Bossa nova — the Brazilian music genre that fuses jazz, blues and samba and which most people know from the smash hit “The Girl From Ipanema” — is a genre that is as timeless as it is joyous. Countless nights have been danced away to the dulcet tuneage of bossa nova brilliance, and untold numbers of babies have been conceived under its deeply romantic influence. With the death of bossa nova pioneer João Gilberto this past July, tonight’s 60th Anniversary of Bossa Nova — starring daughter Bebel Gilberto and lifelong friend Sergio Mendes — will likely be one of the most poignant dance numbers you’ll experience all year. A somber samba? Only if you feel the weight of those decades on your shoulders and not the rhythms that move you beyond all earthly concerns such as still believing in time.

Bebel Gilberto & Sergio Mendes play at 8 p.m. on Saturday, November 16 at Royce Hall.

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