The bossa nova craze in the US during the 1960s was a curious phenomenon. While John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Miles Davis were redefining, expanding and revolutionising jazz, Americans in the midst of an economic boom were dancing to the swinging sounds of Copacabana. It was the white US-American guitarist Charlie Byrd and his friend, the white US-American saxophonist Stan Getz, who sparked a wave of enthusiasm with their album "Jazz Samba", featuring music from Latin America, from Brazil, a multi-ethnic nation whose people and culture blend African, European and indigenous influences. It was music that defied the poverty of a Third World country, exuding a zest for life with a touch of melancholy. Even before the true protagonists of bossa nova — João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell and Sergio Mendes — became known abroad, two white US-Americans had paved the way. Was this cultural appropriation or a passion for a new sound? That’s for everyone to decide for themselves. In any case, it all began with this album. I prefer later albums in the genre, though. Perhaps it's because they're more sensual, more melancholic and less polished than this first version. Nevertheless, it is certainly a milestone.