Bossa Olda ?

aydee

Platinum Member
Has it remained frozen in time?

Gilberto, Jobim and that whole cool n lazy / Brazilian / samba feel? Even in jazz it has remained very 'traditional' and laid back.. Stan Getz, Charlie Byrd type stuff.

I love the notes on the rhythm, which is primarily a guitar plucking style not really intended for drum set, but are there any modern expressions of the Bossa, played on the drum set in a 'new' way?

One sees drummers taking some of the other 'latin' rhythms and expanding the vocabulary, but not the bossa.

Is 'The Girl for Ipanema' it, or can anything more be done with the bossa?



This might be a very ignorant question, so feel free to chastise and educate, if necessary.
 
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Bossa always seemed to come in two forms to me:

1. The single guitar version. Check out Joao Gilberto and Corcovado on Youtube for a great version of this.

2. The overly arranged version: Guitars, bass, strings, often a shaker or some sort of percussion with vocals. Always fairly lush but not too inspiring.

This is a 'modern' (1976 i believe) version of Blue Bossa that I think is inspiring. Whilst the drumming is a fairly defined repeating groove there's some interplay with the band which is cool.

You don't often catch drummers playing interesting parts in bossas. I guess it's the fact that people may not know what to do to make it more interesting?
 
I have been trying new things with the bossa nova on my primitive drumkit.

Here is a youtube video where I drop the first beat of the standard bossa nova figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBxq5ezJnfk

I have been experimenting with other styles / tempos too. I like playing a samba style bass drum (surdo) part with the right foot and doing the bossa nova with my left foot on a wood log, then improv a little with the hands. It is taking a while, but has been coming along. When I improv with the basic bossa nova rhythm, which traditionally is kept repetitive, it starts sounding more like samba.

Eventually I'll post more video of both bossa nova and samba.

www.youtube.com/bongodoggie



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I have been trying new things with the bossa nova on my primitive drumkit.

Here is a youtube video where I drop the first beat of the standard bossa nova figure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBxq5ezJnfk

I have been experimenting with other styles / tempos too. I like playing a samba style bass drum (surdo) part with the right foot and doing the bossa nova with my left foot on a wood log, then improv a little with the hands. It is taking a while, but has been coming along. When I improv with the basic bossa nova rhythm, which traditionally is kept repetitive, it starts sounding more like samba.

Eventually I'll post more video of both bossa nova and samba.

www.youtube.com/bongodoggie



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wow! I'm speechless! what a setup!!.. the bossa was cool too :)
 
I have never given Bossa a shot. After watching the video and seeing the beginning of the discussion it appears that it has a nice little history. For one reason or another I never paid attention to the style, possibly just through ignorance to its existence. Maybe its time for a little history lesson.
 
For some slightly more fresh interpretations, check out both Bebel Gilberto and Ceu. Ceu, isn't a Bossa Nova artist, however, she and her band have some very refreshing and interesting approaches to Brazilian music, including Bossa Nova in the mix.
 
my recommendation....JOyce with her husband Tutty Moreno on drums. Anything they play is serious gold. There is a "bossa" record that is also just amazing.
Also, Rosa Passos and the CD "Amorosso" with the wonderful Celso de Almeida on drums.
I'm working on some grooves and ideas now and I'm gonna post them, soon, to my website. Hope you all can check them out.

Chuck
 
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