Gilberto Gil

This album is a delicate collection of acoustic grooves (with a couple of electric renditions), with several different world references, ranging from folkloric chants (the researcher/singer Marlui Miranda is instrumental here), northeastern coco (the folkloric "Tatá Engenho Novo" is hot, swinging, and thrilling), cantigas ("Mana," folklore), xote-ska ("Xote"), new age ("Kaô"), modern ciranda ("Ciranda," beautiful, dissonant melody by Moacir Santos), rap ("Rep," excellent deconstruction of that style by the smart percussion of Trilok Gurtu), xaxado ("Onde O Xaxado Tá," faithful acoustic rendition), and the hot Olodum rhythm ("Oslodum").

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado) (1968) {Mercury–Universal 73145428132 rel 1998}
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© 1968, 1998 Mercury / EmArcy / Universal | 73145428132 / 542 813-2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / MPB / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop

Gilberto Gil's second album is packed with some of the best songs of his career – jubilant pop extravaganzas like "Domingo No Parque," "Pega a Voga, Cabeludo," and "Frevo Rasgado" that were equally inspired by the irresistible, brassy bombast of Carnaval and intelligent rock & roll from America and Britain. Even more than the other tropicalistas, though, Gil blends his rock and native influences seamlessly, resulting in songs like "Êle Falava Nisso Todo Dia" that chart an intriguing fusion of Brazilian and British Invasion (before he breaks into Portuguese for the first verse, the intro sounds exactly like a few early Rolling Stones productions).

Gilberto Gil - Acústico: MTV Unplugged (2001) {DVD9 NTSC Warner Music Brasil 8573-80935-2 rec 1994}
DVD9 -> 5.95 Gb | All Regions | NTSC 4:3 | Dolby DIgital 2.0/3.1/5.1 | ~100 min | ISO Image | Artwork | 5% repair rar
Subs: Portugues / English / Espanol / Francais
© 1994, 2001 MTV / Warner Music Brasil | 8573-80935-2
Música popular brasileira / MPB / Tropicalia / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop / Worl Music

Acoustic MTV is a live album by Gilberto Gil, released in 1994 as part of the MTV Acoustic series. Between the tracks are old compositions of the musician and novelties. For being one of the first in the series, produced by MTV Brazil, did not have on the cover, the logo of the broadcaster or the symbol of 'Acoustic MTV', since it followed the pattern of the North American series of 'MTV Unplugged'. Where he brought only the artist in question, in the classic image, stool and guitar, with the other musicians in the background, reading only 'Gilberto Gil Unplugged'.

Gilberto Gil - Gilberto Gil (Nêga) (1971) {2007 Water Music Records Edition with Bonus Tracks - water191}
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© 1971, 2007 Water Music Records / Runt LLC / Universal | water191
Música popular brasileira / MPB / Blues / Pop / World Music

As on Caetano Veloso's album from the same year, Gilberto Gil does not sound happy away from his homeland. Recorded in London, the eight songs on his final self-titled album are mostly blues and introspective, downbeat pop songs. Steve Winwood's "Can't Find My Way Home" is an inspired choice, delivered with a crushing sentimentality rarely found in other versions. Gil also reprises "Volks, Volkswagen Blues" from his 1969 LP. The effect isn't quite as doom-laden as Veloso's work, but Gil is definitely homesick, as the touching "Nêga (Photograph Blues)" shows. [This CD reisssue includes three bonus tracks: a live version of "Can't Find My Way Home" along with "Up from the Skies" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."]

To lovers of Brazilian jazz, the pairing of these two legends of the genre amounts to something of a musical orgasm. The only serious misfire isn't really that bad, just a bit incongruous. Why would two consummate Brazilian ambassadors choose to do their one English lyric song – George Harrison's "Something" – as a reggae tune? The groove is silly, but actually some of the guitar work is fun. Just as when Ivan Lins sings in his native Portuguese rather than stilted English, this tandem is most at home conveying emotions that go beyond simple semantics, usually with Gil writing the music and Nascimento the lyrics. "Sebastian" is a moody bass-and-drum driven power ballad which functions as a showcase to their raspy vocals. The romantic, accordion-enhanced "Duas Sanfonas" would be more effective without the guest vocals by Sandy and Junior.

Gilberto Gil - Kaya N'gan Daya (2002) {Warner Music Brasil 092747177-2}
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© 2002 Warner Music Brasil | 092747177-2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / Música popular brasileira / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop

Perhaps no one in the world outside Jamaica is better equipped to perform a Bob Marley tribute than Gilberto Gil. The two are very nearly equals; Gil meant as much to residents of Brazil as Marley did to Jamaicans – even though popularity in Brazil means competing in a very crowded field. Gil is also an exact contemporary of Marley's (he is three years older, but began recording at the same time) and, like Marley, arrived at a distinctive sound only after years of working in the local vernacular. (For Marley it was ska and rocksteady, while for Gil it was bossa nova and samba.) He does owe a debt of gratitude to Bob Marley, however, for it was Marley's global stardom during the '70s that enabled Gil to begin making an impact overseas (especially in Africa).

Expresso 2222, Gilberto Gil's first album back in Brazil after spending two years in exile, is a spirited return to form, filled with driving, funky bass, hammering piano, and percussive guitar work. Gil's compositions are on par with the best of his 1968 and 1969 self-titled albums, but is a more even overall affair forsaking the outright diversity Gil showed on those previous albums for a more cohesive set of songs, and while the performances aren't as outrageously groundbreaking, with Expresso 2222 Gil had already proved how far he was capable of pushing the envelope, and so the insane arrangements were no longer necessary. This makes Expresso 2222 one of Gil's most immediately palatable releases of his entire career, and compared to the standards of global rock & roll it is of the most compelling and complex yet accessible albums released in the 20th century. Gil's compositions are melodic and beautiful, and his arrangements are imaginative as always; from using a chorus of backing vocals to great effect on "O Canto de Ema" and "Sai do Sereno" to the rhythmic interplay between Gil's guitar, vocals, and layered percussion on the title track, Gil is in top form throughout the album.

Gilberto Gil - Unplugged (1994) {Warner Music Brasil 092746048-2 rel 2003}
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© 1994, 2003 Warner Music Brasil | 092746048-2
Jazz / Brazilian Jazz / Música popular brasileira / Brazilian Traditions / Brazilian Pop

This is undoubtedly the equivalent of Gilberto Gil "Unplugged" – Gil, his acoustic guitar, and a nonelectric five-piece band recorded live in a studio – and it is a thoroughly musical triumph as Gil mesmerizes his attentive audience for some 74 minutes. He starts out with the nearly pure reggae of "A Novidade," but before long, he establishes himself in a mostly consistent, loping set of intimate grooves thoroughly rooted in Brazil.