Exploring Bossa Nova and Its Connection to Jazz

The music of Brazil, particularly bossa nova style tunes, has a very similar harmonic vocabulary to jazz. Notable musicians like:

• Antonio Carlos Jobim
• Joo Gilberto
• Stan Getz

were instrumental in popularizing this style in the 1960s. Since then, bossa novas have become an integral part of the jazz repertoire.

Bass Fundamentals

From the bass point of view, most bossa nova pieces work really well with a simple two feel. This is based on roots and fifths played in one and three, as we've done before.

• This creates a neutral rhythm that fits both swing and Latin feels.
• The difference lies in the right hand:
  • Swing: Play with swing quavers
  • Latin: Play with straight eights

Starting Point

If you're accompanying somebody else, the two feel is still a good place to start. However, once you're comfortable with this chord sequence, you can elaborate a little bit.

Here's a basic two feel:

• This would work for D minor, D major, or even D7.

Elaborating the Bass Line

You can enhance your sound by adding a couple of extra notes or even another one.

Common Latin Rhythms

There are some other common Latin rhythms you should know about, most of which have a bit of syncopation in the middle of the bar with a strong accent on two and and four. For example:

• You could play it like this (including the third note):
  • You'd need to make that F sharp if it was D major or D7.

A simpler alternative might sound like this, probably used when transitioning to another chord.

Most of these bass lines feature prominently in the next tune.

Bossa Bass Line: One Note Samba

This is based on the well-known Jobim tune One Note Samba. Although it's called a samba, it's really a medium tempo bossa nova.

Once you've got the bass line under your fingers, try accompanying someone. You'll need to find the melody on a lead sheet or sing it yourself, or get a friend (who could be a pianist, sax player, or guitarist) to play the melody while you accompany them on the bass.

Looking Ahead

In the following lesson, we'll look at adding some chords to that in the right hand.