Astrud Gilberto, an acclaimed musician and singer who brought Brazilian bossa nova to the United States in the 1960s through her rendition of “The Girl From Ipanema,” passed away on Monday at the age of 83. Ms. Gilberto’s son Marcelo confirmed her death and asked friends to post about it. No further details have been given about the cause of her demise.
Throughout her career in music, which spanned four decades, Astrud Gilberto recorded numerous albums with celebrated musicians such as James Last and Gil Evans. She also collaborated with the likes of George Michael and Chet Baker. Nevertheless, her greatest triumph came with “The Girl From Ipanema,” with Antonio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfa writing the music and Norman Gimbel contributing the lyrics.
When Ms. Gilberto first recorded the song, she was married to João Gilberto, a legendary Brazilian singer and guitarist credited with being one of the founders of bossa nova. In 1963, they went to New York City, where João was scheduled to record an album with jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, who had gained acclaim for incorporating samba and bossa nova into his work.
It’s unclear which of the parties involved, be it the album’s producer Creed Taylor, Astrud Gilberto herself, or João Gilberto, suggested involving the novice singer in the record. Astrud Gilberto herself attributed the suggestion to her husband, recalling in a 2002 interview how he invited her to sing an English chorus in “The Girl From Ipanema” after previously singing a Portuguese chorus. During a recording session, saxophonist Stan Getz predicted that the song would make her famous, as he listened to the playback of their just-recorded version.
A full obituary is forthcoming.
