Bossa Nova

In the late 1950s and early '60s, songwriters like the classically-trained Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim and the soft-voiced guitarist Joao Gilberto created a smoother, jazz-influenced version of the Samba -- which itself was a product of the nation's poorer classes. Middle-class Brazilians preferred the newer sound, which was dubbed Bossa Nova, or "The New Way." Bossa Nova is velvet sophistication atop a feathery five-against-four rhythm, and is most famously epitomized by Gilberto's "Girl from Ipanema." American jazzmen like Stan Getz -- who went on to collaborate frequently with Gilberto -- and Herbie Mann visited Brazil and brought the Bossa Nova to international attention. Some commercial distortion followed, but Bossa Nova continues to influence modern Brazilian pop and other regional styles today.