The release of Getz/Gilberto created a bossa nova craze in the United States, and subsequently internationally. PopularityĪ key event in making Jobim's music known in the English speaking world was his collaboration with the American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, João Gilberto and Gilberto's wife at the time, Astrud Gilberto, which resulted in two albums, Getz/Gilberto (1963) and Getz/Gilberto Vol. This collaboration proved successful, and Vinicius went on to pen the lyrics to some of Jobim's most popular songs. Moraes was at the time away in Montevideo, Uruguay, working for the Itamaraty (the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and so he and Jobim were only able to write three songs, primarily over the telephone ("A Felicidade", "Frevo",and "O Nosso Amor"). Gordine asked de Moraes and Jobim for a new score for the film Black Orpheus (1959).
Later, when the play was turned into a film, producer Sacha Gordine did not want to use any of the existing music from the play. The most popular song from the show was "Se Todos Fossem Iguais A Você" (" Someone to Light Up My Life"). Jobim became prominent in Brazil when he teamed up with poet and diplomat Vinicius de Moraes to write the music for the play Orfeu de Conceição (1956). Among many themes, his lyrics talked about love, self discovery, betrayal, joy and especially about the birds and natural wonders of Brazil, like the "Mata Atlântica" forest, characters of Brazilian folklore like Matita Pereira (Saci Pererê), and his home city of Rio de Janeiro. Jobim was also influenced by the French composers Claude Debussy and Ravel, and by jazz. Among his teachers were Lúcia Branco, and, from 1941 on, Hans-Joachim Koellreutter. Jobim's musical roots were planted firmly in the work of Pixinguinha, the legendary musician and composer who began modern Brazilian music in the 1930s.