Hot on the heels of his new release, Banda Larga Cordel (Warner Music Latina), Grammy-winning statesman Gilberto Gil -- Brazil's current minister of culture -- tips his hat to the digital revolution in an interactive, eleven-city U.S. tour that openly invites fans to capture the shows' images and sounds for the purpose of refraction, reproduction, and dissemination on a grand scale. It's Gil's way of making his music accessible to the masses and efficiently transmitting his message to the world that the digital divide is another man-made inequality that's not insurmountable. With dates from June 18 to July 5, the tour is Gil's first full-band swing through the U.S. since 1999. Technology has been a leit motif throughout Gil's long and storied career. On the occasion of announcing his new record he even invited U.S. journalists to pose their questions via a virtual press conference. I for one passed on the invitation since, admittedly, I've only partially crossed over to the other side of that divide. Gil's album, which translates as "The Broadband Pamphlet," alludes to the Internet as a tool that spreads his poetic and philosophical parables about the human condition. And he does so with a decidedly electronic sound folded into a plethora of Brazilian folkloric rhythms and styles. "Os Pais," is a song about modern parents who worry about the kind of world their children will inherit as they walk the fine line between cultural freedom and the kinds of excesses that can result in social ills. "Nao Grude Nao," is a reminder that no matter how far you travel you can never escape your own reality. And "Nao Tenho Medo da Morte," is a ballad that confronts the fear of death. Lighter songs about carnival trysts and bachelor parties round out historically themed songs such as "Outros Viram," an ode to Brazil as the center of civilization where miscegenation is the norm, and those that touch on the technological revolution as a double-edged sword. Musicianship and thought-provoking lyrics continue to define Gil's legacy.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Gilberto Gil Offers His Worldview
Hot on the heels of his new release, Banda Larga Cordel (Warner Music Latina), Grammy-winning statesman Gilberto Gil -- Brazil's current minister of culture -- tips his hat to the digital revolution in an interactive, eleven-city U.S. tour that openly invites fans to capture the shows' images and sounds for the purpose of refraction, reproduction, and dissemination on a grand scale. It's Gil's way of making his music accessible to the masses and efficiently transmitting his message to the world that the digital divide is another man-made inequality that's not insurmountable. With dates from June 18 to July 5, the tour is Gil's first full-band swing through the U.S. since 1999. Technology has been a leit motif throughout Gil's long and storied career. On the occasion of announcing his new record he even invited U.S. journalists to pose their questions via a virtual press conference. I for one passed on the invitation since, admittedly, I've only partially crossed over to the other side of that divide. Gil's album, which translates as "The Broadband Pamphlet," alludes to the Internet as a tool that spreads his poetic and philosophical parables about the human condition. And he does so with a decidedly electronic sound folded into a plethora of Brazilian folkloric rhythms and styles. "Os Pais," is a song about modern parents who worry about the kind of world their children will inherit as they walk the fine line between cultural freedom and the kinds of excesses that can result in social ills. "Nao Grude Nao," is a reminder that no matter how far you travel you can never escape your own reality. And "Nao Tenho Medo da Morte," is a ballad that confronts the fear of death. Lighter songs about carnival trysts and bachelor parties round out historically themed songs such as "Outros Viram," an ode to Brazil as the center of civilization where miscegenation is the norm, and those that touch on the technological revolution as a double-edged sword. Musicianship and thought-provoking lyrics continue to define Gil's legacy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment