Artist Daniel Jobim honors the musical legacy of his grandfather, a bossa nova pioneer

Musician Antonio Carlos “Tom” Jobim, who died in 1994 at the age of 67, is a legend in Brazil.

Tom Jobim was a pioneer in the bossa nova musical style that first captivated US audiences in the early 1960s.

That’s a legacy that his grandson, 50-year-old artist Daniel Jobim, is keeping alive. Daniel Jobim is on tour in the US this month with another Brazilian superstar, Seu Jorge — and they’re performing Tom Jobim’s music.

“We feel so good playing all the beautiful songs to new audiences, and it feels great to keep the music alive,” Daniel Jobim said.  

They had fun sifting through his grandfather’s music, which he said gained popularity across generations and social classes: “My grandfather’s music reaches all places.”

Maybe the universality of Tom Jobim’s music has something to do with his love for nature. Daniel Jobim said he passed down that passion to him.

Tom Jobim was an ornithologist and “He taught me how to hug trees, you know, and listen to the birds,” Daniel Jobim said, adding, “Brazil is full of melodic birds; they sing beautiful melodies, and he got very inspired by them.”

To hear the full interview with Daniel Jobim, click on the audio player above.