A New Year's Eve gathering of Brazilian music's greats on Copacabana beach
In 1995, Gil, Caetano, Chico, Paulinho, Milton, Gal, and Brown found themselves either backstage or on stage performing in a tribute to Tom Jobim.
By Instituto Gilberto Gil
Text: Ricardo Schott, writer, journalist and music researcher
Documents from Gilberto Gil's Private ArchiveInstituto Gilberto Gil
Festivities, get-togethers, and controversies
The New Year's Eve party on Copacabana Beach in 1995 led to a number of non-music issues and quite a few controversies. But backstage and in front of the audience, it was a concert where the stars could all get together.
Gilberto Gil, Paulinho da Viola, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento at the Tributo a Tom Jobim show during the Copacabana New Year's party (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil shared the stage with Chico Buarque, Paulinho da Viola, Milton Nascimento, Gal Costa, and Caetano Veloso in a tribute to Tom Jobim, who had died a year earlier in December 1994.
Backstage, Gil spent some time talking to Carlinhos Brown about Afro-Brazilian culture while Águas de Março, one of Tom Jobim's hits, was playing on the speakers. Shortly before, Gilberto Gil had done the soundtrack for the show "Z", which the São Paulo City Ballet premiered at the Ibirapuera Park Auditorium in November, and the pair chatted about scenes from the ballet being shown on TV.
Gilberto Gil e Milton NascimentoInstituto Gilberto Gil
Gil says that even Milton Nascimento was inspired to write a ballet soundtrack after seeing his work.
Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso e Paulinho da Viola no seu aniversário de 50 anos (1992-06-26)Instituto Gilberto Gil
The event producers caught Gil's lively conversation with Paulinho de Viola about the history of samba and jongo music, with Paulinho recalling that the jongo people were somewhat mysterious ...
… and that he had got to talk to some of the last ones alive "but they were very closed." He also remarked that they were almost a secret society, that their ways went way beyond just music, and that they were all inclined to improvise and use their own special lingo.
Gil compared music from Bahia and Carnival blocks, like the afoxé group Filhos de Gandhy. The samba singer Paulinho also sang an old jongo song, with Gil providing the backing vocals and percussion. In the same conversation, Paulinho recalled stories about the Portela and Império Serrano samba schools, as well as old albums recorded by the Portela samba block. Their chat brought the samba styles of Bahia and Rio together.
Documents from Gilberto Gil's Private ArchiveInstituto Gilberto Gil
From Tom Jobim to Iemanjá
A radio crew covering the event caught up with Gil, who told them that this was a "party for the goddess Iemanjá, for Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim, for New Year, and loads more. You need a bigger heart to fit it all in."
Gilberto Gil participates in the Tributo a Tom Jobim show, held during New Year's Eve on Copacabana beach (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
As the singer was going up on stage, the event's first fireworks were going off to mark the start of the show.
Before festivities got underway, Gil also had a chat with the cinema director Cacá Diegues, recalling the time when the filmmaker made Quilombo, a movie that featured songs written by Gil. Cacá, Gil recalls, was a conscientious director who even "took charge" of stuff on the album.
Gilberto Gil e o cineasta Cacá Diegues durante gravação da série André Midani - Do Vinil Ao DownloadInstituto Gilberto Gil
"I believe that Brazilian music has a privileged place in the music of this century, and Gil does cutting-edge work, and he does it consciously," Cacá says.
"His music can be sometimes energetic, sometimes inspired, with some songs being more sensual and others more reflective. He has this thing about mixing energy with wisdom, and it's something he does very well," the director adds.
Gil also recalls how important cinema has been in his life. As a boy living in Ituaçú in Bahia, he would go to watch movies being shown at the city's library. "In my teens, I'd go to the movies at least twice a week, if not more," he recalled. Conversations flowed backstage as stars chatted about culture and their music and cinema influences.
Gilberto Gil e Jamelão, intérprete da Mangueira, nos bastidores do show Tributo a Tom Jobim (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
An important meeting backstage
The audio also featured a conversation between Gil and none other than Jamelão, the celebrated singer from the Mangueira samba school, and they can be heard chatting about Rio and Bahia.
Gilberto Gil e Jamelão, intérprete da Mangueira, nos bastidores do show Tributo a Tom Jobim (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Any New Year's Eve event at Copacabana is big and newspapers like O Globo and the Folha de São Paulo billed this 31st December party on Copacabana Beach as a huge event. With 30 tons of sound equipment available for the performers and a further 11 sound tours scattered along Atlântica Avenue, this was going to be an awesome concert that no-one would forget in a hurry. The playlist included Piano na Mangueira, Anos Dourados, and other songs by Tom.
Gilberto Gil, Paulinho da Viola, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento at the Tributo a Tom Jobim show during the Copacabana New Year's party (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
The spotlight on Jobim's grandson
The Globo newspaper focused on certain parts of the concert such as Daniel Jobim, Tom's grandson, going up on stage to sing Águas de Março.
Gilberto Gil, Paulinho da Viola, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Milton Nascimento at the Tributo a Tom Jobim show during the Copacabana New Year's party (1995-12-31)Instituto Gilberto Gil
Caetano Veloso sang Chega de Saudade while for his tribute to Tom Jobim, Gilberto Gil sang De Ouro e Marfim, a song he himself had written but never previously performed. The song would feature on his 1997 album Quanta.
Research and text: Ricardo Schott
Assembly: Laura Zandonadi
General credits
Editor and curator: Chris Fuscaldo / Garota FM Edições
Music content research: Ceci Alves, Chris Fuscaldo, Laura Zandonadi, and Ricardo Schott
Culture Ministry (MinC) content research: Carla Peixoto, Ceci Alves, and Chris Fuscaldo
Photo captions: Anna Durão, Carla Peixoto, Chris Fuscaldo, Daniel Malafaia, Fernanda Pimentel, Gilberto Porcidonio, Kamille Viola, Laura Zandonadi, Lucas Vieira, Luciana Azevedo, Patrícia Sá Rêgo, Pedro Felitte, Ricardo Schott, Roni Filgueiras, and Tito Guedes
Data editor: Isabela Marinho and Marco Konopacki
Gege Produções redaction: Cristina Doria
Acknowledgments: Gege Produções, Gilberto Gil, Flora Gil, Gilda Mattoso, Fafá Giordano, Maria Gil, Meny Lopes, Nelci Frangipani, Cristina Doria, Daniella Bartolini, all the photographers, and all those who have played a part in this story
All media: Instituto Gilberto Gil
*Every effort has been made to credit the images, audio tapes, and video files and to accurately convey the stories told in the exhibits. If you find any errors and/or omissions, please email atendimentogil@gege.com.br
You are all set!
Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.