Two CD set. Bossa nova began on the tropical beaches of Rio in the late 1950's, when an eclectic group of musicians, poets, artists, writers came together to create a new sound. A sound that would seduce the world. Bossa nova was so much more than music. It was a celebration of romance, culture, intellect and sensual pleasure. It may be seen as part of a wider explosion in the arts during a beautiful period for Brazil which against a background of political tranquility and economic prosperity, saw the creation of an audacious new capital, Brasilia, and the emergence of Pele and Garrincha, key members of the Brazilian football team who won the 1958 and 1962 World Cups in Sweden and Chile. For many, bossa nova is defined by the first three albums by Joao Gilberto and it has been said that if bossa found it's Jesus in Gilberto, It's god was Antonio Carlos Jobim, a songwriting genius, who effortlessly composed much of the movement's prodigious songbook. Jobim, it was, who together with the poet Vinicius de Moraes, created the song that would put bossa nova on the world stage, 'Garota de Ipanema' (The Girl From Ipanema). Our presentation features all of Jobim compositions recorded by Gilberto during this period, along with his interpretations of songs Jobim wrote for the film, Black Orpheus. The remainder of this edition is devoted to recordings of Jobim made by such important interpreters and contemporaries as Lucio Alves, Dick Farney, Sylvia Telles, Dolores Duran, Lenita Bruno, Luiz Bonfa, Elizete Cardoso, Os Cariocas, Agostinho dos Santos, Walter Wanderley, Tamba Trio, Alaide Costa and Baden Powell. There are also selections from Jobim's first large scale work, the Sinfonia do Rio de Janeiro, written with Billy Blanco, and from important artistic collaborations with Vinicius de Moraes including the Orfeu da Conceicao stage production and the Sinfonia da Alvorada, which was commissioned by President Juscelino Kubitschek to mark the founding of Brasilia.