Josee Koning meets Antonio Carlos Jobim (1993)

It was 1993, and I was invited to come to Rio de Janeiro by Dutch TV personality Tineke de Nooij. She was making a small documentary called “Samba in your blood”, and wanted to know more about my passion for Brazilian music. She arranged for us to meet with maestro Tom Jobim. It left me emotional, speechless and overwhelmed. When I told Tom I recorded three Brazilian albums with my band Batida, I was ashamed to say that I didn’t include any of his songs. He told me to think about it next time... Back home I decided I really wanted to record a Tom Jobim album, and invited the maestro himself to participate. Much to my surprise he agreed. But when the recordings were about to start, Tom Jobim passed away at the age of 67 on December 8, 1994. Like many other lovers of Brazilian music, I was devastated. To honor the maestro, I recorded the album “Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim” in 1995. It was arranged and produced by another maestro: Dori Caymmi, a great friend of Tom Jobim.