The Girl from Impanema

I've never been a cheerleader for the idea of unity or simplicity in art. Most of the art I appreciate is inchoate, incomplete, complex, and unfinished. Sometimes, simplicity in music, however, gives a song an ethereal and haunting quality that is unforgettable. Written in 1962, with music by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Portuguese lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes, The Girl from Impanema has the haunting and lyrical quality that is the hallmark of the enduring jazz standard. When this song was performed by Astrud Gilberto, along with João Gilberto and Stan Getz, in 1963 on the Gilberto/Getz album of that name it became an international phenomenon that has been rerecorded and covered by countless artists since. I was talking to my friend Steve Halle last night about the Sao Paulo Underground album Sauna, Um, Dois, Tres and how Brazil has made such an impact on the jazz music scene over the years most notably in the hands of artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Getz. Gillespie's brand of bossa nova and samba always felt more genuine to this listener than Getz's version, although this classic cut is unforgettable. Legend has that the seemingly sanguine and docile Getz was furious at the idea that Gilberto brought his lady into the studio to sing this cut and threw a huge tantrum. Getz notoriously had a temper that didn't fit his saccharine appearance, but when he heard Astrud Gilberto lay down a few takes he was bewitched by her voice and slowly began to realize that he and his buddy Gilberto had a huge coup on their hands. They were right. Like all great jazz songs there's even an interesting backstory. The songwriters had a specific beauty named Heloísa Eneida Menezes Paes Pinto in mind when they wrote this love bomb. As a 15-year-old girl Pinto would saunter pass the cafe where the songwriters would have their morning coffee. At nearly six feet tall, with long dark hair and green eyes, she obviously made some sort of impression on them. This video is pretty silly. It makes me think of White Christmas or something, but the melody is indelible.