Friday’s first groove. I’m one of many who are sad that Quincy Jones passed away this week. There’s been tons written this week about his life, work and legacy. If you’re not familiar, a quick Google search will fix that.
So for this week I’ve chosen to highlight the great Soul Bossa Nova. Since its release in 1962, it’s been heard in several films, used as a game show theme, and was sampled liberally by Dream Warriors, a Canadian rap group. 🇨🇦 Their track from the early 90s, My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style, was a hit in Canada and made some noise in the US. It was this track that turned me onto the theme and sent me out in search of the original Quincy Jones track.
It took a while before I got a copy and then learned that the flute was played by Roland Kirk….And the piano was played by Lalo Schifrin, who I knew as the composer of the excellent Mission: Impossible theme. Google both of these guys and be prepared to be floored.
One of Soul Bossa Nova's unusual sounds comes from the cuica, a Brazilian percussion instrument that creates those vocal-sounding squeals at the start of the track. The cuica produces its sound using friction: a stick is poked through the middle of a drum head amd them moved back and forth, vibrating the head. If you’ve ever moved a straw up and down in an empty disposable plastic cup with a snap on lid you’ll get the idea 😀
The flute and horns rule this track. 🪈🎺
I’m not sure how my Brazilian friends would rate this track in terms of its authenticity as a bossa track. But I think most would see this as a cool fusion of big band jazz, and Brazilian bossa nova. I love it and it seems to reflect Quincy’s ability to fuse styles together to create great music.
Let me know what you think!
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