The goodbye to Bossa Nova from JOHNNIE ALF

SAO PAULO - The singer, composer and pianist Rio Johnny Alf died in marh 4th, aged 80, in Santo André, in São Paulo (Brazil), where he was staying. For more than three years, Alf had been suffering from prostate cancer and his health has worsened since Monday.

Born José Alfredo da Silva, Vila Isabel de Noel Rosa (1910-1937) in Rio de Janeiro on May 19, 1929, Johnny Alf was emphasized through songs like "Eu e a Brisa" (The Breeze And I), "Ilusão a Toa" and "Rapaz do Bem". He was raised by his mother and a family that hired her as a maid after his father's death. Later, around 9 years old, a friend of the family, Geni Borges, encouraged him to learn classical piano.

Studies of classical music ( "more than Chopin Debussy") had little influence after, as the Alf assert years later. What else had an impact on his artistic creation were the movies American music that soundtracks were signed by people of the stature of George Gershwin and Cole Porter. "That's what I lit interior that will create something. So when the movie came back on that impact, I went to the piano and doing things with the influence of what he had heard," he said.



In the movie musical, there was jazz - and especially the trio of fellow pianist and singer Nat King Cole inspired. In Brazilian music, the singers Silvio Caldas, Orlando Silva and Batista Dircinha were among his favorites. He also played Dorival Caymmi and successes of the repertoire of fine singers of the time, as Lucio Alves and Dick Farney. This mixture of influences emerged the embryo of the bossa nova that he pioneered.

The year 1952 was definitive in his career. Until then, Alf hopped out the functions of the Army, during the day, and nightclub singer in the evening. Among his admirers in the audience were singers like Nora Ney and Dick Farney. It was through them that started the career as a pianist at Cantina do César, nightclub owned radio Caesar Alencar. Victor Freire contributed leading him to know the actress and singer Mary Gill, who had just been elected Queen of Radio that year.

Thus it was that had not one but four of his songs recorded for the first time - "What Is Love," "We Are Not Alone," "Listen" and "can talk" - as well as playing piano on the disc from the singer. The very first recording of Alf, falsetto, his own, left on the B side of a 78RPM disc, which had cigarettes in cigarette (Luiz Bonfa) on the A.

Singer - Before instrumentalist, composer and architect bright harmonies amazing movements, Alf did not take long to impress as a singer, also a pioneer in the use of voice as an instrument. First record significant of his career over 50 years and a few titles, "Man of Good" is considered by experts as the first album of bossa nova, a style only adopt this nomenclature in 1958 with the classic "Chega de Saudade" (Tom Jobim / Vinicius de Moraes) for voice and guitar of Joao Gilberto.

The silent revolution of Alf came to the public three years earlier, but had the backing of a privileged audience of shows since 1953: the young bossa nova Joao Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Carlos Lyra and Joao Donato, among others, who had how big idol.

Living in São Paulo since 1954 - with a relapse leap in Rio in 1962, when he formed a trio with bassist Tiao Neto and drummer Edison Machado - Alf just released their first LP, "Good Lad" in 1961. Then came the consecration of another of his classics, "Toa of Illusion" and "What Is Love", which will become mandatory in all his shows. His biggest success was "I and the Breeze," 1967. Alf only recorded 13 albums over 40 years and played their last show in August 2009 at Teatro do SESI in Sao Paulo, along with her friend Alaíde Costa.