Go back to Bossa Nova...

English

For Latin guitar chords, Gerry (gsm@netcom.com) recommends:

• Get a copy of Lumiar Editor's SongBook Bossa Nova. It's in five volumes but has some great dead-on bossa voicings in diagrams in all of them. I love volume 4. In the US, they are available only from:

Brazil CD's
David Rumpler
POB 382282
Cambridge, MA 02238-2282
(617) 666-3747
http://www.brazilcds.com/Pages/books.html

They can also be found at:

Luso-Brazilian Books
PO Box 170286
Brooklyn, NY 11217-0007
(800) 727-5876
Fax: (718) 858-0690
lusobraz@tiac.net
Contact: Curtis

Their stock in trade is really Portuguese language books.

Leopoldo Cuisia (lbcuisia@mnl.sequel.net) writes that the editor/publisher is:

Luminar Editora - R. Elvira Machado, 15
CEP 22280-060 - Rio de Janiero
Tel (021) 541-4045 e 541-9149
Fax: 275-6295

Leopoldo recommends SongBook Tom Jobim # 3, which contains: Amor en paz, Agua de Beber, Corcovado, Desafinado Dindi, Ele e carioca, Ezperanca perdida - sorry no tail on the "c' to make it sound like an s, Foi a note, Garota de Ipanema, Insnesatex, Sabia (One of Leopoldo's all time favorites) , Samba de aviao, So danco samba (ditto), Soeneto de separacao (ditto)

ERICK WOLFF DESPUJOL notes:  I really think that you should put the spotlight on the outstanding Songbooks put together by Almir Chediak (publisher: Lumiar Editora, Brazil LUMIAR Discos & Editora  ), particularly the three volumes dedicated to Antonio Carlos Jobim since Jobim supervised and checked the work himself and pointed out in the preface that the was tired of having his music written out incorrectly (Real Book, for example).  In fact, it was one of the last projects he worked on.

Art Dever recommends

• "The Brazilian Masters" a strictly guitar solo book of Bonfa, Powell and Jobim. It has Desifinado, Ebony Samba, Engano Samba de duas notas, Samba de Avio, Samblamento Manha de Carnival and a few others. It is by TRO Hollis Music Inc. a Division of the Richmond Corporation. I bought it for the Manha de Carnival. It is in music notation not tabs.

Doug Auwarter (douga@unicom.net) recommends

• Adolfo, Antonio. "Secrets of Brazilian Music." Distributed by Music Source International, P.O. Box 46758 Kansas City, MO 64118
  Great video on playing Brazilian Popular Music on a variety of instruments, but especially in the context of the rhythm section. Contains some music theory as well as stylistic analysis.

Bob Strauss (STRAUSS@WCUVAX1.WCU.EDU) recommends

• McGowan, Chris & Pessanha, Ricardo. "The Brazilian Sound: Samba, Bossa Nova, and the popular music of Brazil." Billboard Books (Watson-Guptill), New York, 1991.
  Lots of pictures (B&W) also, as well as bibliography, discography and videography

Jose Luiz Martines (jose@elisir.helsinki.fi) recommends:

• Appleby, David P. "The Music of Brazil." University of Texas Press, 1983.
  Mainly classical music, but also something on folk
• Behague, Gerard. Brazil in "The New Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians." MacMillan, 1984
  Art and folk music
• Tarasti, Eero. "Heitor Villa-Lobos"
  A new edition by MacFarland

For Latin guitar chords, Larry Lewicki (ldl@galaxy.nsc.com) recommends:

• Faria, Nelson. "The Brazilian Guitar Book", Sher Music, Petaluma CA
  There are some interesting pointers about harmony and especially rhythm. Brennan Pelosi adds: It is, indeed, a very good book. What Faria has done is to put together superb musical examples and fine explanations of the various brazilian styles. There's certainly many years worth of study in the book. I play to post to the list what I think of the book, but aside from the Jobim and other bossa books by that Brazilian guy (forget the name at the moment) Faria's book is close to definitive. And a great deal at $26 with a cd. Just my two cent's worth.

