Gilberto Gil
Encyclopedia
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (born June 26, 1942), better known as Gilberto Gil (ʒiɫˈbɛʁtu ʒiɫ) or (ʒiu̯ˈbɛɾtʊ ʒiu̯), is a Brazil
ian singer, guitarist
, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture
in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
.
Gil started to play music as a child and was still a teenager when he joined his first band. He began his career as a bossa nova
musician, and then grew to write songs that reflected a focus on political awareness and social activism. He was a key figure in the Música Popular Brasileira
and tropicália
movements of the 1960s, alongside artists such as longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso
. The Brazilian military regime that took power in 1964 saw both Gil and Veloso as a threat, and the two were held for nine months in 1969 before they were told to leave the country. Gil moved to London, but returned to state of Bahia
in 1972 and continued his musical career, as well as working as a politician and environmental advocate.
Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including Rock music
, Brazilian genres
including samba
, African music
, and reggae
.
, an industrial city in the northeast of Brazil, though he spent much of his childhood in nearby Ituaçu
. Ituaçu was a small town of fewer than a thousand, located in the sertão
, or countryside, of Bahia. His father, José Gil Moreira, was a doctor; his mother, Claudina Passos Gil Moreira, an elementary school teacher. As a young boy, he attended a Marist Brothers
school. Gil remained in Ituaçu until he was nine years old, returning to Salvador for secondary school.
Gil's interest in music was precocious: "When I was only two or two and a half," he recalled, "I told my mother I was going to become a musician or a president of my country." He grew up listening to the forró
music of his native northeast, and took an interest in the street performers of Salvador. Early on, he began to play the drums and the trumpet, through listening to Bob Nelson on the radio. Gil's mother was the "chief supporter" in his musical ambitions; she bought him an accordion
and, when he was ten years old, sent him to music school in Salvador which he attended for four years. As an accordionist, Gil first played classical music, but grew more interested in the folk and popular music of Brazil. He was particularly influenced by singer and accordion player Luiz Gonzaga
; he began to sing and play the accordion in an emulation of Gonzaga's recordings. Gil has noted that he grew to identify with Gonzaga "because he sang about the world around [him], the world that [he] encountered." During his years in Salvador, Gil also encountered the music of songwriter Dorival Caymmi
, who he says represented to him the "beach-oriented" samba music of Salvador. Gonzaga and Caymmi were Gil's formative influences. While in Salvador, Gil was introduced to many other styles of music, including American big band
jazz and tango
. In 1950 Gil moved back to Salvador with his family. It was there, while still in high school, that he joined his first band, Os Desafinados (The Out of Tunes), in which he played accordion and vibraphone and sang. Os Desafinados was influenced by American rock and roll musicians like Elvis Presley, as well as singing groups from Rio de Janeiro. The band was active for two to three years. Soon afterwards, inspired by Brazilian star João Gilberto
, he settled on the guitar
as his primary instrument and began to play bossa nova.
at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
(Federal University of Bahia) in 1963. The two immediately began collaborating and performing together, releasing a single and EP soon afterwards. Along with Maria Bethânia
(Veloso's sister), Gal Costa
, and Tom Zé
, Gil and Veloso performed bossa nova and traditional Brazilian songs at the Vila Velha Theatre's opening night in July 1964, a show entitled Nós, por Exemplo (Us, for Example). Gil and the group continued to perform at the venue and he eventually became a musical director of the concert series. Gil collaborated again with members of this collective on the landmark 1968 album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses
, whose style was influenced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, an album Gil listened to constantly. Gil describes Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses as the birth of the tropicália movement. As Gil describes it, tropicália (or Tropicalismo) was a conflation of musical and cultural developments that had occurred in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960s—primarily bossa nova
and the Jovem Guarda
(Young Wave) collective—with rock and roll
music from the United States and Europe, a movement deemed threatening by the Brazilian government of the time.
Early on in the 1960s, Gil earned income primarily from selling bananas in a shopping mall and trying composing jingle
s for television advertisement
s; he was also briefly employed by the Brazilian division of Unilever
, Gessy-Lever. He moved to São Paulo
in 1965 and had a hit single
when his song "Louvação" (which later appeared on the album of the same name
) was released by Elis Regina
. However, his first hit as a solo artist was the 1969 song "Aquele Abraço". Gil also performed in several television programs throughout the 1960s, which often included other "tropicalistas", members of the Tropicalismo movement. One of these programs, Divina Maravilhoso, which featured Veloso, gained attention from government television censors after it aired a satirical version of the national anthem in December 1968.
