Which style started in Rio in the late 1950s, with the acoustic guitar as principal instrument and a duple rhythm that starts on the downbeat and is swung?

Which style started in Rio in the late 1950s, with the acoustic guitar as principal instrument and a duple rhythm that starts on the downbeat and is swung?

• A. Blues
• B. Afro-Cuban
• C. Bossa nova
• D. Afro-Brazilian

Answer: (C)

Bossa nova emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, built around the acoustic guitar as the leading instrument and a smooth, intimate vocal style. The rhythm is a duple feel that’s swung, giving a gentle, long-short groove that kicks off on the downbeat. This combination—Brazilian urban sophistication, guitar-driven accompaniment, and a swung two-beat pulse—defines the style. Blues is rooted in American traditions with a different harmonic and rhythmic framework; Afro-Cuban music emphasizes percussion and clave-based patterns from Cuba; Afro-Brazilian covers broader Brazilian Afro-influenced rhythms, not the specific late-1950s Rio guitar-led swung duple feel. So the description matches bossa nova.

Bossa nova emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, built around the acoustic guitar as the leading instrument and a smooth, intimate vocal style. The rhythm is a duple feel that’s swung, giving a gentle, long-short groove that kicks off on the downbeat. This combination—Brazilian urban sophistication, guitar-driven accompaniment, and a swung two-beat pulse—defines the style. Blues is rooted in American traditions with a different harmonic and rhythmic framework; Afro-Cuban music emphasizes percussion and clave-based patterns from Cuba; Afro-Brazilian covers broader Brazilian Afro-influenced rhythms, not the specific late-1950s Rio guitar-led swung duple feel. So the description matches bossa nova.