Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Bebel Gilberto: New York City, NY, July 21, 2012

3

Bebel Gilberto: New York City, NY, July 21, 2012

By

Sign in to view read count
Bebel Gilberto
Brazil Summerfest at Central Park Summerstage
July 21, 2012
New York, NY

As part of the 2012 edition of Brazil Summerfest, a New York city-wide event of contemporary Brazilian music, singer Bebel Gilberto took to the stage at Rumsey Playfield for the second time in her career, following a very eclectic performance by singer Criolo, making his US debut.

Backed by a solid quintet formed mostly by musicians from Forro in The Dark, Gilberto kicked off the proceedings with an up-tempo take on "Sem Contenção," from Tanto Tempo (Six Degrees, 2000). The arrangement was quite different from the studio recording, focusing mostly on the percussive sounds of conguero Davi Vieira and drummer Adriano Santos. Gilberto kept the energy up and encouraged the audience to sing along with her scatting of "Farofa, Farofa," towards the end of the song. She followed that with "Simplesmente," a ballad from her 2004 follow-up, Bebel Gilberto (Six Degrees).

Though the set list mostly concentrated on her two first albums, there were a few surprises, such as a bossa take on Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and a very personal rendition of "Barato Total," a Tropicalismo-era tune written by Gilberto Gil, originally recorded by singer Gal Costa in the early '70s. The song was well-received, and she stated that the song was a personal favorite that she first heard when she was nine years old. There were precious few individual moments for the backing band, save for a brief saxophone solo from Jorge Continentino on João Donato's "Bananeira" towards the end of the show, and emphasis on the percussion during Carlinhos Brown's "Aganjú."

Gilberto was in great form and showed great chemistry with her band and the audience. She finished the set with "Close Your Eyes," but surprisingly came back for a short encore—very unusual at Summerstage due to strict time constraints—featuring two bossas: "So Nice (Summer Samba)," with English lyrics; and Vinicius de Morais' early bossa-era song "Samba da Benção," co-written with guitarist Baden Powell.

Comments

Tags

Concerts

May 16 Thu

For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Jazz article: The Cookers at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
Jazz article: Julian Lage At Higher Ground

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.