Dave Grusin and Brazillian Bossa Nova

Tanner Bowls

Demographics of Brazil

● Population of 205.8 million people

● Land mass of 3.288 million sq. miles

● The main religion of residents of Brazil follow is Roman

Catholicism

● Ethnicity is composed of white, mulatto, black, and asian

● Atlantic ocean surrounds the coast

Culture

● One of the most diverse in the world

● Melting pot of nationalities

● Large families are common

● People avoid gifting items that are purple or

black as they are considered “mourning colors”

Government● Very similar to the United States

● Has a democratic government

● Their democratic government was created in 1980’s

● The people elect the presidents

● 4 year presidential terms

● Executive, legislative, and judicial branches

● Senate and a Chamber of Deputies

Bossa Nova Instruments● Guitar is the most common

instrument.

● Other common instruments are the

piano, electric organ, acoustic bass

and drums/percussion

Bossa Nova instruments cont.

Antônio Carlos Jobim

● Jobim was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist

● He was one of the pioneers of the Bossa Nova style of music.

● His album, Getz/Gilberto became the first jazz album that

was awarded Album of the Year at the grammy’s

● The lead single from the album Garota de Ipanema was

awarded record of the year in 1965, and has gone on to be

one of the most recorded songs in history with over 240

recordings.

Garota de Ipanema● 4/4 time signature

● Most commonly played the

key of F major

● Tempo of 158 beats per

measure

● Guitar plays main chords

while vocals have the melody

● Electric organ plays chords

and harmonizes with the

guitar

https://youtu.be/KOQShDfOwuI

Dave Grusin● Born June 26, 1934 in Littleton, CO

● The son of two musicians; father was a violinist, and his mother was a pianist

● Attended the Manhattan School of Music

● Worked with people such as Quincy Jones, Mel Torme, Peggy Lee, and Ruth Price

in the early 60’s

● Created GRP Records with Larry Rosen, who featured the likes of Dizzy Gillespie,

Grover Washington Jr., and Chick Corea

● Has won 10 Grammys and 1 Academy Award for his work

Notable Works● Dave Grusin wrote and produced the soundtrack

album for the movie ‘The Firm’ starring Tom

Cruise

● The album was nominated for an Academy Award

in 1993 for Best Original Score.

● Grusin’s score for the movie ‘Selena’ received a

grammy nomination for Best Original Score in 1997

● Also received a grammy award for Best

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist

for the song “Mean Old Man” from James Taylor’s

album October Road.

https://youtu.be/C3TMm3J7qiY

Bossa Baroque● ¾ time signature during the beginning

and endings, but shifts to 4/4 during the

chorus sections

● Tempo of 92 beats per minute during

the intro and bridge sections, but speeds

up to around 180 beats per minute

during the chorus sections.

● A synth has the melody

● Piano adds colors during the chorus

https://youtu.be/GmEGCVP9yPo

Bossa Baroque and Garota De Ipanema Differences● Garota De Ipanema does not have any tempo or time

signature changes during the song

● Bossa Baroque is mainly composed of electronic synths while

Garota De Ipanema relies on the acoustic guitar and organ

throughout the song

● Garota De Ipanema has lyrics

Bossa Baroque and Garota De Ipanema Similarities ● Both songs have a fast tempo

● Both contain similar chord extensions and voicings to

accompany the melody.

● Both songs have similar drum patterns that rely heavily on

kick drums, hi-hats, and shakers for the quickly swung

groove.

Secondary Link● The secondary link between the two songs’ is the open

improvisational style. Grusin has been known throughout his

career to add enormous amounts of improvisation over his

pieces, which adds to his unique style. This improvisation can

be heard in the chorus sections of Bossa Baroque. Since most

lead sheets for Garota De Ipanema only contain the simple

melody and chords of the song, it is expected that musicians

add their own style of improvisation to the song.

Primary link● The primary link between these two pieces of

music is the quick paced drum pattern that is

very prominent in the Bossa Nova style of music.

Hearing both pieces would be recognizably

similar by the drum patterns alone.

Works Cited¨The World Factbook: Brazil.¨ Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence

Agency, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

“Www.brazil.org.za.” Brazil Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Landed, S.L. Just. “A Brief History of Bossa Nova.” Just Landed. N.p., 23 July 2014.

Web . 15 Nov. 1016.

“Dave Grusin Biography (1934-).” Dave Grusin Biography (1934-). N.P., n.d Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

“Dave Grusin Page.” Dave Grusin Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Works Cited cont.“Dave Grusin Films.” Dave Grusin Films. N.p., n.d. Web 18 Nov. 2016.

“Songwriters Hall of Fame Inducted 1991.” Songwriters Hall of Fame - Antonio Carlos

Jobim Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2016.

Landed, S.L. Just. “A Brief History of Bossa Nova.” Just Landed. N.p., 23 July

2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2016.

"Dave Grusin." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

Works cited cont."Antônio Carlos Jobim." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov.

2016.