Luiz Bonfá facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Luiz Bonfá
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Bonfá in 1962
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Luiz Floriano Bonfá |
| Born | 17 October 1922 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Died | 12 January 2001 (aged 78) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Genres | Brazilian jazz, bossa nova |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1940s–2001 |
| Labels | Verve, Dot, Cook, Philips, Epic |
Luiz Floriano Bonfá (born October 17, 1922 – died January 12, 2001) was a talented Brazilian guitarist and composer. He is most famous for the beautiful music he wrote for the movie Black Orpheus. This film helped introduce the world to Brazilian music.
Life and Music
Luiz Bonfá was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started learning classical guitar when he was just 11 years old. His teacher, Isaías Sávio, was very good. Luiz had to travel a long way for his weekly lessons. He walked and took a train for hours! Because he was so dedicated and talented, his teacher didn't make him pay for the lessons.
Luiz first became well-known in Brazil in 1947. He was featured on Rádio Nacional, a big radio station in Rio. In the late 1940s, he was part of a singing group called Quitandinha Serenaders. Some of his first songs, like "Ranchinho de Palha", were recorded by famous Brazilian singers. His first big hit song was "De Cigarro em Cigarro" in 1957.
Through another singer, Dick Farney, Luiz met Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. They were a very important songwriting team. They helped create the worldwide music style called Bossa Nova. Bossa Nova became very popular in the United States.
Bonfá worked with Jobim and de Moraes on a play called Orfeu da Conceição. This play later became the movie Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro in Portuguese). Luiz wrote some of the original music for the film. This included "Samba de Orfeu" and his most famous song, "Manhã de Carnaval". This song is one of the top ten most played jazz songs in the world!
Luiz Bonfá was known for his bold and emotional samba-canção style. This was a type of samba music. Later, João Gilberto created the softer bossa nova style. Luiz Bonfá helped connect these two styles of Brazilian music.
The movie Black Orpheus and the music of Gilberto and Jobim helped bring Brazilian music to the world. Luiz Bonfá became an important ambassador for Brazilian music. He performed in the United States, including a famous Bossa Nova concert in 1962 at New York's Carnegie Hall.
Bonfá worked with many famous American musicians. These included Quincy Jones, George Benson, Stan Getz, and Frank Sinatra. He recorded several albums while living in the U.S. Even Elvis Presley sang a song written by Bonfá called "Almost in Love" for a movie. Other well-known songs by Bonfá include "The Gentle Rain" and "Non-Stop To Brazil".
From 1990 to 1999, Bonfá worked with singer Ithamara Koorax. They performed many concerts together in Rio de Janeiro. They also recorded an album in 1996 called Almost In Love - Ithamara Koorax Sings The Luiz Bonfá Songbook.
Luiz Bonfá wrote music for over twenty movies. These included Black Orpheus, The Gentle Rain, and Prisoner Of Rio. He passed away from prostate cancer in Rio de Janeiro on January 12, 2001. He was 78 years old.
His Legacy
Luiz Bonfá's music continues to be important today. In 2005, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings released an album called Solo in Rio 1959. It had music that had never been released before.
In 2008, Universal Music France released a special book with two CDs. These CDs included more unreleased music from the Black Orpheus soundtrack.
Bonfá's most important legacy is his music from the Black Orpheus movie. "Manhã de Carnaval" is still a classic bossa nova song. His albums also show his amazing skill with Brazilian jazz guitar. Bonfá's guitar playing was strong and clear. He often played solo guitar, creating many sounds at once. He was a key figure in connecting the older samba-canção style with the new bossa nova movement.
Many modern artists have used parts of Bonfá's songs in their own music. For example, his instrumental song "Seville" was used in the 2011 hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye. This song reached number one in 27 countries!
Other artists have also sampled his music. "Bonfá Nova" was used by Brazilian rapper Marcelo D2. "Jacarandá" was used by the group Planet Hemp. "Bahia Soul" was sampled by the British band Smoke City in their song "Underwater Love". "Saudade Vem Correndo" became the song "Runnin'" by The Pharcyde. Even Japanese DJ Nujabes used "Shade of the Mango Tree" in his track "Lady Brown".
Selected Albums
Luiz Bonfá released many albums throughout his career. Here are a few notable ones:
- 1959 Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro) O.S.T., with Antônio Carlos Jobim
- 1962 Luiz Bonfá Plays and Sings Bossa Nova
- 1963 Jazz Samba Encore! with Stan Getz
- 1965 The Gentle Rain O.S.T., with Eumir Deodato
- 1965 Braziliana with Maria Helena Toledo
- 1969 My Way with Frank Sinatra
- 1996 Almost In Love - Ithamara Koorax Sings The Luiz Bonfá Songbook
- 2005 Solo in Rio 1959 (released after his death, with unreleased material)