In February 1969 Gil and Veloso were arrested by the Brazilian military government, brought from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro
, and spent three months in prison and another four under house arrest, before being freed on the condition that they leave the country. Veloso was the first to be arrested; the police moved to Gil's home soon afterward. Veloso had directed his then-wife Andréa Gadelha to warn Gil about the possibility of arrest, but Gil was eventually brought into the police van along with Veloso. They were given no reason or charge for their arrest. Gil believes that the government felt his actions "represent[ed] a threat [to them], something new, something that can't quite be understood, something that doesn't fit into any of the clear compartments of existing cultural practices, and that won't do. That is dangerous." During his prison sentence, Gil began to meditate
, follow a macrobiotic diet
, and read about Eastern philosophy
. He composed four songs during his imprisonment, among them "Cérebro Electrônico" (Electronic Brain), which first appeared on his 1969 album Gilberto Gil 1969, and later on his 2006 album Gil Luminoso
. Thereafter, Gil and Veloso were exiled to London
, England after being offered to leave Brazil. The two played a last Brazilian concert together in Salvador in July 1969, then left to Portugal, Paris, and finally London. He and Veloso took a house in Chelsea
, sharing it with their manager and wives. Gil was involved in the organisation of the 1971 Glastonbury
Free Festival
and was exposed to reggae while living in London; he recalls listening to Bob Marley
(whose songs he later covered), Jimmy Cliff
, and Burning Spear
. He was heavily influenced by and involved with the city's rock scene as well, performing with Yes
, Pink Floyd
, and the Incredible String Band
. However, he also performed solo, recording Gilberto Gil (Nêga) while in London. In addition to involvement in the reggae and rock scenes, Gil attended performances by jazz artists, including Miles Davis
and Sun Ra
.
When he went back to Bahia in 1972, Gil focused on his musical career and environmental advocacy work. He released Expresso 2222 the same year, from which two popular singles were released. Gil toured the United States and recorded an English-language album as well, continuing to release a steady stream of albums throughout the 1970s, including Realce and Refazenda. In the early 1970s Gil participated in a resurgence of the Afro-Brazilian
afoxé
tradition in Carnaval
, joining the Filhos de Gandhi (Sons of Gandhi) performance group, which only allowed black Brazilians to join. Gil also recorded a song titled "Patuscada de Gandhi" written about the Filhos de Gandhi that appeared on his 1977 album Refavela. Greater attention was paid to afoxé groups in Carnaval because of the publicity that Gil had provided to them through his involvement; the groups increased in size as well. In the late 1970s he left Brazil for Africa and visited Senegal
, Côte d'Ivoire
, and Nigeria
. He also worked with Jimmy Cliff
and released a cover
of "No Woman, No Cry
" with him in 1980, a number one hit that introduced reggae
to Brazil.
In 1996, Gil contributed "Refazenda" to the AIDS-Benefit Album Red Hot + Rio
produced by the Red Hot Organization
.
In 1998 the live version of his album Quanta won Gil the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
. In 2005 he won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
for Eletracústico. In May 2005 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize
by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
in Stockholm
, the prize's first Latin American recipient. On October 16 of the same year he received the Légion d'honneur
from the French government
, coinciding with the Année du Brésil en France (Brazil's Year in France).
In 2010 he released the album Fé Na Festa, a record devoted to forró
, a style of music from Brazil's northeast. His tour to promote this album received some negative feedback from fans who were expecting to hear a set featuring his hits.
Gil describes his attitude towards politics thus: "I'd rather see my position in the government as that of an administrator or manager. But politics is a necessary ingredient." His political career began in 1987, when he was elected to a local post in Bahia and became the Salvador secretary of culture. In 1988, he was elected to the city council and subsequently became city commissioner for environmental protection. However, he left the office after one term and declined to run for the National Congress of Brazil
. In 1990, Gil left the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and joined the Green Party
. During this period, Gil founded the environmental protection organization Onda Azul (Blue Wave), which worked to protect Brazilian waters. He maintained a full-time musical career at the same time, and withdrew temporarily from politics in 1992, following the release Parabolicamará, considered to be one of his most successful efforts. On October 16, 2001 Gil accepted his nomination to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations
, having promoted the organization before his appointment.
When President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
took office in January 2003, he chose Gil as Brazil's new Minister of Culture, only the second black person to serve in the country's cabinet
. The appointment was controversial among political and artistic figures and the Brazilian press; a remark Gil made about difficulties with his salary received particular criticism. Gil is not a member of Lula's Workers' Party
and did not participate in creating its cultural program. Shortly after becoming Minister, Gil began a partnership between Brazil and Creative Commons
. As Minister, he has sponsored a program called Culture Points, which gives grants
to provide music technology and education to people living in poor areas of the country's cities. Gil has since asserted that "You've now got young people who are becoming designers, who are making it into media and being used more and more by television and samba schools and revitalizing degraded neighborhoods. It's a different vision of the role of government, a new role." Gil has also expressed interest in a program that will establish an Internet repository of freely downloadable
Brazilian music. Since Gil's appointment, the department's expenditures have increased by over 50 percent. In November 2007 Gil announced his intention to resign from his post due to a vocal cord
polyp
. Lula rejected Gil's first two attempts to resign, but accepted another request in July 2008. Lula said on this occasion that Gil was "going back to being a great artist, going back to giving priority to what is most important" to him.
's drummer – died in a car accident in 1990. Preta Gil
, an actress and singer, is his daughter.
