Johnny Alf - the pianist who invented bossa-nova

Johnny Alf had, in the mid-1950s, composed 'Rapaz de Bem' - a song with a linear melody, a gentle way of singing, a series of unconventional key changes, a rhythmic dissociation of drums and bass - or, to put it simply, he invented bossa-nova. He was also Black, poor and gay in an industry aiming to attract affluent white audiences to the genre, so his legacy remained obscure, even among Brazilians, although genre’s legends always saw him as a musical guru. New York Times tells the story.