FAREWELL TO…
João Gilberto Born 1931 Singer, songwriter, guitarist
A Brazilian musical legend, Gilberto was one of the pioneers of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Along with Antonio Carlos ‘Tom’ Jobim, and others, he concocted a distinct musical flavour for the country, one which truly tapped into its international appeal as a laid-back, sunkissed paradise. But it wasn’t an easy start for Gilberto, whose talent with the guitar as a youngster didn’t suit his father’s wishes. Dropping out of school in Bahia to pursue music, he tried his hand as a radio singer and moved to Rio where he was soon fired from the vocal group Garotos de Lua – turning up for rehearsals didn’t entirely suit him, it seems. Meeting Jobim was a turning point, and he rode the wave of popularity that was beginning to sweep Brazilian music thanks to recognition from visiting jazz artists such as guitarist Charlie Byrd. Music in an Oscar-winning foreign language film (Black Orpheus, 1959) helped boost his career, but it was an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in 1962 that truly saw his star rise. This led to a triplegrammy-winning album with Stan Getz in 1964 – Getz/gilberto – which featured his most famous song, ‘The Girl from Ipanema’.
Sid Ramin Born 1919 Orchestrator and composer
A childhood friend of Leonard Bernstein, it was coincidental that Sid Ramin ended up arranging the music for Bernstein’s Wonderful Town in 1953. That led to his work on West Side Story (with Irwin Kostal) in 1957, and Ramin’s work on the film version won him an Oscar and a Grammy in 1961. He arranged scores for other Broadway shows, including Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum and Jule Styne’s Gypsy. As a composer he is perhaps best known for penning the hit song ‘Music to Watch Girls By’.
Anthony Hedges Born 1931 Composer
A former chairman of the Composers Guild of Great Britain, Anthony Hedges wrote a wide range of music, from light orchestral pieces to piano sonatas. After studies at Keble College, Oxford, National Service and time with the Royal Signals Band as a pianist and arranger, he pursued a career as a composer. Education was at the heart of this work, though, and he lectured at the Royal Scottish Academy before becoming reader in composition at Hull University. He performed regularly as an accompanist and founded the Humberside Sinfonia.
Also remembered…
The violinist Aaron Rosand (born 1927) championed Romantic violin repertoire during the 1960s and ’70s, performing regularly at Butler University’s Festival of Neglected Music. A teacher at the Curtis Institute from 1981 until his death, he memorably sold his Guarneri del Gesu violin in 2009 for $10m.