Gilberto Gil

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Gil Gilberto
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Biography (Excerpt)

Grammy-winning Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist Gilberto Gil is recognized for his far-reaching musical influence both at home and abroad. Gil, along with Caetano Veloso, helped found the 1960s tropicália movement in music and politics. Once an exile, Gil would later serve as Brazil's Minister of Culture. In 1994, Nonesuch released Tropicália 2, a 25th-anniversary musical celebration of Gil and Veloso's artistic and personal friendship.

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Grammy-winning Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist Gilberto Gil is recognized for his far-reaching musical influence both at home and the world over.

Gil was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, in 1942 and was infatuated with music from a very early age. His musical studies began with the drums and trumpet, but then soon shifted to the accordion, which was his primary instrument for a number of years. Upon hearing João Gilberto, Gil made the switch to guitar.

Since that time Gil's impact on the music of Brazil has been enormous. He, along with Caetano Veloso, helped to found the musical movement tropicália, which combined the broad interests of young Brazilian musicians in the 1960s—both musical and political. The music that Veloso and Gil made was deemed threatening to the authoritarian Brazilian regime in power at the time, and, in 1969, the two were arrested and then forced to leave the country.

Gil has long since returned to his homeland and even served in several political offices, including as Brazil's Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2008. In 1994, Nonesuch released Tropicália 2, a 25th-anniversary musical celebration of Gil and Veloso's artistic and personal friendship, that represented, as Rolling Stone put it, "Brazil's two 50-something songwriting giants at the peak of their powers."

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Latest Release

  • April 8, 2016

    This live two-disc recording documents a historic reunion from the legendary Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Recorded during a concert in Brazil in 2015, Dois Amigos, Um Século de Música: Multishow Live celebrates a lifelong friendship over the half-century careers of two artists who have broken cultural, social, and political barriers through music. The Guardian says: "They are now in their early 70s, and they are still remarkable." Jazzwise calls it "a glorious celebration of Brazilian music, the art of the singer-songwriter, and an enduring friendship." NPR says: "It's almost startling to encounter music like this—refined to an essence, simple, graceful and complete."

News

  • December 6, 2016

    Congratulations to all of the Nonesuch Records artists who were nominated for the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, announced earlier today by The Recording Academy: Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Rhiannon Giddens, Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil, and John Adams. Together, these artists' Nonesuch releases have garnered a total of six nominations this year. The Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2017, in Los Angeles and will be broadcast live on CBS.

  • August 4, 2016

    The legendary Brazilian singers, songwriters, and guitarists Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil will perform at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at the Maracanã Stadium this Friday, August 5. The ceremony will be broadcast around the world and can be seen in the US on NBC starting at 7:30 PM ET. Nonesuch released a live two-disc recording from Veloso and Gil—Dois Amigos, Um Século de Música: Multishow Live—earlier this year, celebrating a lifelong friendship over the half-century careers of two artists who hold key roles in developing and keeping Brazilian popular music vibrant and alive around the world.

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About Gilberto Gil

  • Grammy-winning Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and activist Gilberto Gil is recognized for his far-reaching musical influence both at home and the world over.

    Gil was born in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, in 1942 and was infatuated with music from a very early age. His musical studies began with the drums and trumpet, but then soon shifted to the accordion, which was his primary instrument for a number of years. Upon hearing João Gilberto, Gil made the switch to guitar.

    Since that time Gil's impact on the music of Brazil has been enormous. He, along with Caetano Veloso, helped to found the musical movement tropicália, which combined the broad interests of young Brazilian musicians in the 1960s—both musical and political. The music that Veloso and Gil made was deemed threatening to the authoritarian Brazilian regime in power at the time, and, in 1969, the two were arrested and then forced to leave the country.

    Gil has long since returned to his homeland and even served in several political offices, including as Brazil's Minister of Culture from 2003 to 2008. In 1994, Nonesuch released Tropicália 2, a 25th-anniversary musical celebration of Gil and Veloso's artistic and personal friendship, that represented, as Rolling Stone put it, "Brazil's two 50-something songwriting giants at the peak of their powers."

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