Gilberto Gil Gil & Jorge CD

Personnel includes: Gilberto Gil, Jorge Bem (vocals, acoustic guitar); Wagner (bass); Djaalma Correa (percussion).
Producers: Paulinho Tapajos, Perinho Albequerque.
Engineers: Joao Moreiera, Ary Cavalhaes, Luigi Hoffer, Luis Claudio Coutinho.
Includes liner notes by Gerald Seligman.
Personnel: Gilberto Gil (vocals, acoustic guitar); Jorge Ben (vocals, acoustic guitar); Djalma Corrča (percussion).
Liner Note Author: Gerald Seligman .
Unknown Contributor Role: Jorge Vianna.
Recorded with little rehearsal and only two acoustic guitars (plus a percussionist) for accompaniment, Gil e Jorge focuses squarely on the individual talents of Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben as musicians, vocalists, performers, and improvisers. Of course, they prove up to the task. The nine lengthy tracks on the album (it was originally configured as a double LP) feature Gil and Ben interacting to a high degree, trading lines and often repeating them several times. The best tracks here -- "Nega," "Taj Mahal," and "Meu Glorioso Sao Cristovao" -- are highly rhythmic and have the heft of ancient Brazilian folksongs. Unfortunately, there isn't another record in Gil's discography even remotely close to it. ~ John Bush
GIL & JORGE pairs two of the most prominent figures associated with Brazil's late-'60s Tropicalia movement. Though Rio-based Jorge Ben focused primarily on fusions of samba and African music and steered clear of the overt political statements that led to Gilberto Gil's tangles with the Brazilian regime of the time, his propulsive guitar and easy vocals blend perfectly with the Bahia native's folk-rock ethos.
Essentially, this is a jam session par excellence; Gil and Ben face off with their voices and guitars and set the tape rolling. Entirely acoustic instrumentation gives the session a spare, organic sound, and the singers really let it hang out here, with scatting, call-and-response, and melodic and harmonic free association. The parameters are loose and free-flowing, and most of the songs roll on for 10 minutes or more, with plenty of improvisation. Ben's groovy "Taj Mahal" (a close melodic forebear of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy"), is one of the highlights, as are the exuberant "Morre O Burro, Fica O Homen," and the relentlessly chugging "Jurubeba." GIL & JORGE is a jewel in the significant discographies of both artists.Musician (4/93, p.93) - "...as moving a realization of the resonant spaces and gaits of an all-acoustic groove album as you'll discover....the songs work themselves into frenzies or take their sweet time, always more concerned with feel than with accuracy..."