Rich musical history of Yugoslavia reveals a long-lasting love for the music of Latin America.

Entwined in Afro-Cuban rhythms, ballrooms were shakin', swayin' and swingin', gathering musicians who were heavily into jazz bands and orchestras, most notably in Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Belgrade. Jazz could be heard on the streets of Split way back in 1919 when dancing became a symbol of freedom. Radio was the most loved household item, newest sheet music was in demand and collecting records was hip like today. In the aftermath of Second World War, jazz went underground but little by little, things changed and Ella, Satchmo, Dizzy and Miles came to visit, among others. Music festivals shaped the music for entertainment and variety of popular styles showed influences from all over the world. In the early sixties, one particular rhythm crashed on the coast of the Adriatic Sea: the rhythm of bossa nova!

In the whirlwind of various musical styles, Latin American music still played important part of the scene in the early sixties Yugoslavia. Beguine, tango, rhumba, samba, calypso, mambo and cha-cha-cha all found their place on the festivals inspired by famous Sanremo, festival of Italian popular song that largely shaped the musical taste of Europe. It was the era of instrumental rock, R & B and rock'n'roll - sounds of ""imperialist America"" now played freely on imported and hand-made electric guitars. While dancing halls had been turning into concert venues, bossa nova has come! Eydie Gorme with Blame It on the Bossa Nova and Paul Anka with Eso Besso (That Kiss!) tried to make us learn some new dance moves but it was Joao Gilberto's gentle singing and his new way of playing samba songs, along with Tom Jobim's modern dissonant harmonies and poetry of Vinicius de Moraes that created the magic. When American alto saxophonist and flautist Bud Shank visited Zagreb and Ljubljana in 1963 (with Boško Petrović in his quintet) ""it was the first time we heard bossa nova!"" remembers Stjepan Braco Fučkar. Jugoton, the biggest record company in Yugoslavia, released 4-track EP Bossa Nova by Bogdan Dimitrijević and his ensemble that same year! While not being fully accepted or understood completely, the archives of Jugoton reveal to us various interpretations of this new trend from their vast catalogue.

01. Arsen Dedić - Onaj dan
02. Zdenka Vučković - Bosonoga
03. Bogdan Dimitrijević - O barquinho
04. Nino Robić - Jedna nota (Samba de uma nota só)
05. Milan Bačić - Hō-Bá Lá-Lá
06. Beti Jurković - Ljuljačka
07. Elda Viler - Senca tvojega nasmeha (The Shadow of Your Smile)
08. Arsen Dedić - Često te sretnem
09. Bogdan Dimitrijević - Hershey Bar
10. Zdenka Vučković - Izgubljeno (Desafinado)
11. Drago Diklić - Moja draga
12. Krunoslav Kićo Slabinac - Tko si ti
13. Plesni Orkestar RTZ - Plava krizantema
14. Gabi Novak i Radojka Šverko - Za mene je sreća (Samba da Rosa)
15. Dubrovački Trubaduri - Ljuven zov
16. Vikica Brešer - Sunčano ljeto
17. Drago Diklić - Nitko na svijetu
18. Višnja Korbar - Subotnje veče
19. Arsen Dedić - Večeras
20. Jimmy Stanić & Glenn Rich Orchestra - The girl from Ipanema