 Multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter Gilberto Gil joined his first group,
the Desafinados, in the mid-'50s and by the beginning of the 1960s was earning a
living as a jingle composer. Although known mostly as a guitarist, he also holds
his own with drums, trumpet, and accordion.
He began playing the accordion when he was eight, and he listened to street
singers in the marketplace around Salvador. By the end of the 1950s, Gilberto
Gil was
studying business administration at Savlador's Federal University and playing
with a group called Os Desafinados. At this time he heard singer and guitarist
João Gilberto on the radio and was so impressed that he immediately bought a
guitar and learned to play and sing the bossa nova. He spent the early '60s
composing songs for TV ads, and in 1964, he was in Nos Por Exemplo, a show of
bossa nova and traditional Brazilian songs directed by Caetano Veloso. In 1965,
he moved to São Paulo, and after singing and playing in various shows, he had
his first hit when singer Elis Regina recorded his song "Louvacao." He began to
establish himself as a singer of protest songs, and he became very popular with
Brazilians involved in the Tropicalia movement, which opened up native Brazilian
folk music to other kinds of influences. The success of the single "Louvacao"
inspired Gilberto Gil to record an album of his own material with the same title.
Gilberto Gil made his first self-titled recording in 1966, but his first hit single
didn't come about until 1969, with "Aquele Abraco." His musical fusion of bossa
nova, samba, and other styles was so revolutionary it frightened the country's
military dictatorship into arresting him, and that's when he headed to Great
Britain. (He and Caetano Veloso were placed in solitary confinement while
authorities figured out what they wanted to do with the pair.) After three years
in England, where he had the chance to work with groups like Pink Floyd, Yes,
the Incredible String Band, and Rod Stewart's band in London clubs, he returned
to Brazil in 1972. He recorded Expresso 2222, which spurred two hit singles in
Brazil, "Back in Bahia" and "Oriente." After playing at the Midem Festival in
France in 1973, Gilberto Gil recorded Ao Vivo in 1974. A year later, he recorded with
Jorge Ben for the album Gil & Jorge. In 1976, he toured with Veloso, Gal Costa,
and Maria Bethânia and released the Doces Báraros album. For most of the rest of
the 1970s, he recorded for a variety of Brazilian record companies until signing
an international deal with the WEA group of labels in 1977. He toured U.S.
colleges in 1978 and firmly established his place in the international jazz
world with his albums Nightingale (1978) and Realce (1979) . He also released a
double live album in 1978, Gilberto Gil ao Vivo em Montreux, recorded during his
performances at the jazz and blues festival in Switzerland. In 1980, Gilberto
Gil teamed
up with reggae musician Jimmy Cliff. The pair toured Brazil, and Gil's cover of
Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" climbed to number one, selling 700,000 copies.
Gilberto Gil followed up in 1981 with Luar (A Gente Precisa Ver o Luar), one of his
most acclaimed recordings. In 1982, he performed again at the Montreux Festival,
but this time with Jimmy Cliff. He followed up with Um Banda Um (1982), Extra
(1983), and Raça Humana (1984), the last recorded with Bob Marley's Wailers.
In the late '70s, Gilberto Gil became a prominent spokesman for the black
consciousness movement then taking place in Brazil. In 1982, he had huge
crossover success with "Palco," which became popular in dance clubs and led to
stadium tours of Europe. Meanwhile, back in the U.S., he would play mid-sized
jazz clubs in New York City and Los Angeles. Gilberto Gil celebrated his then two-decade
career in 1985 with the album DIA Dorim Noite Neon (released in the U.S.), and
released Gilberto Gil em Concerto, recorded live in Rio, in 1987.
The early '90s saw Gilberto Gil continuing his involvement in social and political
causes in his native country, finding widespread support for his political
stances, and he was elected to office in the port city of Salvador, his
hometown, aka the Black Rome.
A leader of the Tropicalia movement in Brazil in 1967 and 1968 along with
artists like Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa, he and other musicians mixed native
styles with rock and folk instruments. Because Gilberto Gil fused samba, salsa, and bossa
nova with rock and folk music, he's recognized today as one of the pioneers in
world music. Among Gil's other albums are Refazenda (1975), Gilberto a Bahia
(1985), and Parabolic (1992). He released Acoustic for the Atlantic Jazz label
in 1994. On Acoustic, he's joined by Carlos Fonseca on acoustic guitar and
Jorges Gomes on drums and mandolin. ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide
Contact Grabow for more information or to book Gilberto Gil
for your next corporate or private event.
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