João Gilberto, the man from Ipanema

On July 6, the world lost one of its foremost musical ambassadors. Guitarist and singer João Gilberto, 88, was often called the father of bossa nova, a style that smoothly blends Brazilian samba with jazz and even danceable pop elements. Female vocalists have sung it as ‘The Boy From Ipanema’, a version popularised by the great Ella Fitzgerald and Gilberto’s first wife Astrud. Path-breaking Translated into ‘new wave’ or ‘new trend’, bossa nova is still popular with the older generation, 60 years after it was the rage in Brazil. Though they were more eclectic, drummer Airto Moreira, singer Flora Purim, pianist Sergio Mendes and guitarist Egberto Gismonti sometimes used bossa nova elements.