One Note Samba: A Bossa Nova Standard

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This Is Just a Little Song, Built upon a Single Note

Antonio Carlos (or Tom) Jobim wrote the music--and translated Newton Mendonca's Portuguese lyrics into English--for Samba Uma Nota So, or One Note Samba, but the song was first recorded by Stan Getz for his 1962 album "Jazz Samba". The song went on to become a major hit in the United States and was at the forefront of a global bossa nova craze in the mid-1960s.

The One Note Samba still captures the imagination of jazz singers--and indie rock bands--today. John Pizzarelli relased "Bossa Nova" in 2004 with One Note Samba as the first track (and including more of Jobim's seminal work). The Postmarks covered the song on their 2008 album, "By-the-Numbers", again as the first track.

On this lens, you'll find cool, swinging bossa nova versions of the One Note Samba as well as some rowdier jazz covers of the song and versions of Samba Uma Nota So in the original Portuguese. I've included links to sheet music and guitar tabs for the song, as well as music videos and a place to sample some of them. Please let me know if I've missed your favorite version and I'll see if I can find it to include!

Frank Sinatra's Collaboration with Antonio Carlos Jobim

One Note Samba and More Bossa Nova Swing

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim

Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

Not only did Frank Sinatra tone his swingin' self down to suit Jobim's mellower style, but their collaboration on One Note Samba and Jobim's other Bossa Nova creations. The two work surprisingly well together, and the whole album is a joy to hear.

Lyrics, Sheet Music, and Guitar Tabs for One Note Samba

I was going to include a picture of the sheet music for One Note Samba here, but it would be too small to be usable. Instead, you can print sheet music for the original version or the Stan Getz version in a much larger (and more readable) format and get guitar tabs for both the Portuguese and English versions. The lyrics for One Note Samba are as follows:

This is just a little samba,
Built upon a single note
Other notes are bound to follow,
But the root is still that note

Now this new one is the consequence,
Of the one we've just been through
As I'm bound to be the unavoidable
Consequence of you

There's so many people who can talk
And talk and talk and just say nothing,
Or nearly nothing
I have used up all the scale I know
And at the end I've come to nothing,
Or nearly nothing

So I come back to my first note,
As I must come back to you
I will pour into that one note,
All the love I feel for you
Anyone who wants the whole show,
Re mi fa so la si do
He will find himself with no show,
Better play the note you know


and in Portuguese:
Eis aqui este sambinha
Feito numa nota só
Outras notas vão entrar
Mas a base é uma só
Esta outra é conseqüência
Do que acabo de dizer
Como eu sou a conseqüência
Inevitável de você
Quanta gente existe por aí
Que fala tanto e não diz nada
Ou quase nada
E voltei pra minha nota
Como eu volto pra você
Vou contar com minha nota
Como eu gosto de você
E quem quer todas as notas
Re mi fá sol lá si dó
Fica sempre sem nenhuma
Fique numa nota só

Sample Various Cover Versions of the One Note Samba

From The Postmarks to Rosemary Clooney to Ella Fitzgerald to Stereolab

The idea of an exceedingly simple song that blossoms to encompass an entire love has long intrigued musicians. Try some of the many cover versions of One Note Samba, in English and the original Brazilian Portuguese. I was sad to discover that Amazon does not offer an mp3 version of Frank Sinatra performing the song, so he's included above. The most recent version is that of The Postmarks, who took the song to a new, atmospheric, but enjoyable level.

Music Videos for the One Note Samba

Bossa Nova Versions from the Across the Decades

I've started with Antonio Carlos Jobim, of course, at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 1986. The Dizzy Gillespie and Erroll Garner versions have no vocals, but they showcase the beauty of the music (and the talents of both of those fabulous musicians). The Astrud Gilberto video includes the Portuguese words from Jobim's original song. So does Dusty Springfield's version, in a very 1960s video. The last one, with Kaye Ballard on the Muppet Show, includes a freaky Vend-A-Face portion of about three minutes, before Miss Piggy and Ms. Ballard vie for one-note supremacy, so please be patient.
Antonio Carlos Jobim - Samba De Uma Nota Só
by scofak | video info

619 ratings | 206,267 views
curated content from YouTube

One Note Samba on iTunes

Sample and Buy Versions Here

Track Artist Album  
One Note Samba Antonio Carlos Jobim The Composer of "Desafinado", Plays
One Note Samba (Vocal) Astrud Gilberto & The Stan Getz Quartet Getz Plays Jobin: The Girl from Ipanema
One Note Samba Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65 Best of Sergio Mendes and Brasil '65
One Note Samba Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass Fitzgerald & Pass...Again
One Note Samba John Pizzarelli & Rosemary Clooney Brazil
One Note Samba (LP Version) Herbie Mann Do the Bossa Nova
One Note Samba Bucky and John Pizzarelli Passion Guitars
One Note Samba The Modern Jazz Quartet Collaboration (With Laurindo Almeida)
One Note Samba (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival) Ella Fitzgerald & The Tommy Flanagan Trio Montreux '77
One Note Samba Carlos Gilberto Latin Jazz
One Note Samba The Postmarks By the Numbers

Which Version of One Note Samba Is Your Favorite?

Do You Prefer Jobim's Portuguese or Ella Fitzgerald's English and Scat?

Share what you love about the One Note Samba, the people who performed the various cover versions, and anything else you might have to say about Bossa Nova in general. Do you remember when this was a big hit or did you learn about it from The Postmarks?

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From Antonio Carlos Jobim

The Best of Antonio Carlos Jobim: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

Amazon Price: $2.60 (as of 02/16/2012)Buy Now

There's a reason Tom Jobim was covered by the 20th Century Masters series. He's got a lovely voice and plays a mean guitar, both of which serve him well in his songwriting. Get the best-known of his songs all on one inexpensive disc and see for yourself how much he deserves his fame.