Paris (AFP)

João Gilberto, who died at the age of 88, "was sophistication and even sobriety," says Bernard Lavilliers, singer-in-love of Brazil, about the man who invented bossa nova with Antonio Carlos Jobim, "without anyone has not done better since. "

QUESTION: João is considered the father of bossa nova. But what did he really invent?

ANSWER: "First, I would say that bossa nova is certainly the work of João Gilberto, but also of Antonio Carlos Jobim, as the name suggests, it is simply the new wave of samba. has the same groove, but the rhythm differs Samba is the carnival, it's done to dance, the bossa is a soft, melancholy music, what they brought to the music are Gilberto and Jobim have invented a way of mixing harmonies in a more sophisticated way, closer to jazz, which explains why the American jazzmen Stan Getz first became interested in this music. Also worth mentioning is Vinicius de Moraes, who wrote the texts, including "Garota de Ipanema", which later became a world hit under the title "The Girl of Ipanema" .This song tells the story of a young girl girl who wanders the soul in pain on Ipanema and she was writing two years ago the military coup. It also announced the end of the sweetness of life that embodied the bossa nova.

Q: What characterizes his talent? His voice, his guitar playing, his rhythm?

A: "His way of singing bossa is a very particular style because he did it in a low voice, he never forced, you had to listen to it. a very intimate domain, all the melodies complex on the harmonic level, if it's sung loudly, it's vulgar, and it's very difficult to play because you can quickly make + casino + bossa does not support mediocrity Do not overdo it, as Miles Davis said: + too many notes + If there are too many notes, too many effects, it does not work and Gilberto was sophistication and sobriety Once again in the musical performance, I associate Jobim and Gilberto, one on the piano, the other on the guitar, I do not know if they would have agreed otherwise because they were were scrambled for stories of égo.But Gilberto had a way of playing the guitar of his own, with the right hand, very subtle, his rhythm was impressive. singing was also very precise, he had a placement of notes, very fair words. Gilberto was very secretive, solitary and quite closed. At one point he had retired from the world, a little like Howard Hughes. So was that already heard in his way of singing? I do not know. But + Desafinado +, which was written by Newton Mendonça and translates as "Déaccordé", tells the lament of a bossa singer who addresses his lover who reproaches him for singing badly.

Q: What will have been its influence on the music?

A: "First of all, he will remain the standards of his songs, other talented artists have followed this movement, like Chico Buarque, but no one has done better than João Gilberto, he has made this new Brazilian wave international, because Before, people knew only samba, at least those who had the chance to go to Brazil.This music went around the world very quickly.If there was not João Gilberto - and Antonio Carlos Jobim - we would miss it a lot, many of whom have been influenced by their music. "The Girl of Ipanema" is one of the most recurring pieces in history, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and many others have sung. "

(Interviewed by Nicolas Pratviel)

? 2019 AFP