He was a primary force behind the creation of the bossa nova style, and his songs have been performed by many singers and instrumentalists within Brazil and internationally.
In 1965 his album Getz/Gilberto was the first jazz album to win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. It also won for Best Jazz Instrumental Album – Individual or Group and for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The album's single "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema"), one of the most recorded songs of all time, won the Record of the Year. Jobim has left many songs that are now included in jazz and pop standard repertoires. The song "Garota de Ipanema" has been recorded over 240 times by other artists. His 1967 album with Frank Sinatra, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim, was nominated for Album of the Year in 1968.
Antônio Carlos Jobim was born in the middle-class district of Tijuca in Rio de Janeiro. His father, Jorge de Oliveira Jobim (São Gabriel, Rio Grande do Sul, April 23, 1889 – July 19, 1935), was a writer, diplomat, professor and journalist. He came from a prominent family, being the great nephew of José Martins da Cruz Jobim, senator, privy councillor and physician of Emperor Dom Pedro II. While studying medicine in Europe, José Martins added Jobim to his last name, paying homage to the village where his family came from in Portugal, the parish of Santa Cruz de Jovim, Porto. His mother, Nilza Brasileiro de Almeida (c. 1910 – November 17, 1989), was of Indigenous Brazilian descent from Northeastern Brazil.
When Antônio was still an infant, his parents separated and his mother moved with her children (Antônio Carlos and his sister Helena Isaura, born February 23, 1931) to Ipanema, the beachside neighborhood the composer would later celebrate in his songs. In 1935, when the elder Jobim died, Nilza married Celso da Frota Pessoa (died February 2, 1979), who would encourage his stepson's career. He was the one who gave Jobim his first piano. As a young man of limited means, Jobim earned his living by playing in nightclubs and bars and later as an arranger for a recording label, before starting to achieve success as a composer.
Jobim's musical roots were planted firmly in the work of Pixinguinha, the legendary musician and composer who began modern Brazilian music in the 1930s. Among his teachers were Lúcia Branco and, from 1941 on, Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, a German composer who lived in Brazil and introduced atonal and twelve-tone composition in the country. Jobim was also influenced by the French composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, and by the Brazilian composers Heitor Villa-Lobos and Ary Barroso. The bossa nova guitar style in Jobim's music has become firmly entrenched in jazz culture. Among many themes, his lyrics talked about love, self-discovery, betrayal, joy and especially about the birds and natural wonders of Brazil, like the "Mata Atlântica" forest, characters of Brazilian folklore and his home city of Rio de Janeiro.
In early 1994, after finishing his album Antonio Brasileiro, Jobim complained to his doctor, Roberto Hugo Costa Lima, of urinary problems. He underwent an operation at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City on December 2, 1994. On December 8, while recovering from surgery, he had a cardiac arrest caused by a pulmonary embolism, and two hours later another cardiac arrest, from which he died. He was survived by his children and grandchildren. His last album, Antonio Brasileiro, was released posthumously three days after his death.
His body lay in state until given a proper burial on December 20, 1994. He is buried in the Cemitério São João Batista in Rio de Janeiro.
Poetica
Antônio Carlos Jobim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
De dia tardo
De tarde amanheço
De noite ardo.
A oeste a morte
Contra quem vivo
Do sul cativo
S que contem
Passo por passo:
Eu morro ontem
Nasço amanhã
Ando onde há espaço:
Meu tempo é quando.
The lyrics of Antonio Carlos Jobim & Tom Jobim's song Poetica are an evocative and profound reflection on the transience of life and the fluid nature of time. The first two lines, "De manhã escureço/De dia tardo" ("I grow dark in the morning/I am slow during the day"), suggest a sense of weariness or melancholy, as though the singer is struggling to keep up with the demands of life. This is further reinforced by the next two lines, "De tarde amanheço/De noite ardo" ("In the afternoon I dawn/At night I burn"), which suggest a cyclical pattern of renewal and exhaustion.
The next two lines, "A oeste a morte/Contra quem vivo" ("To the west is death/Against whom I live"), introduce a theme of mortality and the fragility of life. This is juxtaposed with the line "Do sul cativo/O este é meu norte" ("Captive to the south/The east is my north"), which suggests a sense of direction or purpose amidst the uncertainty of life. The final three lines, "s que contem/Passo por passo:/Eu morro ontem/Nasço amanhã/Ando onde há espaço:/Meu tempo é quando" ("Only those who contain/Step by step/I die yesterday/I am born tomorrow/I walk where there is space/My time is whenever"), encapsulate the poem's main message about the paradoxical nature of time and the impermanence of life.
Line by Line Meaning
De manhã escureço
In the morning, darkness falls upon me, signifying the hardships I face.
De dia tardo
During the day, time passes slowly, making it difficult to accomplish tasks and progress forward.
De tarde amanheço
In the afternoon, I begin to see the first signs of a new day, symbolizing hope and new beginnings.
De noite ardo.
At night, I burn with passion and drive to achieve my goals, despite the obstacles in my path.
A oeste a morte
To the west lies death, reminding me of the finite nature of life and urging me to make the most of my time on this earth.
Contra quem vivo
I live against this inevitability, striving to make a positive impact in the world and leave a lasting legacy.
Do sul cativo
From the south, I am bound by circumstances and limitations, but I refuse to let them hold me back and remain determined to break free.
O este é meu norte.
The east is my north, as I navigate towards the direction of progress and growth in all aspects of my life.
Passo por passo:
Step by step, I move forward, focusing on the present moment and the actions I can take to achieve my goals.
Eu morro ontem
Yesterday, I died to the past, leaving behind regrets and mistakes, and choosing to learn from them to become a better person today.
Nasço amanhã
Tomorrow, I am born anew, full of hope and potential, ready to seize the day and make the most of every opportunity.
Ando onde há espaço:
I walk where there is space, moving beyond my comfort zone and embracing new experiences and challenges to grow as a person.
Meu tempo é quando.
My time is now, and I make each moment count, living in the present and enjoying the journey towards my future goals.
Writer(s): Vinicius De Moraes
Contributed by Isaac D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Norris
on Samba Do Soho
It's "Diadem" which is a fancy headband. Also, I believe this song was written by Jobim's son, Paolo.