Singer Brazilian Astruz Gilberto, one of the voices that internationalized bossa nova, passed away this Tuesday at the age of 83. His granddaughter, Sofia Gilberto, reported the death on Instagram, without providing details about the cause of his death or the place of death.
“Astrud was the real girl who brought Ipanema bossa nova to the world. She was the pioneer and the best. At the age of 22, she gave voice to the English version of ‘Garota de Ipanema’ and gained international fame”, Sofia recalled about Astruz Gilberto, who was the wife of João Gilberto, a notable figure of Brazilian music.
The singer, who lived in USA since the sixties, he was probably the most recognized voice of bossa nova in English, promoting in that language the main composers of the genre, such as Tom Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes or João Gilberto himself, says an obituary of efe.
His unrecognizable voice has been inextricably associated with classics such as “Garota de Ipanema”, “Corcovado”, “Manhã de Carnaval”, “Água de beber” or “Mas que nada”.
With the English version “Girl of Ipanema”, recorded in 1963 with João Gilberto on guitar and Stan Getz on sax, she immortalized that song in the United States and won the Grammy Award in 1965, the first for a Brazilian artist.
Born in 1940 in Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, Astrud Gilberto released several solo albums throughout her career, highlighting The Astrud Gilberto Album (1965) and Look to the Rainbow (1966).
His music fused “bossa nova” with influences from jazz, pop and Brazilian Popular Music (MPB), some wickers with which he created a distinctive and elegant sound that influenced several generations of musicians and lovers of Brazilian music.
In 1960, she married the singer, guitarist and composer João Gilberto, also one of the biggest names in bossa nova, who died in 2019.
Morre Astrud Gilberto, voice that internationalized bossa nova, 83 years old. Baiana sang ‘Garota de Ipanema’ in the English version, for which she won a Grammy in 1965 alongside Stan Getz. read em https://t.co/Kn9K6apdzc
? UH/Folhapress Collection pic.twitter.com/SGVhzuC3ZI
— Folha de S.Paulo (@folha) June 6, 2023
The marriage to the musician ended four years later, but she, born Astrud Evangelina Weinert, kept the surname Gilberto despite the separation.
Astrud lived most of her life in the United States and in recent decades she lived apart from music and practically forgotten by the media in her country, says the source.
