Outra Vez" show, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday (the 10th) at the IMS unit on Paulista Avenue.

Translated by THOMAS MATHEWSON

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