[Ads-l] Antedating of "Bossa Nova"

[Ben Zimmer]

This article suggests the name of the UDN party faction was inspired by the
musical genre, which makes sense since Portuguese-language publications
like O Cruzeiro were already reporting on the music in late '59 / early '60.

http://www.brazzil.com/cvrdec98.htm
"The people responsible for marketing various products in Brazil did not
waste a minute hopping on the bandwagon of bossa nova. [...] Not even
politics were excepted. The UDN (União Democrática Nacional—National
Democratic Union), a former Brazilian party, trying to renew their image,
became 'A bossa nova da UDN.' Knowing that the party no longer exists, one
can only assume the strategy didn't work."

On Wed, Jul 5, 2023 at 5:09 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:

> A few months earlier in English, but not directly musical.  Referring to a
> certain wing of a political party in Brazil.  Raises the question, was the
> party named after the musical style, or vice versa?
>
> Daily Report of Foreign Radio Broadcasts, Foreign Broadcast Information
> Service, No 73, April 14, 1960, page c2.  HathiTrust.
>
> [Begin Excerpt]The so-called “Bossa Nova” wing of the UDN party has stated
> its opposition to the crisis within the party through statement by Deputy
> Alves Macedo. . . . (Recife, Jornal do Comercio, Apr. 14, 1960, 0200 GMT –
> W) [End Excerpt]
>
> Wikipedia cites a blog post that says the name of the musical style was
> written in chalk on a blackboard as early as 1957.  The person believed to
> have coined the term was apparently honored on the Ipanema Walk of Fame.
>
> http://blogdatocadovinicius.blogspot.com/2010/02/0025-moyses-fuks-na-calcada.html
>
>
> Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Windows
>
> From: ADSGarson O'Toole<mailto:adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, July 2, 2023 3:19 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU<mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Subject: Re: Antedating of "Bossa Nova"
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Antedating of "Bossa Nova"
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Same article appeared a couple days earlier in "The San Diego Union".
>
> Date: July 28, 1960
> Newspaper: The San Diego Union
> Newspaper Location: San Diego, California
> Article: Brazil Unmoved By Cuban Issue
> Author: Sol Biderman (Copley News Service)
> Quote Page a28
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> They are elated at the 5-1 victory of the Brazilian soccer team over
> Argentina and they are playing the latest record releases of "Bossa
> Nova," a new trend in Brazilian popular music.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Sun, Jul 2, 2023 at 4:46=E2=80=AFPM Shapiro, Fred <
> fred.shapiro at yale.edu=
> > wrote:
> >
> > bossa nova (OED 1962)
> >
> > 1960 _Evening Vanguard_ (Venice, Cal.) 30 July 6/1 (Newspapers.com)
> They're

playing the latest record releases of "Bossa Nova," a new trend in
> Brazilian popular music.
> >
>

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