Tom Zé: “With that mind, Gil had no need for regular classes”

This joyful moment took place in the beginning of the 1960s. It was Orlando Senna, the filmmaker, who set the meeting up. Curiously, when Gil took over the Ministry of Culture, he put the Cinema sector into Senna’s hands.

This question raises the opportunity to evaluate how the School of Music at the Federal University of Bahia [UFBA, in the Portuguese acronym] worked for people like Gil. The School would also work as an open university, through the concerts performed at the Rectorate of UFBA.

A person with a mind like Gil’s had no need to enroll regular classes in order to learn an entire revolution in the musical thinking, starting in the route of counterpoint Palestrina style, passing by Debussy (and his hexatonic scale)…

… and Stravisnky, who brought dissonance to an abysmal edge.
Then deep-diving into the modernism of Béla Bartók, practicing his harmonization method with the very notes of the folkloric songs of the Eastern Europe.

Going through the bold creations of Paul Hindemith to John Cage and his “prepared piano,” which consisted in opening the instrument and placing over its strings artifacts such as rubber, glass, small wooden pieces and God only knows what else, to get devilish sonorities.

Also passing by Darius Milhaud, who had worked at the French Embassy in Brazil and Charles Ives, an American who had very much a disrespected tonality, and whose father, a protector of bandstand acts, promoted parades of those.

He had two bands, while parading, to cross paths in opposite directions. They had to be deeply concentrated, so they would not miss the rhythm—what, at the very least, resulted in a polytonality that got inside his son’s ear.

Getting to the bold acts of Carl Orff up to the final decision of Schoenberg, who with his Pierrot Lunaire had entirely abandoned tonality and later on would create the dodecaphonic method and serialism.

Well, for God’s sake, how would Gilberto Gil’s mind, deeply interested in music, input and process it all?

Take into account that multiple were the revolutions created by Rector Edgar Santos to turn the city of Salvador into what anthropologist Antonio Risério have called Avant-gard na Bahia:

The Music School, which Koellreutter only agreed to organize once his sine qua non demand of having carte blanche to disrespect the syllabus was accepted—given the “absolutely ridiculous [syllabus] of the Ministry of Education (sic).”

In addition, Edgard Santos had also founded, employing international grade directors, the School of Dance, under the standards of Polish dancer Yanka Rudzka and the School of Theatre, oriented by artist Martim Gonçalves.

Thus, we can conclude, there was no need for Gilberto Gil to attend an entire series of concerts at the rectorate.

By showing up 10% of the time, and with all the excitement in the cultural environment of the city etc., so many spectacles at the theatre and dance school etc., the mutual beneficial conversation with artist friends etc., Gil would input the same challenges into his brains.

As well as with/or so many spectacles at the theatre and dance schools, and/or the mutual beneficial conversation with artist friends etc. etc.

The correct answer is my main contribution was to appreciate it. Yet, so I don’t sound too pretentious, I name the composing of “2.001,” in partnership with Rita Lee.

Because, in our education, before elementary school, which would start at the age of 8, there was no Aristotle.

Our manager handed the lyrics to Rita. It is unbeknownst to me whether he offered to someone else before. Besides, there is quite an odd partnership involving same lyrics: professor Ernst Widmer also put melody to it, obviously in a very different style and which was never released.

Sometimes I do feel afraid.

“Palavra de ordem,” which was disqualified at a Theatre of the Catholic University [TUCA, in the Portuguese acronym], in 1968. But note how fast the devil works his way.

He added that it showed how the music of our country was respected abroad, specially by well-renowned institutions.

At the time of the shoot, Guilherme Araújo, our manager, told me: “Hold this suitcase, you are wearing a very ugly outfit.”

I didn’t, I think that voice is Caetano Veloso’s, who did a little play of mimicking me.

I think this is what I knew how to do. Reencounters are fun.