Documents from Gilberto Gil's Private Archive

MUSIC Brazilian superstar in concert Gilberto Gil's tropical sound in S.F. debut By Victoria Alba OF THE EXAMINER STAFF Friday, June 30, 1989 OR MORE than 20 years, singer Gilberto Gil's warm tions have helped steer the course of Brazilian popular music. A national symbol of superstar status, he's handily attracted fans at home and abroad, playing before packed stadiums in Japan, Israel, Canada and Europe. Saturday, Gil performs for the first time in San Francisco with a dance concert at the Galleria Design Center, 2 Hen- ry Adams St. Though not as well known in the United States as fellow Brazilians Milton Nascimento or Tom Jobim, Gil has been an influential figure in his own country. He's recorded 24 albums, penned 400 songs and been the subject of several television documentaries. In the late '60s, along with sing. ers Caetano Veloso and Gal Costa, he pioneered an upbeat, danceable pop style known as tropicalism. With its fusion of elements from Afro-Brazilian music, Puerto Ric. an salsa, Jamaican reggae and American rock and soul, tropical ism jolted the sensibilities of Bra- zil's young listeners. New boldness to music "Our aim was to stretch the lim- its, bring a freshness and new bold ness to Brazilian music, which we felt had been too confining culture ally and politically," Gil said. SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER "There was a great transforma- tion going on outside of Brazil ... the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the student movement at Berkeley had created a new attitude, a new spirit of ad venture and tolerance. We wanted to bring these trends to Brazilian song." he said. Gilberto Gil not only sings but is active in Brazil's black pride movement. Tropicalism continued to evolve in London. New compositions, sometimes sung in English and French, reached Brazil, with lyrics often censored "After the military had consoli- dated their power, they were ready to give a little by allowing the youth their symbols. We were able to re- turn," Gil said. The brief time abroad expanded his already-global sense of music, he said. In 1977, Gil participated in the International Festival of Black Art in Nigeria and recorded his first album on a U.S. label "Night- ingale." In 1980, he toured with Jimmy Cliff. In 1984, on "Raca Humana," he recorded three songs with the Wailers of Jamaica. He performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1982 and 1984. Throu blacks of other countries, Gil also forged a stronger commitment to his own Afro-Brazilian roots. Now, at the height of his career, after years of being a dominant cultural force, Gil, 47, has taken a more direct role in shaping his country's history by emerging as an important leader in Brazil's black pride and empowerment move ment. increased contact with A city councilman in Salvador The message was a bit too pow- "I feel there comes a time in life erful for Brazil's then-nascent mili when you have to do things because tary dictatorship. In 1969, Gil and you're obligated," said Gil, who was Veloso were imprisoned for three recently elected as a city council- months and then forced into exile man in Salvador, the capital of the for three years. The two found ref state of Bahia in the northeast of uge in London. Brazil. Salvador, a city of 1.5 mil- lion largely populated by blacks, is also Gil's birthplace. "As cultural agents, we are heard and listened to. The public places a great deal of confidence in us. Also, to be black and influential in Brazil is not a usual thing, it's quite rare. So, you see, I feel this is another opportunity that life has given me to reach people," he said. Though Brazil's black popula- tion is larger than that of any coun. try on Earth except Nigeria, blacks are still a long way from enjoying equal status with people of other races, he said. "We've mostly established our selves in the areas of culture, enter tainment and sports. But this will be our gateway to producing jobs in science and technology. We have to start from where we are," he said. "We also have to improve rela- tions between the different races and social groups because these times are important for Brazil - we'll either develop as a strong na- tion and advance or regress. We're at the crux." His new career will mean less time for musical innovation, but Gil doesn't seem to mind: "If you asked B.B. King or James Brown or Chuck Berry about what direction they planned to take their music, what would they say? They've gotten to a point where they've already found their music. I'm not saying that I'm go- ing to quit or stop evolving, but I'm just not as concerned. I'll keep working with the same songs. Be cause, like them, I'm becoming a classic.