Costa Azul
Cool Jazz & Bossa Nova
by Charles A. Perrone
Brazilian Bossa Nova is nearly three decades old. This musical style merits special attention because it is a prime example of modernization in Latin American popular music and because of its impact in other nations, most notably the United States.

Bossa Nova must be understood against the backdrop of traditional Brazilian popular music. In the late 1950s, the working class and slum dwellers consumed carnival type of sambas emphasizing percussive accompaniment. For the middle class, the dominant form of song was the ballad form known as the samba-canção, very similar to the Hispanic bolero in musical substance and lyrical outlook. Compositions typically had a simple, catchy tune with standard harmony. Vocal performance was emphatic and most texts were sentimental, frequently melodramatic.

The Bossa Nova movement, led by guitarist-vocalist João Gilberto and composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, brought innovations in performance style and structural modifications to ballad forms and to the samba in general. Bossa Nova did not replace the traditional samba but offered an alternative for the middle and upper-class listening public. Bossa Nova altered several stylistic parameters, seeking dynamic integration of melody, harmony and rhythm while de-emphasizing the vocalist as the center of attention. Instead of the traditional binary samba beat, diversified syncopation was used, and standard drum set became the norm. Rhythmic foundations set by drums and bass were complemented by syncopated plucking of acoustic guitar chords.

Bossa Nova introduced new patterns of harmony or chord progressions, frequently using the altered chords associated with jazz. Melodic lines were often sparse and chromatic, seemingly difficult or dissonant to the unattuned ear. A reserved, understated vocal delivery was characteristic. This approach contrasted sharply with the emphatic style of the samba-canção. Many of these new traits resembled those of the "cool jazz" of the West Coast of the United States, which many young Brazilian musicians admired. Gilberto's 1959 recording of "A felicidade," from the film Orfeu Negro, is an excellent example of contrast because traditional carnival samba alternates with the new Bossa Nova style.
Tel: 479-750-4141
Website: www.costa-azul.net
Email: maringer@arkansas.net

GREG SALERNO
Gregorio was born in New York in 1956 and grew up in Toms River N.J. , a small town just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, and the largest expanse of pine trees on the planet.

He became interested in classical & jazz music in his early teens, and started going to jazz clubs at 15. He studied classical guitar with a protégé of the great Segovia. During his 33 years of playing semi-professionally he was exposed to a wide selection of musical styles including, Calypso, Reggae, and Brazilian.

Greg is excited and inspired with the prospect of expanding his musical horizons.  Greg's wonderful contribution to the HJMM Quartet led to the creation of 'Costa Azul.'