The name of this music and dance style, a blend of jazz and samba, comes from the Portuguese language, and means "new trend." What is it?

This musical style's name is a perfect description of its origins, translating from Portuguese as "new trend" or "new wave." It emerged in Brazil during the late 1950s as a deliberate break from tradition. Musicians took the percussive, high-energy rhythms of samba and fused them with the harmonically complex and subdued feeling of American cool jazz. The result was a sound that was sophisticated, intimate, and entirely new for its time.

Born in the beachside neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, the movement was pioneered by artists like composer Antônio Carlos Jobim and guitarist João Gilberto. The signature sound featured soft, almost whispered vocals, intricate nylon-string guitar patterns, and poetic lyrics that often spoke of love, longing, and the beauty (Review) of daily life. This understated and relaxed style captured the optimistic spirit of a modernizing Brazil.

The "new trend" quickly became a global phenomenon in the early 1960s. The song "The Girl from Ipanema," featuring American saxophonist Stan Getz, became a worldwide hit and is one of the most famous examples of the genre. Its influence can still be heard today in jazz, pop, and electronic music, forever associated with an effortless, breezy cool.