Gil's religious beliefs have changed significantly over his lifetime. Originally, he was a Christian
, but was later influenced by Eastern philosophy
and religion, and, later still, explored African spirituality. He is now an agnostic
. He practices yoga and is a vegetarian.
Gil has been open about the fact that he has smoked marijuana
for much of his life. He has said he believes "that drugs should be treated like pharmaceuticals, legalized, although under the same regulations and monitoring as medicines".
. Gil's musical style incorporates a broad range of influences. The first music he was exposed to included The Beatles and street performers in various metropolitan areas of Bahia. During his first years as a musician, Gil performed primarily in a blend of traditional Brazilian styles with two-step
rhythms, such as baião
and samba
. He states that "My first phase was one of traditional forms. Nothing experimental at all. Caetano [Veloso] and I followed in the tradition of Luiz Gonzaga
and Jackson do Pandeiro
, combining samba with northeastern music."
As one of the pioneers of tropicália, influences from genres such as rock
and punk
have been pervasive in his recordings, as they have been in those of other stars of the period, including Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé. Gil's interest in the blues
-based music of rock pioneer Jimi Hendrix
, in particular, has been described by Veloso as having "extremely important consequences for Brazilian music". Veloso also noted the influence of Brazilian guitarist and singer Jorge Ben
on Gil's musical style, coupled with that of traditional music. After the height of tropicália in the 1960s, Gil became increasingly interested in black culture, particularly in the Jamaican musical genre of reggae
. He described the genre as "a form of democratizing, internationalizing, speaking a new language, a Heideggerian
form of passing along fundamental messages".
Visiting Lagos
, Nigeria, in 1976 for the Festival of African Culture (FESTAC), Gil met fellow musicians Fela Kuti
and Stevie Wonder
. He became inspired by African music and later integrated some of the styles he had heard in Africa, such as juju
and highlife
, into his own recordings. One of the most famous of these African-influenced records was the 1977 album Refavela, which included "No Norte da Saudade" (To the North of Sadness), a song heavily influenced by reggae. When Gil returned to Brazil after the visit, he focused on Afro-Brazilian culture, becoming a member of the Carnaval afoxé group Filhos de Gandhi.
Conversely, his 1980s musical repertoire presented an increased development of dance trends, such as disco
and soul
, as well as the previous incorporation of rock and punk. However, Gil says that his 1994 album Acoustic was not such a new direction, as he had previously performed unplugged with Caetano Veloso. He describes the method of playing as easier than other types of performance, as the energy of acoustic playing is simple and influenced by its roots. Gil has been criticized for a conflicting involvement in both authentic Brazilian music and the worldwide musical arena. He has had to walk a fine line, simultaneously remaining true to traditional Bahian styles and engaging with commercial markets. Listeners in Bahia have been much more accepting of his blend of music styles, while those in southeast Brazil felt at odds with it.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian singer, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture
Ministry of Culture (Brazil)
The Ministry of Culture of Brazil was created in 1985.-External links:*...
in the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
.
Gil started to play music as a child and was still a teenager when he joined his first band. He began his career as a bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
musician, and then grew to write songs that reflected a focus on political awareness and social activism. He was a key figure in the Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
and tropicália
Tropicalismo
Tropicália, also known as Tropicalismo, is a Brazilian art movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta , a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo...
movements of the 1960s, alongside artists such as longtime collaborator Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
. The Brazilian military regime that took power in 1964 saw both Gil and Veloso as a threat, and the two were held for nine months in 1969 before they were told to leave the country. Gil moved to London, but returned to state of Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
in 1972 and continued his musical career, as well as working as a politician and environmental advocate.
Gil's musical style incorporates an eclectic range of influences, including Rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, Brazilian genres
Music of Brazil
The music of Brazil encompasses various regional music styles influenced by African, European and Amerindian forms. After 500 years of history, Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as samba, zouk-lambada, lambada, choro, bossa nova, frevo, maracatu, MPB, sertanejo,...
including samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
, African music
Music of Africa
Africa is a vast continent and its regions and nations have distinct musical traditions. The music of North Africa for the most part has a different history from sub-Saharan African music traditions....
, and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
.
Early years (1942–1963)
Gil was born in SalvadorSalvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, an industrial city in the northeast of Brazil, though he spent much of his childhood in nearby Ituaçu
Ituaçu
Ituaçu is a city in the Chapada Diamantina region of Bahia, Brazil. The city is 530 km from Salvador, the capital city of Bahia. It is a land of natural beauty. It is the birthplace of singer Morais Moreira, while another famous singer Gilberto Gil lived there from 2 months old...
. Ituaçu was a small town of fewer than a thousand, located in the sertão
Sertão
In Portuguese, the word sertão first referred to the vast hinterlands of Asia that Lusitanian explorers encountered. In Brazil, the geographical term referred to backlands away from the Atlantic coastal regions where the Portuguese first settled in South America in the early sixteenth century...
, or countryside, of Bahia. His father, José Gil Moreira, was a doctor; his mother, Claudina Passos Gil Moreira, an elementary school teacher. As a young boy, he attended a Marist Brothers
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
school. Gil remained in Ituaçu until he was nine years old, returning to Salvador for secondary school.
