The Shadow of Your Smile, Bossa Nova style on guitar. WHY don't they SING??

**elixzer** · 11-18-2014, 07:24 PM

I love Brazilian guitar, because it uses lower strings as percussion for eg Bossa Nova. 'Learning' Insensatez doing that has greatly inspired my feel for the guitar

I am now trying to find Bossa Nova style chord progression for one of my most loved melodies and songs, The Shadow of Your Smile. BUT,,,,,every guitar player who I have seen on Youtube playing it in the Bossa Nova style do not sing!!! Actually up to now the most beautiful rendition I have discovered is this:

But what I want like I say is to see someone play it and sing it. To me that IS Brazilian guitar. Can anyone help me find that, as well as a good set of tabs for the Bossa Nova versions of the song which would emphasize chords for singing?

**sgcim** · 11-18-2014, 08:43 PM

I just hope those Brazilian guys stay over there, and leave us Americans alone. There's too much competition as it is.
That guy's a monster! Is he the guy who recorded with that chick that sings all the French songs?
I just did a gig with a chick that sings all those French songs, but it was with a bass player and keyboard player.
I hope she doesn't expect me to play like that if we do a duo gig!

**cosmic gumbo** · 11-18-2014, 09:45 PM

Shadow Of Your Smile is an all American song, written in the USA for Hollywood by an American. Whoever said it was from Brazil? It's not like it's a Jobim tune, who says it's bossa??

**Flyin' Brian** · 11-18-2014, 11:50 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

Shadow Of Your Smile is an all American song, written in the USA for Hollywood by an American. Whoever said it was from Brazil? It's not like it's a Jobim tune, who says it's bossa??

Yep. Written by Johnny Mandel for the movie The Sandpiper.

**monk** · 11-19-2014, 12:58 AM

To you, someone playing guitar and singing may be Brazilian guitar but to a lot people Brazilian guitar is instrumental guitar consisting of Choro, Samba, Bossa and other local styles. The clips here include music from Heitor Villa-Lobos, Luis Bonfa, Antonio Jobim and Roberto Baden-Powell. Other guitarists and composers of note are Augustin Anibal Sardinha (Garoto), Paulo Bellinati and Ric Udler.

**elixzer** · 11-19-2014, 11:02 AM

I have a thread about that. About wanting to know the Brazilian guitarists that sing. I LOVE singing, and like many accomplished guitarists will express themselves with their finger skills on guitar, I do with voice when playing guitar

This is my favourite singer of this song

**gtrplrfla** · 11-19-2014, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by monk

To you, someone playing guitar and singing may be Brazilian guitar but to a lot people Brazilian guitar is instrumental guitar consisting of Choro, Samba, Bossa and other local styles. The clips here include music from Heitor Villa-Lobos, Luis Bonfa, Antonio Jobim and Roberto Baden-Powell. Other guitarists and composers of note are Augustin Anibal Sardinha (Garoto), Paulo Bellinati and Ric Udler.

In addition to the astounding players mentioned by Monk, an early Brazilian guitarist, Laurindo Almeida came to the US in the 40's, I believe and worked as guitarist with Stan Kenton's orchestra. He has performed bossa nova, classical, jazz with Bud Shank, even easy listening LP's ! Many of his classical LP's on Capitol featured his double track interpretations of Beethoven, Bach, Debussy, Chopin and others' piano compositions by overdubbing the left hand piano part over the right hand part to create a pianistic effect. He made an outstanding LP with MJQ from which this track of "One Note Samba"
is taken. A live version can be viewed on You Tube, incidentally. The liner notes mention that his interpretation is, "partly
ad-libbed, party routine."

**targuit** · 11-19-2014, 03:06 PM

Hmm...I'm listening to that first Villa Lobas Choros, which I love playing, btw, as I type.

Bonfa is excellent as well. Who is playing the Jobim piece? Nice playing!

Oops! Just viewed on YT and I see it is one quite talented guitarist. I'm impressed.

Jay

**elixzer** · 11-19-2014, 06:35 PM

absolutely love this

**rpguitar** · 11-19-2014, 11:37 PM

The original clip you posted is chord melody on a nylon string guitar, loosely based on a bossa rhythm, but not strictly so. It's clearly more jazz influenced than coming from a Brazilian tradition. Bossa nova is not "Brazilian jazz" per se; it emerged in the late 50s from samba, a native music from that country.

I'm digressing, sorry...

My real point is that chord melody on solo guitar kinda renders singing redundant and/or impossible to perform simultaneously.

**Cunamara** · 11-19-2014, 11:47 PM

I don't sing because I make Jerry Garcia sound like Nat Cole...

**elixzer** · 11-20-2014, 05:52 AM

Originally Posted by rpguitar

The original clip you posted is chord melody on a nylon string guitar, loosely based on a bossa rhythm, but not strictly so. It's clearly more jazz influenced than coming from a Brazilian tradition. Bossa nova is not "Brazilian jazz" per se; it emerged in the late 50s from samba, a native music from that country.

I'm digressing, sorry...

My real point is that chord melody on solo guitar kinda renders singing redundant and/or impossible to perform simultaneously.

Which is why I am so interested in seeing how guitarists who sing and play guitar at same time do it. As of yet I have not found one guitarist who plays The Shadow of Your Smile in a Bossa Nova style sing and play it at the same time! Could it be that this has never been done...?

