Music review: Gilberto Gil
 | | Gilberto Gil at Southbank.
Photo by India Roper-Evans |
Music is at its most transformational when it spirits us away to another time and place, unravelling memory and imagination in a way that other art forms struggle to match.
And with the musical mastery of Gilberto Gil at the helm of the Southbank's Festival Brazil last night [July 22], there was much to admire in a glittering performance of harmonies brought from the north East of Brazil, Bahia.
In a daring performance, the singer, composer and guitar-player chose to shun well-trodden, sure-fire hits, instead bringing a collection of Forró songs, or Brazilian folk music, to the capital.
In between numbers, Gilberto, who is most often remembered for his triumphant breakthrough performance recorded live at the 1978 Montreux Jazz festival, was as charming as he was informative.
He spoke of the three years he spent in London in the 1970s where he wrote a number of his overground hits, and the reasoning behind his set choice - Forró, as popular among the youths of Rio de Janeiro as much as Samba and Bossa Nova are with previous generations, is rarely played live in Europe.
The word Forró, more often used to describe a dance form, is an expression of "for all" in English.
Gilberto spoke of Forró's history, its origins in Bahia and how the form offers more than rhythmic, dance orientated music, before demonstrating through ballads and Scottish style short ditties of what he described as of a 'more peppery' flavour.
And as the dancing crowd bayed for an encore amid a standing ovation, the band obliged as the fans crooned in chorus.
Pure joy.
Festival Brazil celebrates the country's melting pot of rich cultural heritage from music, visual arts, dance, literature, debates and food.
Performances at Royal Festival Hall have also included cultural icon Maria Bethânia and the legendary psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes.
As part of the festival, masters of capoeira from the favelas of Salvador leap, flip, kick and spin at breathtaking speed while Brazil's most evocative writers and poets feature in 2010's London Literature Festival.
Food fans can also try the taste of Brazil from samba-sushi to traditional moqueca and xinxim, an array of caipirinhas, food markets and outdoor stalls.
And there are many free performances.
For information on the festival, which continues until September 5 visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|