Bossa nova Easygoing
Getz/Gilberto
Stan Getz & João Gilberto
Open album on Apple MusicExternal service. Full listening may require an account or subscription. Availability varies by region; this link opens the US catalog.
Start with “Doralice”
João Gilberto’s guitar gives you two things to follow: the low notes that mark time and the chords that land around them. Pick one and listen for it through a full vocal phrase. When Stan Getz’s saxophone comes forward, keep tapping at the same pace and hear how the band accommodates a very different sound.
Listen to the entrances on “Corcovado”
Follow Astrud Gilberto’s voice through a line and notice what you hear when she leaves a gap. There may be a piano chord you missed while she was singing. When João enters, listen for how the change in language and phrasing alters the feel of the tune.
Return to “The Girl from Ipanema”
You may already know the melody well enough to sing it. Use that familiarity to listen around it. Pick out a small piano or guitar detail that you had previously ignored, then hear whether it comes back the next time the melody circles around.
Album reference · Verve Records. Listening prompts and mood labels are editorial suggestions.