Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto died at the age of 83, Brazilian media announced on Tuesday after the publication of an Instagram post by Sofia Gilberto, the bossa nova icon’s granddaughter.
Brazilian media announced on Tuesday the death at 83 of Brazilian singer Astrud Gilberto after the publication of an Instagram post by Sofia Gilberto, the artist’s granddaughter. Astrud Gilberto, had broken through in 1963 with the bossa nova standard The Girl From Ipanema, recorded with American saxophonist Stan Getz. The song was written in 1962 by Antônio Carlos Jobim for the music, and by Vinícius de Moraes for the original Brazilian lyrics.
From Stan Getz to Etienne Dao
Born in the state of Bahia in Brazil – in the south of the Nordeste region – to a German father and a Brazilian mother, Astrud married musician João Gilberto at the age of 19, already famous as a guitarist for singer Elizeth Cardoso.
Freshly settled in New York in 1963, the wheel turned for them when they met saxophonist Stan Getz. She recorded the album Getz/Gilberto (1964) on which appears The Girl From Ipanema which will become an essential standard of Bossa and jazz, taken from Ella Fitzgerald to Stevie Wonder. A Grammy Award for best album of the year 1964 rewarded this legendary version of In Garota de Ipanema. At 23, Astrud becomes a leading artist, but she divorces João Gilberto for Stan Getz, with whom she will now collaborate exclusively.
Astrud keeps his name Gilberto and still signs in 1964 with the saxophonist Getz at Go Go, named after the cafe in Greenwich Village in New York where the jazzman performs. The singer first records in English before switching to Brazilian. Astrud Gilberto then became the vocal icon of the bossa nova of the 60s, before slipping away. It was only thirty years later that she appeared on stage, at the end of the 90s. She then created her own production company Gregmar, and campaigned alongside the Red Hot Organization association against AIDS, on the compilation Red Hot + Rio. She will also record a duet with Étienne Daho, The banks of the Seineon the French singer’s album, Eden (1996).
“This song will make you famous”
She says she owes her popularity to an unexpected proposal from Joao Gilberto, in the middle of rehearsal with Stan Getz, to have her sing a chorus in English. “This song will make you famous“, predicts the saxophonist to her in the recording studio. At 24, with her wise and gentle appearance, the pretty brunette immediately conquers the public, but to overcome her fear of the stage she must take theater classes at the Stella Adler school, in New York.The concert of the three friends at Carnegie hall in New York, in October 1964, brought them to the pinnacle.
After The Girl from Ipanemawhich is often called the “bossa nova queen” continues her career in the United States where she remained after her divorce with Joao Gilberto, then her separation with Stan Getz. Fly Me to the Moon (1972) is a new major success for the singer who becomes a composer with the albums Astrud Gilberto Now And That Girl from Ipanema where on the lyrics of Hal Shaper, she is also illustrated with Far Awaysung in duet with Chet Baker, the idol of his adolescence.
His shyness overcome allows him to perform on tour through the United States, Canada, Japan, Europe, with his group of musicians, including Marcelo Gilberto, one of his two sons, on bass. With him and his brother Gregory Lasorsa, she created Productions Gregmar, which notably released a tribute album to Antonio Carlos Jobim. The year 2001 is that of the last appearance on stage of the artist who, after a Latin Jazz USA Award, is inducted in New York into the Hall of Fame of Latin American music, the “Latin Music Hall of Fame”. . In 2008, a Latin Grammy Award rewards her for her entire career.
Away from the spotlight, Astrud Gilberto lived his last years in Philadelphia, USA, and devoted himself to painting and fighting for the defense of animal rights. She is the author of the essay “Animals, they need our help!!!“(Animals need our help).
She died less than four years after Joao Gilberto, who died in July 2019. With her, Brazil has just lost a third renowned singer in a few months: Gal Costa, icon of tropicalism who died in November, and Rita Lee, queen of Brazilian rock. , disappeared in May.