Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Corcovado)

“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” (“Corcovado”) was composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1960, during the formative years of the bossa nova movement. The original Portuguese lyric, written by Jobim, situates the song in the quiet, reflective atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado mountain, drawing on themes of calm, intimacy, and stillness that became central to the genre’s aesthetic. The English lyric, prepared by Gene Lees, introduced the song to international audiences in the early 1960s and helped establish it as one of Jobim’s best-known works outside Brazil. “Corcovado” soon entered the global standard repertoire, recorded by artists including João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Frank Sinatra & Jobim, Stan Getz, and Miles Davis, each contributing to the song’s movement between Brazilian popular music and mainstream jazz. This performance uses the English lyric and features voice and ukulele, adapted to reflect the understated rhythmic and harmonic language typical of mid-century bossa nova. #Jobim #Corcovado #BossaNova #BrazilianMusic

“Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” (“Corcovado”) was composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim in 1960, during the formative years of the bossa nova movement. The original Portuguese lyric, written by Jobim, situates the song in the quiet, reflective atmosphere of Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado mountain, drawing on themes of calm, intimacy, and stillness that became central to the genre’s aesthetic. The English lyric, prepared by Gene Lees, introduced the song to international audiences in the early 1960s and helped establish it as one of Jobim’s best-known works outside Brazil. “Corcovado” soon entered the global standard repertoire, recorded by artists including João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Frank Sinatra & Jobim, Stan Getz, and Miles Davis, each contributing to the song’s movement between Brazilian popular music and mainstream jazz. This performance uses the English lyric and features voice and ukulele, adapted to reflect the understated rhythmic and harmonic language typical of mid-century bossa nova. #Jobim #Corcovado #BossaNova #BrazilianMusic