Gil's interest in music was precocious: "When I was only two or two and a half," he recalled, "I told my mother I was going to become a musician or a president of my country." He grew up listening to the forró
Forró
Forró is a kind of Northeastern Brazilian dance as well as a word used to denote the different genres of music which accompanies the dance. Both are much in evidence during the annual Festa Junina , a part of Brazilian traditional culture which celebrates some Catholic saints...
music of his native northeast, and took an interest in the street performers of Salvador. Early on, he began to play the drums and the trumpet, through listening to Bob Nelson on the radio. Gil's mother was the "chief supporter" in his musical ambitions; she bought him an accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and, when he was ten years old, sent him to music school in Salvador which he attended for four years. As an accordionist, Gil first played classical music, but grew more interested in the folk and popular music of Brazil. He was particularly influenced by singer and accordion player Luiz Gonzaga
Luiz Gonzaga
Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento was a very prominent Brazilian folk singer, songwriter, musician and poet. Born in the countryside of Pernambuco , he is considered to be responsible for the promotion of northeastern music throughout the rest of the country...
; he began to sing and play the accordion in an emulation of Gonzaga's recordings. Gil has noted that he grew to identify with Gonzaga "because he sang about the world around [him], the world that [he] encountered." During his years in Salvador, Gil also encountered the music of songwriter Dorival Caymmi
Dorival Caymmi
Dorival Caymmi was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actor, and painter active for more than 70 years beginning in 1933...
, who he says represented to him the "beach-oriented" samba music of Salvador. Gonzaga and Caymmi were Gil's formative influences. While in Salvador, Gil was introduced to many other styles of music, including American big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
jazz and tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
. In 1950 Gil moved back to Salvador with his family. It was there, while still in high school, that he joined his first band, Os Desafinados (The Out of Tunes), in which he played accordion and vibraphone and sang. Os Desafinados was influenced by American rock and roll musicians like Elvis Presley, as well as singing groups from Rio de Janeiro. The band was active for two to three years. Soon afterwards, inspired by Brazilian star João Gilberto
João Gilberto
João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira, known as João Gilberto , is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. His seminal recordings, including many songs by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, established the new musical genre of Bossa nova in the late 1950s.-Biography:From an early age, music...
, he settled on the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
as his primary instrument and began to play bossa nova.
Musical career (1963–present)
Gil met guitarist and singer Caetano VelosoCaetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
at the Universidade Federal da Bahia
Universidade Federal da Bahia
The Universidade Federal da Bahia is a public university located mainly in the city of Salvador. The largest university of the State of Bahia, and one of the most prestigious Brazilian universities.Students can study there without having to pay tuition fees, as it is a public university...
(Federal University of Bahia) in 1963. The two immediately began collaborating and performing together, releasing a single and EP soon afterwards. Along with Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
(Veloso's sister), Gal Costa
Gal Costa
Gal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, and Tom Zé
Tom Zé
Tom Zé is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who was influential in the Tropicália movement of 1960s Brazil. After the peak of the Tropicália period, Zé went into relative obscurity: it was only in the 1990s, when the musician and label head David Byrne discovered an album recorded...
, Gil and Veloso performed bossa nova and traditional Brazilian songs at the Vila Velha Theatre's opening night in July 1964, a show entitled Nós, por Exemplo (Us, for Example). Gil and the group continued to perform at the venue and he eventually became a musical director of the concert series. Gil collaborated again with members of this collective on the landmark 1968 album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses
Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses
Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis is a 1968 collaboration album by artists including Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Nara Leão, Os Mutantes and Gal Costa...
, whose style was influenced by The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, an album Gil listened to constantly. Gil describes Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses as the birth of the tropicália movement. As Gil describes it, tropicália (or Tropicalismo) was a conflation of musical and cultural developments that had occurred in Brazil during the 1950s and 1960s—primarily bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
and the Jovem Guarda
Jovem Guarda
Jovem Guarda was primarily a Brazilian musical television show first aired by Rede Record in 1965, though the term soon expanded so as to designate the entire movement and style surrounding it...
(Young Wave) collective—with rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music from the United States and Europe, a movement deemed threatening by the Brazilian government of the time.
Early on in the 1960s, Gil earned income primarily from selling bananas in a shopping mall and trying composing jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s for television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s; he was also briefly employed by the Brazilian division of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
, Gessy-Lever. He moved to São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
in 1965 and had a hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
when his song "Louvação" (which later appeared on the album of the same name
Louvação
Louvação is the debut album by Gilberto Gil, released in 1967.-Track listing:# "Louvação" - 3:45# "Beira-Mar" - 3:54# "Lunik 9" - 3:04# "Ensaio Geral" - 1:57# "Maria " - 2:37...
) was released by Elis Regina
Elis Regina
Elis Regina Carvalho Costa, known simply as Elis Regina was an important singer of Brazilian popular music. She became nationally renowned in 1965, after singing Arrastão in the first edition of TV Excelsior festival song contest, and soon joined O Fino da Bossa, a television program on TV Record...
