Much has been said of how João Gilberto disrupted Brazillian music with his take on samba, which went on to become bossa nova. His whispering vocals and offbeat, percussion-laced guitar were a novelty to Brazil in the 1950s, when chested-voice crooners and sumptuous arrangements were nothing but the top-charters of the country’s radio. Few would dare saying the same of Gal Costa, who died this week aged 77 – even though she, too, sparked Brazilian musical revolution.
Where Gilberto found minimalism, Gal found maximalism. Where Gilberto found dissonance, Gal found perfect pitch. Where Gilberto found shyness, Gal found a total flamboyance that reverberated through Tropicália and in the years that came after.
