“Berimbau” by Astrud Gilberto

Happenstance can be a wonderful thing. Your husband and his bandmates are in the middle of a recording session and the producer admires your voice, or maybe you just speak enough English to sing a song? Whichever story is correct, it doesn’t matter, but this was how Astrud Weinert, the unassuming wife of famed Brazilian musician João Gilberto, got her start after she sang “The Girl from Ipanema” on their 1963 landmark album Getz/Gilberto. 2 million copies later, and bossa nova caught fire in the US, and Astrud Gilberto was a household name.
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Astrud was only paid $120 for the session as Getz refused to ink her into the royalties. Regardless of this selfish stance, she would continue a successful singing career well into the 2000’s.
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“Berimbau” is the lead track from Gilberto’s third solo album Look at the Rainbow. It’s a slowly building number with a fantastic chorus, and features the percussive musical bow the song is named after. It’s also a tune that showcases the depth of her talents as a true vocalist, not just a novelty artist.