Most fans of the bossa nova are familiar with Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Astrud Gilberto.
They also may be hip to Marcos Valle, Joao Donato, Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes, Walter Wanderley, Luiz Bonfa and Sylvia Telles.
New to you, however, may be Johnny Alf, who’s often referred to as “the father of the bossa nova.” Whether or not the title is completely accurate, Alf in the early ’50s brought a cool jazz sensibility to his songwriting and piano playing and an intoxicating romanticism to his ballad vocal style.
Here are some of my favorite videos of Alf, who died in 2010…
Alf’s first single, an instrumental called Falseta, in 1953 (move the time bar up to 2:45)…
Alf in 1969 singing and playing Eu ea Brisa…
Here’s Alf singing and playing Se eu te Disser…
Alf with Alaíde Costa singing Ilusão à Toa…
They are singing Quem Sou Eu?…
Márcia Maria and Johnny Alf in 1977 singing Fim de Caso…
Alf in 1997…
Eu e a Brisa…
Alf singing Corcovado…
Alf singing The Girl From Ipanema…