The ones who get the sound out: Gilberto Gil’s bands and technical staff

That public image of a ruthless boss who scolds his staff and wants everything exactly the way he said is far from being right for Gilberto Gil.

The singer and songwriter is described by his musicians and his technical staff as a very easygoing person who takes advantage of what each of them has better and—always with the music’s goal in mind—can get the best and most interesting out of his crew.

Gil also loves to listen to suggestions, love that people who work with him bring new ideas. And, on stage, he enjoys keeping the same improvisation of great jazz musicians.

This happens precisely because Gilberto Gil trusts his team, and only works with those he trusts. And because it is public knowledge that Gil carries on a tradition of always bringing great musicians to his gigs, since the beginning.

The “Domingo no parque” singer has worked with Mutantes (São Paulo-born Arnaldo Baptista, Sérgio Dias, and Rita Lee) and the Beat Boys (Argentinians Tony Osanah, Cacho Valdez, Toyo, Willie Verdager, and Marcelo Frias).

As well as with Leif’s (the brothers Pepeu, Jorginho, and Carlinhos Gomes and lead singer Lico, all from Bahia), with guitar players such as Lanny Gordin, Celso Fonseca, Pepeu and Sérgio Chiavazzoli, and bass players such as Liminha and Arthur Maia.

But in order to play with Gil, you only need two things: 1) loving rehearsal; 2) being ready for surprises on stage.

Gilberto Gil really enjoys rehearsals, and rehearsals that last many hours. The recording of an album like Kaya N'Gan Daya, for instance, was preceded by 20 rehearsal sessions, each six hours long.

Gil travelled with the musicians to record in Jamaica and, returning, scheduled more band rehearsals to get ready for the tour.

Often times, a rehearsal recording can generate band auditions and some changes in arrangements, always in the search for the best sound.

“Why don’t we repeat this bass phrase?”

 “Why don’t we also play this saxophone phrase in the guitar?”

And with questions like these, new arrangements get created by Gil and his band, always in collectivity. It is very true that the singer tends to accept his musicians’ ideas and is always open for new things.

To keep the “ensemble” always sharp on stage, it is common that musicians look at each other all the time.

“He lets everyone do their job the best way, as long as everything is organized. Because Gil is organized, his guitar is organized, he comes in with the music all ready. Gil’s biggest demand is musical organization.”

Improvisation, like everyone who has been to a Gilberto Gil concert knows, is common—and so is talent utilization.

Taking advantage of the fact that Jorge Gomes (brother of friend Pepeu) played mandolin, Gil included, in the Unplugged tour, a “choro” medley with two songs by Jacob do Bandolim: “Aguenta, seu Fulgêncio” and “Diabinho maluco.”

Songs like “Expresso 2222,” in this same album’s tour, got solos from every accompanying musician—there have been times when versions of this hit lasted almost half an hour (!).

There’s more. If someone were to create a “Play with Gil” RPG or videogame, there would be one more phase to overcome: improvisation on stage is not only musical, but also scenic.

A musician who says yes to playing with Gil can end up being called upon to do not only a solo, but also a complete scene. It can go from anywhere from music and bodily improvisation of guitar and drums, guitar and bass, acoustic guitar and electric guitar, electric guitar (played by the host) and bass, and so on.

Gil’s technical staff is on the same regimen: the band leader prefers to make everyone comfortable, but surrounds himself with good professionals. Names such as Kynkas, Adriano (roadies), Leco Possolo, and João Ribeiro (sound) are some of the ones who were part of Gil’s team over the past years.

And the singer and songwriter’s organization isn’t limited to arranging and writing. Gil follows it to a T when putting together concerts and giving work to roadies in the comings and goings of the stage.

“Everything to him has to have a reason. The choice isn’t random. He organizes the order of performance by tone and instrument...

“... He enjoys having everyone sort of close. He doesn’t even change instruments much during the concert so it doesn’t get in the way of the show’s dynamic,” says Sérgio Chiavazzoli.