This recording project was funded by MSU’s Running Start Grant for Entreupenership in the arts.

When it was released in 1964, the song “The Girl from Ipanema,” peaked at number 5 on the billboard top 100, and the record it was off of (Getz/Gilberto) became one of the bestselling jazz albums of all time. Astrud Gilberto, however, whose instantly recognizable voice defined “The Girl From Ipanema,” didn’t earn any money off of the recording. Unbeknowst to Gilberto, her lover and fellow musician on the record, Stan Getz, went to the record company and deliberately cut her out of the deal. Getz was able to do this so easily because Gilberto was a woman (and not from the U.S.), which meant she wasn’t taken seriously, and what followed was a familiar story of exploitation and betrayal. What is uncanny about this story is how familiar and relevant it remains.

The reason I decided to rearrange several tunes that Astrud recorded is to not only honor her musical legacy but to also spread awareness of her real story. It’s important to not just remember the past in the most palatable way, but to remember it accurately, so we can create something better in the future. The goal with this project is to recognize the sacrifices musicians like Astrud went through that allow us to create something new today.