I suggest:

• "Big Book of Latin American Songs," Hal Leonard, ISBN 0-7935-1383-9.
  This book has 13 Jobim tunes in it, including A Felicidade, Chega De Saudade, Desafinado, Dindi, How Insensitive, Meditation, O Nosso Amor, Once I Loved, One Note Samba, Corcovado, She's A Carioca, Someone to Light Up My Life, and Song of the Jet. Tunes by Luiz Bonfa include: Oba Oba, Samba De Orfeu, and Manha De Carnaval. Other Bossa Nova tunes include Summer Samba. This book provides music, lyrics, chord names, and guitar voicings.
• "The Real Book"
  This illegal fake book has about 18 Bossa Nova tunes in it, 11 of which are by Jobim, including Chega De Saudade, Corcovado, Desafinado, The Girl From Ipanema, How Insensitive, If You Never Come To Me, Look To The Sky, Meditation, Once I Loved, Triste, and Wave. Non-Jobim tunes include Black Orpheus, Elizete, Gentle Rain, Montage, My Little Boat, The Shadow Of Your Smile, and Summer Samba. However, the overwhelming majority of this book consists of other types of Jazz. The Real Book only has the music and the chord names, but no lyrics or guitar voicings.

Dani recommends AGAINST the following horrible books:

• Bossa & Samba - Alain Pirson - volume 1,1978. It is so bad, that the notes don't fit the chords.
• Antonio Carlos Jobim - Anthology, Hal Leonard 1994. even worse. these two books include various chords for the same songs, and niether of them sound right.

Jim Braun (ldl@jmb@teleport.com) recommends

• Schreiner, Claus. "Musica Brasileira: A History of Popular Music and the People of Brazil." Marion Boyars Publishers, 1993.
  a translation (and updating) of the original German version
• Perrone, Charles A (cap@rll.ufl.edu). "Masters of Contemporary Brazilian Song: MPB 1965-1985." University of Texas Press, 1989.

Charles A. Perrone (cap@rll.ufl.edu) recommends:

• An Annotated Disco-Bibliography of Brazilian Popular Music in Latin American Music Review (1986)
  The best list of sources in English and Portuguese.  Linda Ledford-Miller notes that THIS ONLY GOES UP TO 1986. THE UPDATED LIST IS CALLED _FOLK AND POPULAR MUSIC OF BRAZIL_ Charles A Perrone and Larry N. Crook. Albuquerque: Latin American Institute, 1997. Brazilian curriculum guides, new series

Maria Brazil has a list of English books related to Brazil.

Press release for REVISED EDITION OF BRAZILIAN MUSIC GUIDE, "THE BRAZILIAN SOUND".  Jack Davies notes that it has been reprinted in an expanded edition by Temple University Press and in 1998 was Amazon.com's no. 1 bestselling "world music" book.   You can find it at: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D1566395453/002-0187438-1215230 In addition, the authors have created a supplementary web site: "The MPB Zone: Musica Popular Brasileira" at http://members.aol.com/thempbzone/index.html. It is full of Brazilian music links and also has a World Music links page.

Portuguese

Jose Luiz Martines (jose@elisir.helsinki.fi) recommends:

• Andrade, Mario de
  Several titles in art and folk music
• Campos, Augusto. "Balanco da Bossa." Perpectiva, 1986
  Bossa Nova in a highly cultural context approach, a very good book
• Tinhorao, Jose R. "Pequena Historia da Musica Popular." Petropolis, 1975
  Popular music History, maybe out-of-print

Quentin Nason (q_nason@ix.netcom.com) recommends:

• Castro, Ruy. "Chega de Saude -- A Historia e as Historias da bossa nova", 1990. Editor's telephone in Brazil is 826-1822 (SP) fax 826-5523.  According to Guillermo Amorin, this is a wonderful collection of true stories related to the development of bossa. There is an excellent compilation of songs on CD chosen by Ruy Guerra, also called "Chega de Saudade" and with the same cover the book has. Unfortunately, the book and the CD are sold separately.

Guillermo Amorin recommends:

• da Tavola, Artur. "40 Anos de Bossa Nova". Sextante Artes, 1998. 
  A very interesting analysis on bossa nova, both as a music genre and as an artistic and political movement.

Maria Brazil has a list of Portugese books related to Brazil.