Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World

The book provides an in-depth description of the birth of Bossa Nova. It provides a great deal of detail on all the musicians, producers and hangers-on that were involved in one form or another in the creation and spread of Bossa Nova. Sometimes the main story gets lost in the mass of details. Still, the book provides insights into the relations between the main characters, the exploitation of musicians by club owners and record companies and the many personal conflicts that were part of the birth of Bossa Nova.

Very detailed look at the Brazilian music revolution know as bossa nova (new boss) This is something of an in depth study of bossa nova. I suggest one read the book with YouTube at close hand to listen to the songs and performers as you read the stories behind the music. If you are interested in the history of bossa nova- read this book!

The author does a wonderful job laying out the origin and history in a fast reading, novel like sequence. Thoroughly enjoyed learning about the many personalities of my favorite music genre Bossa Nova. A must for those who listen to this brilliant Brazilian contribution to the world. Loved it!!

Several years ago while on a business trip to Brazil a local business associate gave me a copy of Chega de Saudade by Ruy Castro. This was his origianal portuguese version of the translated copy; Bossa Nova: The Story of The Brazilian Music That Seduced The World.I too became seduced by the Bosa Nova at an early age back in the early sixties when the Bossa Nova sounds first found their way into the USA.Being fluent in Spanish helped me read through Chega de Saudade in Portuguese, although I always felt that I did not get the full essence of the book with the numerous side cooments the author makes, many of them very humorous.I recently decided to check Amazon to see if there existed a translated copy of Chega de Saudade. I was shocked to find it hade been translated. Once I received it I could not put the book down. It is a very easy read with loads of incredible detail on the musicians and writers that made the whole Bossa Nova movement possible. The amount of research is phenomenal. The book reads like a novel and does a great job in transporting the reader back to the Rio de Janeiro of the fifties and early sixties. What an incredible read. Thank you Amazon for making it available.C. TanonParkland, FL

I couldn't put this book down. I thought I really knew some depth about Bossa Nova, but I learned so much that I didn't already know. I thought Jobim was chiefly a guitarist and piano "dabbler". That perception was just American marketing genius put into effect when he came to the U.S. to pair with Sinatra and become world famous. He had been a nightclub pianist for decades and daytime staff arranger for radio and TV. He "Dabbled" with guitar. That was an eye opener.The scope of this book is truly amazing. It covers at least a little something for every person involved. One of the primary movers on this scene was Joao Gilberto. I did not know that. I wish this author would write a book about Chorinho, or MPB or Elis Regina or whatever. I will be watching this author for whatever comes next. This was such an enjoyable book.

I enjoyed this book, but found myself skipping quite a few pages. There was more detail here than I needed, but others may appreciate this detail.There is a large cast of characters represented and a lot tales and lore for each, but in the end, you've been taken on a pretty interesting journey that concentrates on Gilberto, Jobim, and their collaborators.

This is a fantastic book. It's not useful as a "reference" because it's meant to be more story oriented. Written in a friendly style - as if you're having a chat w/ the author. There's a problem w/ this, however, as he expects you to know *everything*. I found myself confused at the beginning because there were so many names that I was simply not familiar w/. I may be the only person who doesn't hate footnotes, but this would've been a perfect book for them. These people become familiar through the course of the book, so it doesn't matter in the end. If you truly want the low-down on Bossa Nova (& who doesn't), this is one book to sit down w/.

Bossa nova is a mix of Brazilian, U.S. 50's west coast jazz and french imppresionism (Debussy, Ravel, etc) music. This is a well written story of the people and the events that create it...LOVE IT!

I first read this book in Portuguese and bought to my husband as a gift (he loves Bossa Nova), a lot of it is lost in translation, so, it is not the same as reading the original version.