Latin Jazz: Bossa Nova

Next, I'd like to show you a Latin jazz tune. The term "Latin" refers to music that comes from South America. In this case, we're going to look at bossa nova, a style that evolved in Brazil in the 1960s.

Historical Context

You may have heard "Girl From Ipanema" by Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz, which was a huge hit in the 1960s. Jazz musicians began to fuse bossa nova into their styles.

Rhythm Differences

Rhythmically, bossa nova is slightly different from swing. Like the rock tunes we explored before, the quavers are now straight. Quite often in bossa nova, you might have what's called a clave backbeat.

• If we have a beat, we're going:
  • bat, bat, bat, bat, bat
  • G, G, G.

Listen to the intro of my tune Supernova; you might hear some of these rhythms that Richard, the drummer, is playing on the rim shot of his snare. Just listen for those clicks!

These clave rhythms are really evocative of bossa nova music. Throughout the track, you'll notice those rim clicks outlining our clave rhythms, which are characteristic of Brazilian music.

You might also hear Dave the Bass playing those sorts of bass rhythms rather than a more standard swing walking bass line. It's a fascinating fusion of styles: the harmony and style of jazz mixed with the rhythms of bossa nova.

Song Structure

In my song Supernova, I've been inspired by Blue Bossa, a tune by Kenny Dorham, a legendary trumpet player in the 1950s and 60s.

• The structure is a very simple 16-bar format, just A and B, loosely based around A minor.
• Look out for your 2, 5, 1 progression:
  • B minor 7, Bb5, E7 to A.

Then, in the bridge, I modulate to the A major key, B flat major. Watch for a change of texture, a bit of a change of gear there.

• The bridge consists of:
  • C minor 7, F7, B flat major.

Performance Notes

Here's the tune:

• Twice through the head,
• Four choruses of solo,
• Twice through the head to finish.