. However, his first hit as a solo artist was the 1969 song "Aquele Abraço". Gil also performed in several television programs throughout the 1960s, which often included other "tropicalistas", members of the Tropicalismo movement. One of these programs, Divina Maravilhoso, which featured Veloso, gained attention from government television censors after it aired a satirical version of the national anthem in December 1968.
In February 1969 Gil and Veloso were arrested by the Brazilian military government, brought from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, and spent three months in prison and another four under house arrest, before being freed on the condition that they leave the country. Veloso was the first to be arrested; the police moved to Gil's home soon afterward. Veloso had directed his then-wife Andréa Gadelha to warn Gil about the possibility of arrest, but Gil was eventually brought into the police van along with Veloso. They were given no reason or charge for their arrest. Gil believes that the government felt his actions "represent[ed] a threat [to them], something new, something that can't quite be understood, something that doesn't fit into any of the clear compartments of existing cultural practices, and that won't do. That is dangerous." During his prison sentence, Gil began to meditate
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
, follow a macrobiotic diet
Macrobiotic diet
A macrobiotic diet , from "macro" and "bios" , a dietary regimen which involves eating grains as a staple food supplemented with other foodstuffs such as local vegetables avoiding the use of highly processed or refined foods and most animal products...
, and read about Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Korean philosophy...
. He composed four songs during his imprisonment, among them "Cérebro Electrônico" (Electronic Brain), which first appeared on his 1969 album Gilberto Gil 1969, and later on his 2006 album Gil Luminoso
Gil Luminoso
Gil Luminoso is a 2006 album by Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil, performed using only voice and acoustic guitar. It is composed of songs written by Gil from the late 1960s to the 1990s.-Conception and themes:...
. Thereafter, Gil and Veloso were exiled to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England after being offered to leave Brazil. The two played a last Brazilian concert together in Salvador in July 1969, then left to Portugal, Paris, and finally London. He and Veloso took a house in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, sharing it with their manager and wives. Gil was involved in the organisation of the 1971 Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
Free Festival
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities for which, often, no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised control. The Free festival movement being the...
and was exposed to reggae while living in London; he recalls listening to Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
(whose songs he later covered), Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
, and Burning Spear
Burning Spear
Winston Rodney, OD , also known as Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician. Burning Spear is known for his Rastafari movement messages.-History:...
. He was heavily influenced by and involved with the city's rock scene as well, performing with Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
, and the Incredible String Band
Incredible String Band
The Incredible String Band were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974...
. However, he also performed solo, recording Gilberto Gil (Nêga) while in London. In addition to involvement in the reggae and rock scenes, Gil attended performances by jazz artists, including Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
.
Afro-Brazilian
In Brazil, the term "preto" is one of the five categories used by the Brazilian Census, along with "branco" , "pardo" , "amarelo" and "indígena"...
afoxé
Afoxê
Afoxê is an Afro Brazilian genre of music and it is a traditional rhythm of Pernambuco. It is a secular manifestation of candomblé which utilizes a rhythm known as "ijexá". The biggest and best-known afoxé is the Filhos de Gandhy, located in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.-External links:*...
tradition in Carnaval
Brazilian Carnival
The Carnival of Brazil is an annual festival held forty-six days before Easter. On certain days of Lent, Roman Catholics and some other Christians traditionally abstained from the consumption of meat and poultry, hence the term "carnival," from carnelevare, "to remove meat." Carnival celebrations...
, joining the Filhos de Gandhi (Sons of Gandhi) performance group, which only allowed black Brazilians to join. Gil also recorded a song titled "Patuscada de Gandhi" written about the Filhos de Gandhi that appeared on his 1977 album Refavela. Greater attention was paid to afoxé groups in Carnaval because of the publicity that Gil had provided to them through his involvement; the groups increased in size as well. In the late 1970s he left Brazil for Africa and visited Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
, and Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. He also worked with Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
and released a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "No Woman, No Cry
No Woman, No Cry
"No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley & The Wailers. The song first became known in 1974 through the studio album Natty Dread. The live version from the 1975 album Live! is perhaps best known — it was this version which was released on the greatest hits compilation Legend. The original...
" with him in 1980, a number one hit that introduced reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
to Brazil.
In 1996, Gil contributed "Refazenda" to the AIDS-Benefit Album Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
.
In 1998 the live version of his album Quanta won Gil the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
Grammy Award for Best World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best World Music Album was an honor presented for twelve years to recording artists for quality albums in the world music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
. In 2005 he won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums...
for Eletracústico. In May 2005 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize
Polar Music Prize
The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international music award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, possibly best known to be the manager of the Swedish pop group ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music....
by Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden
Carl XVI Gustaf is the reigning King of Sweden since 15 September 1973, succeeding his grandfather King Gustaf VI Adolf because his father had predeceased him...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, the prize's first Latin American recipient. On October 16 of the same year he received the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
from the French government
Government of France
The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic"...
, coinciding with the Année du Brésil en France (Brazil's Year in France).
