Soul Bossa Nova

Quincy Jones recorded 'Soul Bossa Nova' in 1962 for the album Big Band Bossa Nova, arranged and conducted by Jones himself with a large ensemble of New York session musicians, capturing the peak of the early-1960s bossa nova craze that swept American jazz. Released on Mercury Records in 1962, the track exemplified Jones's mastery of merging American big band jazz with Brazilian bossa nova rhythms at a moment when the genre was electrifying New York's musical scene following the landmark 1962 Carnegie Hall bossa nova concert. 'Soul Bossa Nova' became one of the most recognisable jazz instrumentals of the 20th century through its use as the theme for the Austin Powers film series beginning in 1997, introducing it to a global mainstream audience and cementing its status as a defining emblem of 1960s cool.