"He was one of a kind, one of the most gifted artists I have ever met in my life."
Those kind of accolades don't come easy in the music business, but João Gilberto inspired those kinds of emotions from musicians and fans around the world as word spread of his death on July 6.
Those particular words are from drummer Duduka Da Fonseca as part of our tribute to Gilberto this week. Fonseca goes on to quote his former boss, Antonio Carlos Jobim, saying that Gilberto was the father of bossa nova in mid-1950's Brazil. The drummer says meeting and playing music with Gilberto in the 1970's is "one of the greatest experiences of my life." — kind of like any time you listen to Gilberto's whispery vocals and delicate guitar.
Listen in as we explain what he did, how he did it and why we still listen.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAzMjM2NDYzMDEyMzc1Njk5NjAxNzY3OQ001))
