As we approach the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, it is well worth noting that President Kennedy and wife Jackie were noted for fostering the arts between 1961-1963. A prime example was the passage of Public Law 87-256 on September 21, 1961. The law's overall aim was to promote international educational and cultural exchange programs. This law led to State Department sponsored tours of Latin America, where U.S. musical artists would serve as cultural ambassadors. The U.S. sure hit the jackpot during the Kennedy administration, as American musicians discovered Bossa Nova music in Brazil during these cultural exchange visits and would later import these sounds to America.
There were two prominent State Department sponsored tours to Brazil, which led to the awareness and later huge popularity of Bossa Nova in the U.S. In 1961 the Charlie Byrd Trio toured Brazil. Their discovery of Bossa Nova left such an impression that upon their return to the U.S., Byrd and Stan Getz recorded in March 1962 the Bossa Nova influenced album "Jazz Samba" which went to #1 on the Billboard album chart. In 1962 the Paul Winter Sextet toured Brazil, and on November 19, 1962 they were invited to perform Bossa Nova at the White House with Jackie Kennedy in the audience. This created a lot of buzz and publicity for Bossa Nova in the U.S.
In rapid succession, on November 21, 1962 there was a Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall concert featuring Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Luis Bonfa and others. On December 28, 1962 there was the first national television broadcast featuring Bossa Nova music on the CBS Eyewitness. The show was entitled "The New Beat." I saw this show as a 13 year old and can trace my love of Brazilian music to having first seen this program. I have a link to the entire show below. Included is a gem of a segment where Jobim and Gerry Mulligan banter about Bossa Nova and cool jazz and then perform One Note Samba. There are also clips of the Carnegie Hall concert and Bossa Nova at the White House. Then in 1963, Getz, Joao and Astrud Gilberto and Jobim got together and recorded an album with the monster hit The Girl From Ipanema and as they say the rest is history.
But the surge of popularity of Bossa Nova in the U.S. and worldwide can be traced back to those State Department sp0nsored cultural tours of Brazil. So thanks a million President Kennedy and rest in peace.
http://www.jobim.org/jobim/handle/2010/4405
There were two prominent State Department sponsored tours to Brazil, which led to the awareness and later huge popularity of Bossa Nova in the U.S. In 1961 the Charlie Byrd Trio toured Brazil. Their discovery of Bossa Nova left such an impression that upon their return to the U.S., Byrd and Stan Getz recorded in March 1962 the Bossa Nova influenced album "Jazz Samba" which went to #1 on the Billboard album chart. In 1962 the Paul Winter Sextet toured Brazil, and on November 19, 1962 they were invited to perform Bossa Nova at the White House with Jackie Kennedy in the audience. This created a lot of buzz and publicity for Bossa Nova in the U.S.
In rapid succession, on November 21, 1962 there was a Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall concert featuring Tom Jobim, Joao Gilberto and Luis Bonfa and others. On December 28, 1962 there was the first national television broadcast featuring Bossa Nova music on the CBS Eyewitness. The show was entitled "The New Beat." I saw this show as a 13 year old and can trace my love of Brazilian music to having first seen this program. I have a link to the entire show below. Included is a gem of a segment where Jobim and Gerry Mulligan banter about Bossa Nova and cool jazz and then perform One Note Samba. There are also clips of the Carnegie Hall concert and Bossa Nova at the White House. Then in 1963, Getz, Joao and Astrud Gilberto and Jobim got together and recorded an album with the monster hit The Girl From Ipanema and as they say the rest is history.
But the surge of popularity of Bossa Nova in the U.S. and worldwide can be traced back to those State Department sp0nsored cultural tours of Brazil. So thanks a million President Kennedy and rest in peace.
http://www.jobim.org/jobim/handle/2010/4405