In 2010 he released the album Fé Na Festa, a record devoted to forró
Forró
Forró is a kind of Northeastern Brazilian dance as well as a word used to denote the different genres of music which accompanies the dance. Both are much in evidence during the annual Festa Junina , a part of Brazilian traditional culture which celebrates some Catholic saints...
, a style of music from Brazil's northeast. His tour to promote this album received some negative feedback from fans who were expecting to hear a set featuring his hits.
Political career (1987–present)
National Congress of Brazil
The National Congress of Brazil is the legislative body of Brazil's federal government.Unlike regional legislative bodies – Legislative Assemblies and City Councils -, the Congress is bicameral, composed of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies .The Senate represents the 26 states and...
. In 1990, Gil left the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party and joined the Green Party
Green Party (Brazil)
The Brazilian Green Party was constituted after the military dictatorship period and, like other Green Parties around the world, is committed to establishing a set of policies on ensuring social-democracy and sustainable development...
. During this period, Gil founded the environmental protection organization Onda Azul (Blue Wave), which worked to protect Brazilian waters. He maintained a full-time musical career at the same time, and withdrew temporarily from politics in 1992, following the release Parabolicamará, considered to be one of his most successful efforts. On October 16, 2001 Gil accepted his nomination to be a Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
(FAO) of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, having promoted the organization before his appointment.
When President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
took office in January 2003, he chose Gil as Brazil's new Minister of Culture, only the second black person to serve in the country's cabinet
Cabinet of Brazil
The Cabinet of Brazil is composed of the Ministers of State and senior advisors of the executive branch of the federal government of Brazil. Cabinet officers are appointed and dismissed by the President. There are currently twenty-four Ministries of State and fourteen other cabinet-level...
. The appointment was controversial among political and artistic figures and the Brazilian press; a remark Gil made about difficulties with his salary received particular criticism. Gil is not a member of Lula's Workers' Party
Workers' Party (Brazil)
The Workers' Party is a democratic socialist political party in Brazil. Launched in 1980, it is recognized as one of the largest and most important left-wing movements of Latin America. It governs at the federal level in a coalition government with several other parties since January 1, 2003...
and did not participate in creating its cultural program. Shortly after becoming Minister, Gil began a partnership between Brazil and Creative Commons
Creative Commons
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
. As Minister, he has sponsored a program called Culture Points, which gives grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
to provide music technology and education to people living in poor areas of the country's cities. Gil has since asserted that "You've now got young people who are becoming designers, who are making it into media and being used more and more by television and samba schools and revitalizing degraded neighborhoods. It's a different vision of the role of government, a new role." Gil has also expressed interest in a program that will establish an Internet repository of freely downloadable
Uploading and downloading
In computer networks, to download means to receive data to a local system from a remote system, or to initiate such a data transfer. Examples of a remote system from which a download might be performed include a webserver, FTP server, email server, or other similar systems...
Brazilian music. Since Gil's appointment, the department's expenditures have increased by over 50 percent. In November 2007 Gil announced his intention to resign from his post due to a vocal cord
Vocal folds
The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
polyp
Polyp (medicine)
A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated stalk, it is said to be pedunculated. If no stalk is present, it is said to be sessile. Polyps are commonly found in the colon, stomach, nose, sinus, urinary bladder...
. Lula rejected Gil's first two attempts to resign, but accepted another request in July 2008. Lula said on this occasion that Gil was "going back to being a great artist, going back to giving priority to what is most important" to him.
Personal life
Gil has been married four times. His fourth wife is Flora Nair Giordano Gil Moreira. The couple has five children, four of whom are still living. The fifth child – Pedro Gil, EgotripEgotrip (band)
Egotrip was a successful but short-lived Brazilian pop/rock band.-History:Bassist Arthur Maia — who had previously worked with MPB veterans such as Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Roberto Carlos, Djavan, and Milton Nascimento — founded Egotrip in 1985. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1987...
's drummer – died in a car accident in 1990. Preta Gil
Preta Gil
Preta Gil is a Brazilian singer and actress. She is the daughter of Gilberto Gil, a famous musician and former Minister of Culture in Brazil.-Biography:...
, an actress and singer, is his daughter.
Gil's religious beliefs have changed significantly over his lifetime. Originally, he was a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, but was later influenced by Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Korean philosophy...
and religion, and, later still, explored African spirituality. He is now an agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
. He practices yoga and is a vegetarian.
Gil has been open about the fact that he has smoked marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
for much of his life. He has said he believes "that drugs should be treated like pharmaceuticals, legalized, although under the same regulations and monitoring as medicines".
Musical style and influences
Gil sings in the baritone or falsetto register, with lyrics and/or scat syllables. His lyrics are on subjects that range from philosophy to religion, folktales, and word playWord play
Word play or wordplay is a literary technique in which the words that are used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement...
