Biography

Antonio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (born January 25, 1927 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – December 8, 1994 in New York City), also called Tom Jobim, was a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, pianist and perhaps the greatest legend of bossa nova. Jobim’s compositions, many performed by João Gilberto, gave birth to the genre in the early 1960s.

Jobim’s roots were planted firmly in the works of Pixinguinha, a legendary musician and composer who, in the 1930s, began the development of modern Brazilian music. He was also influenced by the music of French composer Claude Debussy and by jazz.

Jobim found prominence when he teamed up with writer and poet Vinicius de Moraes in providing part of the music for the play Orfeu de Carnaval (1956), that later gained wide recognition in the film Black Orpheus. The lyrics for his most popular songs were written by de Moraes.

American jazz singers Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra prominently featured Jobim’s songs on their albums Ella Abraca Jobim (1981) and Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (1967), respectively. Jobim is recognized the world over as one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. His first album, Sinfonia Do Rio De Janeiro, was recorded in 1954, with Billy Blanco.

Jobim was buried in the Cemitério São João Batista in Rio de Janeiro. The International Airport of Rio de Janeiro is now named in his honor.


See also:
www2.uol.com.br/tomjobim
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Carlos_Jobim