Gilberto Gil/Jorge Ben - "Gil E Jorge"

A jazz expert friend of mine who says he loves Gil's albums thought his voice sounded terrible last night. While it might not be what it once was, and his high-note yelping was not as good as it once was, I don't think it was that bad (but I spent my college years listening to punk rock so maybe my tolerence for rougher-edged trilling is greater than that of others).

I see that Gilberto Gil just did a North American West coast swing with a band and he emphasized rural Brazilian accordion-led forro music. He's coming East with the tour as well

“In this concert, we mix a little—it’s mostly Forró, [music] but also some standard, some hits from my whole career, some reggae music, and Bob Marley’s songs.”

As a guitar-playing bandleader, Gil happily yields solos to his uniformly excellent sextet: drummer Jorge Gomes, percussionist Gustavo Di Dalva; bassist Arthur Maia; violin player Nicholas Krassik; Sérgio Chiavazzoli, a brilliant slide guitarist and multi-string player who can make a banjo impersonate a sitar; and accordionist Toninho Ferragutti, whose extraordinarily facile keyboard scale-climbing must've left his fingers gasping for oxygen.

First blurb is from SF Chronicle and second is from LA Times

So no one here's seen him on this "mostly forro" music tour yet?

I guess not

I saw Gil here in Nashville this wk. His first show here ever. House about 2/3 full at best. The forro stuff he does now was well done, and it definitely grooved. Show really took off when Gil got into "Expresso 2222." In fairly good voice--he's lost some of it, but very few cracks. As always, I think Gil is a bit misguided aesthetically in the way he presents some of his music, in the sense that some of it was perhaps counter-productive to just, you know, presenting the songs. But for the most part, it was amazing, and the Nashville crowd was obviously hungry for it. I could've just watched him do his great tunes with a small band, with emphasis on Gil's guitar playing, and when he did "Lamento Sertanejo" from "Refazenda" with guitars and accordion, that was the essence of his art, not so much the forro stuff, which was very well performed and for the most part, not cheesy at all. I interviewed Gil--a big day for me--and he was amazingly gracious and intelligent, it's up at the Nashville Scene's website.

Was listening to Expresso 2222 early this morning. He makes some joyous sounds on that and sings too.

3 years later, am finally reading Edd's interview. Gil is coming back to my locale this month

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/groundbreaking-brazilian-icon-gilberto-gil-master-of-inclusive-pop-music/Content?oid=3064967

Speaking of forro, which is *Brazilian* country music, somewhat like cajan x conjunto, with the accordion connection (the way some of us Americans are struck by what we hear as the blues elements in some Malian music), Forro etc., on Luaka Bop, is a great place to start, even got really engaging translations of the lyrics, though they're not strictly necessary to enjoy the music.

Expresso 2222 is pretty amazing. Probably my second favorite Gil after Frevo Rasgado. O Canto da Ema, Sai do Sereno and the title track.

Gil is playing Manhattan on April 23 at Town Hall
http://thetownhall.org/event/593-gilberto-gil
Full band, samba theme.

thx, r u going to go?

love this record

i'm actually working press for it! So if anyone's a NY based journalist and into it, hit me up.

Hoping to see him the next night in DC

Need to recheck spotify for Gilberto Gil (also commonly referred to as Gilberto Gil (Frevo Rasgado) to differentiate it from Gil's other self-titled releases) is the second album by Gilberto Gil,

mentioned above too

I like his 2014 Gilbertos Sambas record that pays tribute to Joao Gilberto and also includes a take on "Desafinado"

recent Seattle show review notes

when Gil did finally play the biggest bossa hit of all, “Desafinado,” his backup band — drummer Domenico Lancelotti, accordionist Mestrinho and Gil’s son, Bem, on a variety of instruments — subtly subverted it with wild electronic percussion.

http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/music/gilberto-gil-dazzles-seattle-audiences-with-tribute-concert/

DC show was kinda like that Seattle one. All his tours are different though--sometimes with a band doing hits; other times doing forro; sometimes acoustic; once acoustic with cello

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEVZkJHES2E

^this is excellent btw

there's a few other clips from the same performance.. i love youtube.

kicking myself for sleeping on 1974's Ao Vivo for so long. might actually be gil's best ever, at least on par w/ the first self-titled and refavela.

12 mins of pure bliss right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWq6Q7HiMGE

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/02/caetano-veloso-and-gilberto-gil-review-reunion-brazilian-greats

These two are still touring together. Wish their 2016 tour would come to my neighborhood. They are doing Miami, NY and Oakland and Europe so far

this is outstanding:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7MHBZmdvis

perfect music for dancing high - where do I go from here?

do you have anything else by either of them?

nope, only familiar with Getz/Gilberto and the Taj Mahal single

Both have pretty big catalogs filled with good stuff (especially Ben), but as said upthread this album is pretty unique. That said, the closest connections in their catalogs would probably be "Expresso 2222" for Gil and "A Tábua de Esmeralda" for Ben. Both are mostly acoustic and are definite high points in their careers.

If you'd rather just hear amazing albums from them that aren't necessarily that similar to "Gil e Jorge," then I'd probably say "Africa Brasil" for Ben (it has the most well known version of Taj Mahal on it, though there are several), which is super fun samba-funk, and for Gil I'd get the 1968 self-titled, which is Tropicalia's peak imo and just beautiful. Tbh for Ben there are several others I love just as much, but I think you'd like the energy on Africa Brasil.

Neither Gil nor Jorge, but you might like Milton Nascimento and Lô Borges's "Clube da Esquina" which has a nice communal vibe to it.

Massive co-sign on Africa Brazil and Milton Nascimento.

Expresso 2222 is one of my favorite albums.

thanks for those recommendations, will keep me busy for a while!

sounds great so far

yeah rob otm