. Gil's musical style incorporates a broad range of influences. The first music he was exposed to included The Beatles and street performers in various metropolitan areas of Bahia. During his first years as a musician, Gil performed primarily in a blend of traditional Brazilian styles with two-step
Two-step (dance move)
The two-step is a step found in many folk dances, and in various other dances. It seems to take its name from the 19th century dance related to the Polka....
rhythms, such as baião
Baião
The baião is a Northeast Brazilian rhythmic formula that became the basis of a wide range of music. Forró, côco, and embolada are clear examples...
and samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
. He states that "My first phase was one of traditional forms. Nothing experimental at all. Caetano [Veloso] and I followed in the tradition of Luiz Gonzaga
Luiz Gonzaga
Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento was a very prominent Brazilian folk singer, songwriter, musician and poet. Born in the countryside of Pernambuco , he is considered to be responsible for the promotion of northeastern music throughout the rest of the country...
and Jackson do Pandeiro
Jackson do Pandeiro
José Gomes Filho , more commonly known as Jackson do Pandeiro , was a Brazilian percussionist and singer....
, combining samba with northeastern music."
As one of the pioneers of tropicália, influences from genres such as rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
have been pervasive in his recordings, as they have been in those of other stars of the period, including Caetano Veloso and Tom Zé. Gil's interest in the blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-based music of rock pioneer Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, in particular, has been described by Veloso as having "extremely important consequences for Brazilian music". Veloso also noted the influence of Brazilian guitarist and singer Jorge Ben
Jorge Ben Jor
Jorge Ben Jor is a Brazilian popular musician. His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humor and satire with often esoteric subject matter.-Early life and career:...
on Gil's musical style, coupled with that of traditional music. After the height of tropicália in the 1960s, Gil became increasingly interested in black culture, particularly in the Jamaican musical genre of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. He described the genre as "a form of democratizing, internationalizing, speaking a new language, a Heideggerian
Martin Heidegger
Martin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
form of passing along fundamental messages".
Visiting Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria, in 1976 for the Festival of African Culture (FESTAC), Gil met fellow musicians Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. He became inspired by African music and later integrated some of the styles he had heard in Africa, such as juju
Juju
A Juju is a supernatural power ascribed to an object.Juju may also refer to:-Geography:* Juju , one of seven districts on the island of Rotuma in Fiji* Juju , a village in the district of Juju on the island of Rotuma-Albums:...
and highlife
Highlife
Highlife is a musical genre that originated in Ghana in the 1900s and spread to Sierra Leone, Nigeria and other West African countries by 1920...
, into his own recordings. One of the most famous of these African-influenced records was the 1977 album Refavela, which included "No Norte da Saudade" (To the North of Sadness), a song heavily influenced by reggae. When Gil returned to Brazil after the visit, he focused on Afro-Brazilian culture, becoming a member of the Carnaval afoxé group Filhos de Gandhi.
Conversely, his 1980s musical repertoire presented an increased development of dance trends, such as disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, as well as the previous incorporation of rock and punk. However, Gil says that his 1994 album Acoustic was not such a new direction, as he had previously performed unplugged with Caetano Veloso. He describes the method of playing as easier than other types of performance, as the energy of acoustic playing is simple and influenced by its roots. Gil has been criticized for a conflicting involvement in both authentic Brazilian music and the worldwide musical arena. He has had to walk a fine line, simultaneously remaining true to traditional Bahian styles and engaging with commercial markets. Listeners in Bahia have been much more accepting of his blend of music styles, while those in southeast Brazil felt at odds with it.
Discography
- 1967: LouvaçãoLouvaçãoLouvação is the debut album by Gilberto Gil, released in 1967.-Track listing:# "Louvação" - 3:45# "Beira-Mar" - 3:54# "Lunik 9" - 3:04# "Ensaio Geral" - 1:57# "Maria " - 2:37...
- 1968: Gilberto GilGilberto Gil (1968 album)Gilberto Gil is the second album by Gilberto Gil, originally released in early 1968. The album features a blending of traditional Brazilian styles such as samba and bossa nova with American rock and roll...
(with Os MutantesOs MutantesOs Mutantes ) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
) - 1968: Tropicalia ou Panis et Circensis (with Caetano VelosoCaetano VelosoCaetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, Gal CostaGal CostaGal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Os MutantesOs MutantesOs Mutantes ) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
) - 1969: Gilberto Gil (Cérebro Eletrônico)
- 1971: Gilberto Gil (Nêga)
- 1972: Barra 69: Caetano e Gil Ao Vivo na Bahia
- 1972: Expresso 2222
- 1974: Gilberto Gil Ao Vivo
- 1975: Refazenda
- 1976: Doces BárbarosDoces BárbarosDoces Bárbaros is the name of a 1976 album by the Música Popular Brasileira supergroup of the same name. It was recorded June 24 of that year at Anhembi Stadium in São Paulo. Its members were Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Maria Bethânia and Gal Costa, four of the biggest names in the history of...
(with Gal CostaGal CostaGal Costa is a Brazilian singer of popular music.-Early life:...
, Caetano VelosoCaetano VelosoCaetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, and Maria BethâniaMaria BethâniaMaria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso , better known as Maria Bethânia , is a singer and sister of Caetano Veloso. She started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião"...
