We got the Brazilian rhythm for this tune from that trip, and the melodic line was inspired by some very old Cape Verdean Portuguese folk music.
"[4] In his biography, Silver describes composing the song while attempting to use the bossa nova rhythm he had observed in Brazil.
[5] The original version featured Silver on piano, with Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone), Carmell Jones (trumpet), Teddy Smith (bass), and Roger Humphries (drums).
Both the bass pattern and the one-measure break occur consistently during the solos as well as the theme choruses, and provide an extra degree of continuity that helps tie the whole performance together.
[7] The composition's opening bass piano notes were borrowed by Steely Dan for their 1974 song "Rikki Don't Lose That Number".