Ary Barroso, music and lyrics · Bob Russell, English lyrics (“Brazil”) · First recorded by Francisco Alves, 1939
Aquarela do Brasil
Aquarela do Brasil is Ary Barroso's 1939 samba, known in English as Brazil, with words by Bob Russell. Bands and singers have played it in many styles, from samba and swing to , jazz and disco. You will hear it from Francisco Alves, Jimmy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and Eliane Elias.
Listen in this order
The path starts with the first Brazilian record in 1939, then hears the song cross to America in English, into a French guitar quartet, an Indianapolis club and a Sinatra album. It ends with three Brazilian readings: Jobim's jazz band, João Gilberto's and Eliane Elias's modern band.
1930sFrancisco Alves com Radamés e sua Orquestra1939
1940sJimmy Dorsey1942
1950sDjango Reinhardt et ses Rythmes1953
Wes Montgomery1956
Frank Sinatra1957 · Vocal
1960s
1970sAntonio Carlos Jobim1970 · Bossa nova
1980sJoão Gilberto with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethânia1981 · Bossa nova
1990s
2000s
2010sEliane Elias2015 · Bossa nova
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Hear the original
Francisco Alves com Radamés e sua Orquestra · 1939
Aquarela do Brasil
Francisco Alves recorded the first version in August 1939, with Radamés Gnattali's orchestra, for Odeon. The song fills both sides of one 78 rpm record.
First recording
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Listen for
Listen for the stretches where the orchestra plays on its own between the sung parts. The track runs about six minutes because it joins both sides of the record.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's closing section ( 47–58) as three rounds of , Dmaj7, , . The record may not be in D, so find its by ear first. Smaller version: play only the roots, D, D, E, A.
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (vocals Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell) · 1942
“Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil)”, Brazil / Daybreak
Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra recorded the song in New York on July 14, 1942, with Bob Russell's English words sung by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell. It came out on Decca 18460.
English lyric · Dance or big band
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Listen for
Listen for Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell sharing the English words, with the band keeping a steady dance beat under them.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's first section ( 1–18): four bars of , six of , two of , then Dmaj7, Dmaj7, Em7, A7, Dmaj7 and . Smaller version: play only Dmaj7 and Em7 for the first ten bars.
Django Reinhardt recorded the song three times between 1947 and 1953. This one, from March 1953 in Paris, is the latest and uses a piano, bass and drums .
Guitar lead
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Listen for
Listen for Django's electric guitar carrying the tune from start to finish, with piano, bass and drums behind him in under two and a half minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's third section ( 35–46): , Em7, , C7, , F♯m7, , Bm7, , E7, Em7, . Smaller version: play only the roots, E, C, F♯, B, E, E, A.
Wes Montgomery plays the song with tenor saxophonist Pookie Johnson and a at the Turf Club in Indianapolis in August 1956. It is issued on the 2015 Resonance album In the Beginning.
Guitar lead
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Listen for
Listen for the guitar and the tenor saxophone, with piano, bass and drums behind them, in a recording that runs just over four minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's second section ( 19–34): twelve bars of , then , Em♭6, , Em♭6. Soloing over it needs more practice, so a smaller version is to hold the root B for twelve bars and then play E for four.
Frank Sinatra (Billy May and his Orchestra) · 1957 · Vocal
“Brazil”, Come Fly with Me
Frank Sinatra recorded it in October 1957 at Capitol Studio A in Hollywood, for Come Fly with Me, his first album with arranger Billy May. The album is a musical trip around the world, and Brazil is one of the stops.
English lyric · Dance or big band
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Listen for
Listen for how short it is. Sinatra sings the English words, with Billy May's orchestra behind him, in under three minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's first ten as a vamp under the record: four bars of , then six bars of . Check the record's by ear first, since it may not be D. Smaller version: play only the roots, D and then E.
Antonio Carlos Jobim recorded it in 1970 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for his CTI album Stone Flower. Eumir Deodato wrote the arrangements and Creed Taylor produced.
Bossa nova
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Listen for
Listen for the flute, soprano saxophone and trombone among the instruments. At over seven minutes, this version runs more than twice as long as the Dorsey record.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's closing section ( 47–58) slowly with a gentle feel: , Dmaj7, , , three times. Smaller version: play only Dmaj7 and A7, two bars each.
João Gilberto with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethânia · 1981 · Bossa nova
Brasil
João Gilberto produced his 1981 album Brasil himself and brought in Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Maria Bethânia as guests. The album opens with this song.
Bossa nova
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Listen for
Listen for João Gilberto's guitar and his quiet, close-up singing, with the three guest singers on the track.
Try it on your instrument
Play the chart's 15–19 slowly: , , , , . The slide down one step at a time into the next section. Smaller version: play only the roots, E, A, D, D♭, C, B.
Ary Barroso writes the song in 1939. Francisco Alves records it that August with Radamés Gnattali's orchestra for Odeon, and it fills both sides of one 78 rpm record.
1940s
In July 1942 Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra records it with Bob Russell's English words, sung by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell. The song also appears that year in Disney's film Saludos Amigos.
1950s
Django Reinhardt records it with a Paris quartet in 1953. Wes Montgomery plays it at an Indianapolis club in 1956, and Frank Sinatra sings it with Billy May's orchestra in 1957.
1970s
Antonio Carlos Jobim records it for his CTI album Stone Flower, with arrangements by Eumir Deodato and flute, soprano saxophone and trombone among the instruments.
1980s
Gal Costa records it in 1980 with Roberto Menescal and Guilherme Araujo producing. João Gilberto opens his 1981 album Brasil with it and plays it live at Montreux in 1985.
1990s
The Zimbo Trio plays it as a piano trio on an album released in 1993. Rosa Passos sings it on an album of Barroso songs recorded in 1997, with arrangements by Lula Galvão.
2010s
Eliane Elias opens her 2015 album Made in Brazil with it, the first of her albums in thirty years recorded in Brazil.
More great versions
3 more, from 1980 to 1997. Tap a cover to play it here.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
Show the form and chords
How the tune works
D majorusual key
58 barsA · B · C · D form
D → E m → Dkey centers
A18 bars
B16 bars
C12 bars
D12 bars
D
E m
D
The chart has four sections of 18, 16, 12 and 12 , and an optional 30-bar before them. Section A rests on for four bars, for six and for two, comes home to Dmaj7, then ends with Dmaj7 and , a slide down by . Section B holds for twelve bars and settles into for the last four (, Em♭6, , Em♭6). Section C moves through Em7, C7, , and in two-bar steps and returns on Em7 and A7. Section D plays Dmaj7, Dmaj7, Em7, A7 three times. The verse starts with four bars each of , and D6, then and rounds of Em7 and A7.