) - 1977: Refavela
- 1978: Gilberto Gil Ao Vivo em Montreux
- 1978: Refestança
- 1979: Nightingale
- 1979: RealceRealceRealce is a studio album released by brazilian singer Gilberto Gil in 1979.-Track listing:#Realce#Sarará Miolo#Superhomem, a canção#Tradição#Marina#Rebento#Toda Menina Baiana#Logunedé#Não Chore Mais#Macapá#Acertei no Milhar#Senhor Delegado...
- 1981: Brasil
- 1981: Luar (A Gente Precisa Ver o Luar)
- 1981: Um Banda Um
- 1983: Extra
- 1984: Quilombo (Trilha Sonora)
- 1984: Raça Humana
- 1985: Dia Dorim Noite Neon
- 1987: Gilberto Gil em Concerto
- 1987: Soy Loco Por Ti America
- 1987: Trem Para As Estrelas (Trilha Sonora)
- 1988: Ao Vivo em Tóquio
- 1989: O Eterno Deus Mu Dança
- 1991: Parabolicamará
- 1994: Acoustic
- 1994: Tropicalia 2 (with Caetano VelosoCaetano VelosoCaetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
) - 1995: Esoterico: Live in USA 1994
- 1995: Oriente: Live in Tokyo
- 1996: Em Concerto
- 1996: Luar
- 1997: Indigo Blue
- 1997: Quanta
- 1998: Ao Vivo em Tóquio
- 1998: Copacabana Mon Amour
- 1998: O Sol de Oslo
- 1998: O Viramundo (Ao Vivo)
- 1998: Quanta Live
- 2000: Me, You, Them
- 2001: Milton and Gil
- 2001: São João Vivo
- 2002: Kaya N'Gan Daya
- 2002: Z: 300 Anos de Zumbi
- 2004: Eletrácustico
- 2005: Ao Vivo
- 2005: As Canções de Eu Tu ElesAs Canções de Eu Tu ElesThe nomination was shared with Vitor Farias, Marcelo Machado and Nas Nuvens .- Certification :...
- 2005: Soul of Brazil
- 2006: Gil LuminosoGil LuminosoGil Luminoso is a 2006 album by Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil, performed using only voice and acoustic guitar. It is composed of songs written by Gil from the late 1960s to the 1990s.-Conception and themes:...
- 2006: Rhythms of Bahia
- 2008: Banda Larga Cordel
- 2009: Bandadois
- 2010: Fé Na Festa
Awards, nominations, and positions
| Year | Work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | N/A | Anchieta Medal—São Paulo City Council | Won |
| 1986 | N/A | The Gold Dolphin—Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro | Won |
| 1990 | N/A | Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963... —Ministry of Culture of France Minister of Culture (France) The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"... |
Won |
| 1990 | N/A | Commendator of the Rio Branco Order | Won |
| 1997 | N/A | Ordre national du Mérite Ordre National du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle... |
Won |
| 1999 | Quanta Live | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... —Best World Music Album Grammy Award for Best World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best World Music Album was an honor presented for twelve years to recording artists for quality albums in the world music genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards... |
Won |
| 1999 | N/A | Order of Cultural Merit—Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture (Brazil) The Ministry of Culture of Brazil was created in 1985.-External links:*... |
Won |
| 1999 | N/A | UNESCO Artist for Peace UNESCO Artist for Peace UNESCO Artists for Peace are international celebrity advocates for the United Nations agency UNESCO. This category of advocate is intended to heighten public awareness in addition to the categories UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, UNESCO Special Envoy and UNESCO Champion for Sport... —United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... |
Won |
| 2001 | Eu Tu Eles | Cinema Brazil Grand Prize—Best Music | Nominated |
| 2001 | As Canções De Eu, Tu, Eles | Latin Grammy Award Latin Grammy Awards A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the... —Brazilian Roots/Regional Album |
Won |
| 2001 | N/A | Goodwill Ambassador—Food and Agriculture Organization Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and... |
Won |
| 2002 | Viva São João! | Passista Trophy—Long Documentary - Best Score | Won |
| 2002 | São João Vivo | Latin Grammy Award Latin Grammy Awards A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the... —Best Brazilian Roots/Regional Album |
Won |
| 2005 | Eletracústico | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... —Best Contemporary World Music Album Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums... |
Won |
| 2005 | N/A | Polar Music Prize Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international music award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, possibly best known to be the manager of the Swedish pop group ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.... |
Won |
| 2005 | N/A | Légion d'honneur Légion d'honneur The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802... |
Won |
External links
- Official site
- Transcript of a Gil speech
- Essay written by Gil (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5Creative Commons licensesCreative Commons licenses are several copyright licenses that allow the distribution of copyrighted works. The licenses differ by several combinations that condition the terms of distribution. They were initially released on December 16, 2002 by Creative Commons, a U.S...
) - Wide-ranging one-hour interview with Amy GoodmanAmy GoodmanAmy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
on Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...
, June 25, 2008 (video, audio, and print transcript) - Gilberto Gil discography on Slipcue.com