Now that Bossa Nova has turned an elegant 50, even the briefest stroll along Rio de Janeiro’s black- and white-tiled sidewalks can induce a wistful sense of Saudade – that most ‘Brazilian’ of feelings which tugs at your heart with its heady combination of longing and loss.
That’s especially true in the beachside barrios of Copacabana and Ipanema, where yesterday’s teens flocked to piano bars, chic nightclubs and University auditoriums to witness Bossa’s birth and then quickly, its own adolescence.
In fact, today’s Carioca baby boomers are a lucky lot, because Bossa Nova’s magic keeps the spirit forever young – even as it continues on its graceful way to some distant maturity. But for those of us not lucky enough to be born under the Southern Cross, the connection is vicarious: “What was it like?”
Thank God for Ruy Castro, who has now given us what surely is the ultimate coffee-table book on Bossa Nova, ‘Rio Bossa Nova: um roteiro litero-musical’ (a musical-literary guide).
Castro is no stranger to readers at Connectbrazil.com. His conversational and familiar style even comes through the English translations of two of his best known tomes: ‘Bossa Nova’, an exceptional history of the music which revolves around the personalities that made it world famous, and ‘Rio de Janeiro – Carnival Under Fire’, a casual recounting of the city from its earliest days. Spend just a few minutes with either of these two books and you’d be forgiven for thinking that he’s telling these stories to you while sharing a table and a cool beverage.
That’s because Castro loves to write. And he has an intimate understanding of what he’s writing about.
This hardcover book (with text in both English and Portuguese) is a bit different. Think of it as a guided tour of Bossa’s Rio, yesterday and today. The book is filled with the color and excitement of the times: each chapter transports us to a different part of Rio ‘back in the day’, and the short stories and essays accompanying the period photos and glossy graphics compel us to put one foot in Brazil’s musical past while keeping the other planted in the here and now, with brief capsules on Bossa’s pioneers and where they are today.
Here, you’re at the top of Corcovado, smiling for a Polaroid shot. Turn the page and you’re peeking back into time at the infamous ‘Bottles Bar’ in Copacabana. Flip forward to a montage of old 78’s, handwritten lyrics to a Bossa classic laid next to the writer’s pen – all items from Castro’s personal collection of Bossa memorabilia. Each of these 156 pages is a time machine – and a dilemma: Should you stay where you are a bit longer or move ahead to whatever may be next?
Nostalgia will never be the same.
I first found this book a few years ago, while browsing the table displays at Toca do Vinicius in Ipanema. An eager glance was all it took – I bought the last copy and spent the rest of the afternoon poolside, with this book as my companion. Later, I walked the Carioca neighborhoods to visit a few of the historic addresses listed in ‘Rio Bossa Nova’. Some remain today, such as Bar Vinicius in Ipanema, and an early ‘apartamento’ of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s. Others are gone, consigned to the past and – happily – to the pages of this charming book. For these, a little bit of willful imagination was all it took to paint a picture, and to add another layer or two to my own Saudade. So nice.
- Scott Adams
