Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born in Rio de Janeiro. He began teaching himself to play guitar as a child. He studied in Rio with Uruguayan classical guitarist Isaías Sávio from the age of 12. These weekly lessons entailed a long, harsh commute by rail and on foot from his family home in the western rural outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to the teacher's home in the hills of Santa Teresa. Given Bonfá's extraordinary dedication and talent for the guitar, Sávio excused the youngster's inability to pay for his lessons.
Bonfá first gained widespread exposure in Brazil in 1947 when he was featured on Rio's Rádio Nacional, then an important showcase for up-and-coming talent. He was a member of the vocal group Quitandinha Serenaders in the late 1940s. Some of his compositions were recorded and performed by Brazilian crooner Dick Farney in the 1950s. It was through Farney that Bonfá was introduced to Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, the leading songwriting team behind the worldwide explosion of Brazilian jazz/pop music in the late 1950s and 1960s. Bonfá collaborated with them and with other prominent Brazilian musicians and artists in productions of de Moraes' anthological play Orfeu da Conceição, which several years later gave origin to Marcel Camus' film Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro in Portuguese). In the burgeoning days of Rio de Janeiro's thriving jazz scene, it was commonplace for musicians, artists, and dramatists to collaborate in such theatrical presentations. Bonfá wrote some of the original music featured in the film, including the numbers "Samba de Orfeu" and his most famous composition, "Manhã de Carnaval" (of which Carl Sigman later wrote a different set of English lyrics titled "A Day in the Life of a Fool"), which has been among the top ten standards played worldwide, according to The Guinness Book of World Records.
As a composer and performer, Bonfá was at heart an exponent of the bold, lyrical, lushly orchestrated, and emotionally charged samba-canção style that predated the arrival of João Gilberto's more refined and subdued bossa nova style. Jobim, João Donato, Dorival Caymmi, and other contemporaries were also essentially samba-canção musicians until the sudden, massive popularity of the young Gilberto's unique style of guitar playing and expressively muted vocals transformed the music of the day into the music of the future. Camus' film and Gilberto's and Jobim's collaborations with American jazzmen such as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd did much to bring Brazilian popular music to the attention of the world, and Bonfá became a highly visible ambassador of Brazilian music in the United States beginning with the famous November 1962 Bossa Nova concert at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Bonfá worked with American musicians such as Quincy Jones, George Benson, Stan Getz, and Frank Sinatra, recording several albums while in United States. Elvis Presley sang a Bonfá composition, "Almost in Love", in the 1968 MGM film Live a Little, Love a Little. Also of note is his "The Gentle Rain".
Bonfá died in Rio de Janeiro on January 12, 2001. He was 78 years old.
Legacy
In 2005, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released an album of Bonfá's work, entitled, Solo in Rio 1959, which included previously unreleased material from the original recording session.
In 2008, Universal Music France released a coffee table book containing two CDs which included previously unreleased material of Black Orpheus soundtrack, and a DVD. Also in 2008, Universal Music released The Brazilian Scene, Braziliana and Black Orpheus celebrating the 50th anniversary of the bossa nova.
Bonfá's major legacy continues to be his compositions from the Black Orpheus soundtrack, most notably the instantly recognizable bossa nova classic "Manhã de Carnaval". But Bonfá's discography also attests to his uniquely inventive mastery of Brazilian jazz guitar. Bonfá's guitar style was brassier and more penetrating than that of his major contemporary, João Gilberto, and Bonfá was a frequent and adept soloist whereas Gilberto plays his own suave, intricate brand of rhythm guitar almost exclusively. Bonfá often played solo guitar in a polyphonic style, harmonizing melody lines in a manner similar to that made famous by Wes Montgomery in the USA, or playing lead and rhythm parts simultaneously. As a composer and as a guitarist, Bonfá played a pivotal role in bridging the incumbent samba-canção style with the innovations of the bossa nova movement.
Bonfá's "Seville" was sampled by Gotye for his 2011 hit single release "Somebody That I Used to Know". This created the guitar hook, and foundations of a song which reached the 10 top in over 30 countries.
I'll Remember April
Luiz Bonfá Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
Alone where we have walked together
I'll remember April and be glad
I'll be content you loved me once in April
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
For flames live such a little while
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I'll remember April and smile
Luiz Bonfa's song "I'll Remember April" is a poignant reflection on the passing of time and the inevitable end of relationships. The lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia as the singer recalls a time when they were in love, and the promise of spring was new. The first verse sets the stage for the rest of the song, with the singer acknowledging that the day will eventually turn to night, and they will have to say goodbye to everything they once shared with their lover. Despite the sadness of this moment, the singer finds solace in the memory of their time together and takes comfort in the thought that they will always have those memories to hold onto.
The second verse is a reflection on the intensity of the relationship during the springtime. The singer recalls how they were consumed by their love for each other, and everything felt new and exciting. However, they acknowledge that just like the seasons, love too comes to an end, and autumn brings with it its own kind of sorrow. But despite the inevitability of the relationship coming to an end, the singer finds hope in knowing that they will always have their memories to hold onto.
The final verse is a bittersweet reflection on the passage of time. The singer acknowledges that the flames of their love may have dwindled into glowing ashes, but they choose to remember the happy times and smile. This verse is a reminder that even though relationships may not last forever, the memories we create can remain with us always.
Line by Line Meaning
This lovely day will lengthen into evening
The enjoyable time spent with someone will come to an end
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
We will feel sad to let go of all the memories we shared
Alone where we have walked together
Being alone in a place where we were once together
I'll remember April and be glad
I will remember the past with happiness and fondness
I'll be content you loved me once in April
I am satisfied with the fact that you loved me once, although it may not be the same now
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
Your kiss was filled with warmth, and it was a time of new love and new beginnings
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
I am not worried about the sadness that comes with the passing of time
For I'll remember April and you
Because I have the memories of the time we shared, I won't feel alone
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
The passion and intensity we once had will fade away
For flames live such a little while
Because the feelings we had were intense and short-lived
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I will always remember the times we had, but I won't feel lonely because of them
I'll remember April and smile
When thinking of the past, I will be happy and smile
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL, PATRICIA JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
commandercortez
I'll say it again: this is the highest quality, most abundant and consistent YouTube guitar content available
HarryNotHairy
Another wonderful piece from you and Bonfa :)
A R G
Hooked on Bonfa via your transcption of Tenderly! ..What a player!
Roberto Stimoli
Very good!!! You could try some Nelson Veras , he has a solo album which is not bad, and then Sylvain Luc , his solo album Standards for example ... but no mater what you r going to transcribe is gonna be magical
Luis Alvarez
Please more bonfa ❤️
Transcriptor
👏👏👏
A R G
Could you please do one for 'Yesterday'.. Thanks!
Lzzzo
Transcribe some of Bill Evans' work ! Merci beaucoup
garth irving
Francois, "Luze Do Rio" by Luiz Bonfa / VideoMusicScore, Partitura Tabulatura, Youtube...Will you be transcribing this one, there's no PDF to download, Garth...
François Leduc
What can I say that would be relevant for this one?... Good Luck!