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Everyday Creation
This show has to do with different kinds of creation: human, divine, and a third kind that connects the two. Our human creativity is easy to talk about because clearly we're prolific creators. We make music, we write, we cook; we establish businesses, we design gardens, we invent things. The list goes on and on. Another kind of creation is divine. We feel its presence when, for example, we contemplate birth, death, our life purpose, or have a quiet realization that there's something bigger than us. The third kind is perhaps a little more difficult to grasp and yet, with a little practice, it's easy to put into action. This is the personal power each of us has to direct our thoughts, words and actions every day toward what we want in our life and world, rather than what we don't want.
This sounds heavier than it is. For me, this show is an acknowledgment that while we're all here to learn and grow and do our best, there's still plenty of opportunity to relax, laugh, love, and enjoy this playground we call life. So my hope is that you'll get some enjoyment and illumination out of these episodes. Here you'll find interviews with delightfully creative individuals; short stories about some who have passed away; and essays about personal power.
I'm Kate Jones, host and creator of Everyday Creation. Thank you for following my show.
Everyday Creation
Tribute to Astrud Gilberto, featuring Sheldon Zoldan
The first record that Astrud Gilberto ever made, “The Girl From Ipanema,” became a worldwide hit and won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965.
This tribute is one of 44 short yet illuminating episodes about significant figures in the music industry who passed away in 2023.
To hear “The Girl From Ipanema,” go to this video of Gilberto and saxophonist Stan Getz performing the song. In 1964, Gilberto herself was young and lovely, just like the famous girl from Ipanema. And please scroll down to the comments to read some of the tender words of appreciation for this singer.
The picture in the thumbnail and the chapters is of Gilberto performing in Amsterdam in 1966. It's from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, and was taken by Ron Kroon.
Also in the chapters, you can go right to the tribute by skipping my intro; feel free to skip my closing remarks too. Both are there to provide context for those who haven't listened to the other tributes.
My guest Sheldon Zoldan, a longtime writer and newspaper editor, wrote these tributes and recorded them. He also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. To get on his subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
Audio engineer/musician Mike Villegas edited all the audio for this series. Hope you enjoy these intriguing glimpses into the lives of the people who made some of the music we love.
This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation, available on YouTube and in podcast directories including Apple, Audible, iHeart and Spotify.
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Kate:
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Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation. This is
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your host, Kate Jones, with one of 44
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tributes
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to significant figures in the music industry
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who passed away in 2023.
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My guest Sheldon Zoldan,
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a longtime writer and newspaper editor,
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wrote these short biographies
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and recorded them.
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Each one is an intriguing
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glimpse into the life and impact of someone
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who contributed
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to the soundtracks of our lives. Here's what
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Sheldon has to say in this tribute.
Sheldon:
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She was in the right place at the
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right time.
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The first time's the charm.
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Cliches describe
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Astrud Gilberto.
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Gilberto had never made a record before she
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recorded "Girl from Ipanema"
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in 1964.
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The song became a worldwide
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hit, popularized
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the bossa nova in the United States,
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is believed to be the second most recorded
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song ever,
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only behind "Yesterday,"
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and it played at the 2016
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opening
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of the Olympics in Brazil.
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Astrud Gilberto
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died June 5th in Philadelphia,
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Pennsylvania.
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She was 83.
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Gilberto wasn't a novice singer when she made
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the recording.
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She often sang with her husband,
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João Gilberto,
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in Brazil.
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João was in New York to record songs
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with saxophonist Stan Getz
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when Astrud was asked to sing on "Girl
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from Ipanema."
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The producer liked her voice so much she
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ended up singing the entire song.
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João and Astrud divorced in 1964.
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She lived in the U.S. the rest of
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her life.
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Antônio
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Carlos Jobim
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wrote the music to the song,
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and Vinicus de Moraes
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wrote the Portuguese lyrics in 1962.
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Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics.
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He also wrote the song "Killing Me Softly
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with His Song"
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and the theme to the television show
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"Happy Days."
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Astrud played second fiddle to the girl who
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was from Ipanema.
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Jobim
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and Moraes
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were inspired to write the song after watching
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an 18-year-old girl nicknamed Elo
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walking to the beach daily.
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Moraes called a press conference in 1965
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revealing who the song was about.
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Elo did some acting, modeling, and was sued
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when she created a clothing store called Girl
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from Ipanema.
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The song reached number 5 on the Billboard
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Hot 100
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and won the Grammy for Record of the
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Year in 1965.
Kate:
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This is Kate again. Please go to the
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description for more information and to hear the
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song that Sheldon referenced.
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If you enjoyed this tribute, please check out
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the rest of them. Although some of the
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names are not as familiar as others, the
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biographies
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are equally intriguing.
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Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.
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Please share this episode with anyone who might
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enjoy it.
