You’re invited: Groove to bossa nova’s history and sound

UDC is hosting a reception next Wednesday, September 10th, to mark the return of a special exhibition on bossa nova to its jazz history archives. The exhibit covers not only the musical form’s birth in Brazil in the late 1950s, but also its impact on the American jazz scene.

Called Bringing Bossa Nova to the United States, the exhibition will be displayed in UDC’s Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives in the Learning Resources Division (Building 41, level A) through December 12th. Building 41 is at the southwest corner of the campus, and is accessible from Van Ness Street and Dennard Plaza.

Wednesday evening’s reception is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Courtesy of UDC’s Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives.

UDC has provided more details:

The exhibition Bringing Bossa Nova to the United States returns to the Felix E. Grant Jazz Archives after its debut as part of the critically acclaimed Jazz Samba Project at Strathmore.

For nearly fifty years local radio broadcaster Felix Grant was a familiar voice to Washington, D.C. jazz lovers. His early interest in and fascination with Brazilian culture and music played a pivotal role in introducing bossa nova to the United States.

The music’s impact particularly on the American jazz scene is explored through his involvement in promoting and supporting Brazilian music throughout his career.

The exhibition provides background on the birth and rise of the Brazilian musical genre bossa nova during the late 1950s and early 1960s beginning with the release of the film classic Orfeo Negro (Black Orpheus) in 1959 that triggered an international interest in Brazilian music and culture. It highlights the musicians and artists in the forefront of bossa nova’s development including the three giants who came to define the new music – João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos “Tom” Jobim, and Vinícius de Moraes.

Watch Elis Regina and Tom Jobim perform “Aguas de Março” in 1974.

This exhibition includes photographs, concert programs correspondence, awards, unique interviews of prominent artists such as João Gilberto, Leny Andrade, Sérgio Mendes and Dorival Caymmi; and a digital collection, The Bossa Nova Project, which forms the basis for digital exhibits that may be accessed online. Together they provide a glimpse into Brazilian music of this period and its explosive impact on the American jazz scene.