**2bornot2bop** · 11-20-2014, 05:49 PM

Why doesn't my 'wave' sound like that? What a player Francesco Buzzurro is!

**drbhrb** · 11-23-2014, 05:35 PM

Go listen to Joao Gilberto. He invented bossa and spent most of his career singing and playing by himself.

**elixzer** · 11-23-2014, 06:09 PM

but not The Shadow of Your Smile, and that's the one I want at the moment.

**MarkRhodes** · 12-01-2014, 10:19 AM

Originally Posted by elixzer

but not The Shadow of Your Smile, and that's the one I want at the moment.

Well, keep on looking and let us know if you find it.

**2bornot2bop** · 12-04-2014, 04:30 PM

powell_shadow_of_your_smile.pdf

I don't know if this is identical to the performance below, but it's worth checking out. See the website dedicated to the great Baden Powell.

Tabs

**elixzer** · 12-04-2014, 05:18 PM

Absolutely beautiful

**jtizzle** · 12-08-2014, 01:39 PM

Man, don't limit your taste in music to such a small amount of what's out there. I don't want to offend but that's borderline ignorant to the vast amount of music that exists. It's the same problem with jazz musicians who's world of jazz consists of 1938-1952 (cough, Wynton). It brings down the whole musicality of the thing. Open your ears to new sounds.

Speaking of musicians in the Brazilian style who don't sing, Eddie Palermo is a serious MF'er. You should check him out.

**elixzer** · 12-08-2014, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by jtizzle

Man, don't limit your taste in music to such a small amount of what's out there. I don't want to offend but that's borderline ignorant to the vast amount of music that exists. It's the same problem with jazz musicians who's world of jazz consists of 1938-1952 (cough, Wynton). It brings down the whole musicality of the thing. Open your ears to new sounds.

Speaking of musicians in the Brazilian style who don't sing, Eddie Palermo is a serious MF'er. You should check him out.

lol that's funny. I have one of the most eclectic music tastes, but have a root music I seem to gravitate too--which is Blues, espesh Delta Blues
Here's just some of the music I dig--some I dont know the label of its form so cant say:
Flamenco --the real down and dirty kind
Gnawa
Bwiti
the real pagan style Irish folk music
11th century religious chant
Butthole Surfers
Bongwater
Hip Hop
Drum and Base
Deep House
Indian Ragas
Sudanese Sufi chant/
some of the most poweful music I have ever heard is these people Super Onze | Takamba music from Gao, sub Sahara, Mali
Old school American Gospel . REALLY trances me out "Help Me Jesus" - The Staple Singers

My Bloody Valentine
Shpongle
Bulgarian women singers
Philip Glass

and so on. I have tapes where I have spontaneously redorced a real diversity of music where a mood from one track to ther may dramatically change. Some people this does their head in--they have told me. But I can easily feel it easy to kinda like change clotheses to accommodate the feeling of the music. I don't get a cognitive dissonance some may get. Of course it would be music I have chosen which moves me. But the different styles I love because I see music as this vast interelational exploration

Speaking of musicians in the Brazilian style who don't sing, Eddie Palermo is a serious MF'er. You should check him out.

Actually, checkout the title and OP again. I AM looking for A guitarist (aint found one yet!!!!) who BOTH plays and sings The Shadow of Your Smile on Guitar.

**jtizzle** · 12-08-2014, 02:46 PM

Great, again, didn't mean to offend, but I'm glad to see you're open to all sorts of things.

As others have mentioned, TSOYS is an American tune, so it'll be pretty hard to find something as specific as what you're requesting, but great musicians can play their instruments as a voice (which is or should be everyone's melodic intention). Regardless of the tune being played or sung, if it sounds good, it's a good example to copy.
As for the chords, again, you don't have to cop everything from the same tune, but when you listen to Gilberto do his rhythmic stuff on other tunes, apply that to this tune. That'll also help you find your own voice in the style.

**Flyin' Brian** · 12-08-2014, 04:43 PM

Not Brazilian but sung and played.

**Patrick2** · 12-08-2014, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by Flyin' Brian

Not Brazilian but sung and played.

Wow! Johnny sure does need some pitch correcting.

**Stevebol** · 12-08-2014, 05:43 PM

I try to associate songs with a vocal version most of the time. With TSOYS that's impossibe for me;

I know it's not bossa or vocal but this does it me.

**elixzer** · 12-09-2014, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by jtizzle

Great, again, didn't mean to offend, but I'm glad to see you're open to all sorts of things.

As others have mentioned, TSOYS is an American tune, so it'll be pretty hard to find something as specific as what you're requesting, but great musicians can play their instruments as a voice (which is or should be everyone's melodic intention). Regardless of the tune being played or sung, if it sounds good, it's a good example to copy.
As for the chords, again, you don't have to cop everything from the same tune, but when you listen to Gilberto do his rhythmic stuff on other tunes, apply that to this tune. That'll also help you find your own voice in the style.

You really didn't offend me

We only have typed words to go on, so obviously we only find out more about the person behind the typing when we communicate

Yes, it's important to think of instrument as a voice too. I try to. It is though very good to also add your voice I feel, especially on guitar.

I will checkout Gilberto, thanks