Gilberto Gil on NPR March 3rd

Wednesday February 28, 2007

In preparation for his his first solo acoustic tour of North America in 2007, Gilberto Gil will be a featured interview on NPR’s Morning Edition – Weekend with Scott Simon on Saturday March 3rd. Check your local listings for broadcast time.

In his four-decade journey as a leading voice of a generation and the father of a historic movement, he has never performed in North America stripped down to the music’s most basic human essence – melodies steeped in emotion, accompanying rhythms quietly undulating and percolating, timeless narratives delivered with bravura by an unmistakable voice – all culminating into a clear, spiritual and luminescent presence.

The North American Tour follows the DRG Records release Gil Luminoso, on March 6, 2007. Gil Luminoso is the only recording in the illustrious career of the foremost Tropicalista-turned-Minister of Culture to showcase his exquisite talent in the minimalist setting of voice and guitar. The album was recorded in 1999 and was packaged as a companion piece to the Ben Fonteles book GiLuminoso: a po.tica do Ser. It was released commercially in Brazil in September 2006.

The fifteen songs on Gil Luminoso were written over a span of some twenty-five years but they all share a common spiritual character, a quality that is enhanced by the solo performance. Here the inimitable Gilberto Gil reveals some of the deepest philosophical facets of his art.

With 50 albums released, 12 gold records, 5 platinum albums, 7 GRAMMYs and more than 4 million records sold, Gil has developed one of the most relevant and renown careers as a singer, composer and guitar-player in this field.

For his unflinching creative engagement in bringing to the world the heart and soul of the rich music of Brazi, Gil has been honored by several entities and personalities around the world.