Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (born January 25, 1927 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – December 8, 1994 in New York City), also called Tom Jobim, was a Brazilian composer, arranger, singer, pianist and perhaps the greatest legend of
bossa nova. Jobim's compositions, many performed by
João Gilberto, gave birth to the genre in the early 1960s. Jobim's roots were planted firmly in the works of
Pixinguinha, a legendary musician and composer who, in the 1930s, began the development of modern Brazilian music. He was also influenced by the music of French composer
Claude Debussy and by
jazz.