Articles » Gene Lees, Jazz Critic and Historian,Dies at 82 (~nytimes.com)

Gene Lees photo by Ruby Washington

Gene Lees, Jazz Critic and Historian, Dies at 82
By PETER KEEPNEWS
Published: April 26, 2010

Gene Lees, a prolific jazz critic and historian who approached his subject with a journalist’s rigor and an insider’s understanding, died on Thursday at his home in Ojai, Calif. He was 82.

The apparent cause was a stroke, said Leslie A. Westbrook, a family spokeswoman.

The author of numerous books, Mr. Lees was not just an observer of the music scene, he was also a participant.

He was an accomplished lyricist whose credits included “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,” the English-language lyric for Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Corcovado,” which was recorded by Frank Sinatra, Astrud Gilberto and many others. He was also a vocalist, with several albums to his credit.

Articles » Antonio Carlos Jobim, by Gene Lees

Antonio Carlos Jobim
By Gene Lees

Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994; also known as Tom Jobim) was by no means the sole musician associated with the Brazilian bossa nova movement, but he more than anyone else is regarded as the principal figure in that bittersweet, syncopated style. Already a well-trained musician by his teens, in the mid-'40s he devoted himself entirely to music, and started playing in nightclubs in Rio de Janeiro, particularly in the beach areas of Ipanema and Copacabana.

Widely known as the composer of "The Girl from Ipanema" (Garota de Ipanema), one of the most recorded songs of all time, Jobim has left a large number of songs that are today included in the standard Jazz and Pop repertoires.

The article below was written by jazz critic/historian Gene Lees on June 1993; and it's quoted from the liner notes of the album: "Verve Jazz Masters 13: Antonio Carlos Jobim"