Boa Noite Mestre,
This is how I greeted Gilberto Gil after I had the pleasure of meeting him after his rousing performance at UCSB. The packed house of 850 people, danced, and sang in the aisles. There was an aura in the air that a great musician is present. After his first song Festa Na Fé, he greets the crowd and took them by the hand. He explained eloquently the history of Forró, how it came from the large parties open to the public. When Brazilians tried to say “For All” it came out sounding like “Forró”. Language is always changing, and this is a good example of Brazilians taking something from another culture and making it their own. (Antropófagia)
But of course, when Gil does it on stage only the word ‘perfection’ can be used to sum up the experience. He moves like Jagger across the stage, giving a history lesson of the different sub-genres in between songs in which the whole audience is shaking their hips and grooving. He covers Bob Marley ‘No Woman, No Cry’ with a Brazilian twist. Gil transcends genre. He played songs of Luis Gonzaga, or ‘Gonzagão’, the man responsible for popularizing Brazilian Northeastern music. The band is tight. Every musician on the same note, the rhythm blaring in typical fashion, the band’s performance is amazing.
After the show I had the great honor to meet Gil backstage. I sat next to him while the school news reporter asked him questions, and later I asked him some of my own. I asked about protest, and if there are parallels today to 1969. He explained the history of language and the Brazilian culture. He explained that as Duke Ellington used to say, “There are two kinds of music, good music and bad music”. Cleverly the name of the concert, was Gilberto Gil “For All ” presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures series.
In the video above, a student news reporter from The Daily Nexus interviews Gilberto Gil, while he sits next to UCSB Professora Élide Oliver.
The video below shows Gilberto Gil covering Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ at the concert. Video below was taken by random audience member.