Gilberto Gil & Jorge Ben

Biography

Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben are two of Brazil's most influential musicians who collaborated on the cult album Gil & Jorge – Ogum Xangô. Gilberto Gil was born in Salvador, Bahia in 1942 into a middle-class family and began his musical career in the early 1960s as a bossa nova musician.[3][4] He met Caetano Veloso at the Universidade Federal da Bahia in 1963, and the two began collaborating and performing together, eventually becoming key figures in the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s.[3][5] Gil's early musical style blended traditional Brazilian forms with two-step rhythms such as baião and samba, influenced by artists like Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro, as well as by Jorge Ben's innovative approach.[3] During the Brazilian military regime that took power in 1964, both Gil and Veloso were seen as threats; they were held for nine months in 1969 before being forced to leave the country.[3] Gil moved to London but returned to Bahia in 1972 to continue his musical career while also working as a politician and environmental advocate.[3]

Jorge Ben, born Jorge Duílio Lima Menezes on March 22, 1939, is a Brazilian popular musician who has performed under the stage name Jorge Ben Jor since the 1980s.[1] His broad-minded and original approach to samba led him through participation in some of Brazilian popular music's most important movements, including bossa nova, Jovem Guarda, and Tropicália.[1] Ben has been called "the father of samba rock" by Billboard magazine, and according to American music critic Robert Christgau, Ben and his contemporary Gilberto Gil were "always ready to go further out on a beat than the other samba/bossa geniuses."[1][3] Ben's musical career took off in 1963 when he performed "Mas, que Nada!" at a club in front of a Philips recording company executive, leading to his first single release one week later.[1] His 1963 debut album Samba Esquema Novo was met with great acclaim, and he went on to release influential albums throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including his eponymous 1969 album during the Tropicália movement and the funk-samba fusion África Brasil in 1976.[1]

The mutual admiration between Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben eventually led to their collaboration on the double LP Gil & Jorge – Ogum Xangô, an unusual and cult album featuring nine tracks ranging from six to fourteen minutes in length, with two songs composed at the studio: "Meu glorioso São Cristovão" by Ben and "Jurubeba" by Gil.[2] The two would not compose together again until 44 years later, when they created "Ela diz que me ama" for singer Roberta Sá, recorded in the album Giro in 2019.[2]

Fun Facts

• Jorge Ben received the nickname "Babulina" after his enthusiastic pronunciation of rockabilly singer Ronnie Self's song "Bop-A-Lena."[1]
• In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked Jorge Ben's 1976 song "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" number 351 in their updated list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[1]
• A remake of Jorge Ben's "Mas, que Nada!" by Sérgio Mendes featuring The Black Eyed Peas became an international chart hit after being used in a Nike global TV advertisement during the 2006 FIFA World Cup, reaching Number 1 in the Netherlands and the Top 10 in several European countries including the UK and Germany.[1]
• The planned concert collaboration between Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben was shut down after Ben suffered from laryngitis, but they later created the cult album Gil & Jorge – Ogum Xangô in a completely spontaneous way.[2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• João Gilberto - Initial musical influence on Jorge Ben during his early career (Bossa nova style and approach) [Early 1960s]
• Luiz Gonzaga and Jackson do Pandeiro - Traditional Brazilian music influences on Gilberto Gil's early musical style (Baião and samba traditions) [Early 1960s]
• Jorge Ben - Influence on Gilberto Gil's musical style, noted by Caetano Veloso (Innovative samba and rhythmic approaches) [1960s onwards]

Key Collaborators

• Caetano Veloso - Met Gil at Universidade Federal da Bahia in 1963; longtime collaborator in Tropicália movement (Nós, por Exemplo (1964); Tropicália movement; TV program Divino, Maravilhoso) [1963–present]
• Trio Mocotó - Backing band for Jorge Ben's 1969 eponymous album; launched successful career through association with Ben (Jorge Ben (1969)) [1969 onwards]
• Gal Costa - Performed with Gil and Veloso at Vila Velha Theatre's opening night (Nós, por Exemplo (1964)) [1964]
• Tom Zé - Performed with Gil and Veloso at Vila Velha Theatre's opening night (Nós, por Exemplo (1964)) [1964]
• Maria Bethânia - Caetano Veloso's sister; performed with Gil and Veloso at Vila Velha Theatre's opening night (Nós, por Exemplo (1964)) [1964]
• Sérgio Mendes - Covered Jorge Ben's "Mas, que Nada!" twice; second cover with The Black Eyed Peas became international hit ("Mas, que Nada!" covers (1960s and 2006)) [1960s–2006]
• Roberta Sá - Singer for whom Gil and Ben composed together after 44 years ("Ela diz que me ama" in album Giro) [2019]

Artists Influenced

• Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, and Bilal - Hip-hop artists who collaborated with Jorge Ben on Red Hot + Riot compilation (Remake of Fela Kuti's "Shuffering and Shmiling") [2002]
• Iron & Wine - Contemporary artist who cited Gil & Jorge – Ogum Xangô as a favorite album (Referenced in interview about the album) [Contemporary]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia