Brazilian Music Legends Veloso and Gil To Release Live Album on April 8

By DownBeat I Apr. 8, 2016

Caetano Veloso (left) and Gilberto Gil will release *Dois Amigos, Um Século De Música: Multishow Live* on April 8 via Nonesuch Records. (Photo: Courtesy of the artists)
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A pair of legendary Brazilian songwriters—who just so happen to be lifelong friends—will appear together on a long-awaited live album. On April 8, Nonesuch Records will release Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil’s Dois Amigos, Um Século De Música: Multishow Live , which celebrates 50 years of the duo’s collaborative artistry.

Dois Amigos, Um Século De Música (which translates in English to Two Friends, One Century Of Music) was recorded for television during a concert in Brazil last year, in the midst of the Dois Amigos tour. Since beginning their most recent tour in Amsterdam last year, Gil and Veloso have performed for more than 135,000 fans at 44 sold-out concerts in 21 countries and 35 cities. Their international journey resumes this April, with U.S. stops in Los Angeles, Oakland, Miami, and New York.

The new album features an entire concert, comprising 28 multilingual songs, including a rendition of “Nine Out Of Ten” in English; “Tres Palabras” and “Tonada De Luna Llena” in Spanish; and “Come Prima” in Italian. Dois Amigos also includes longtime favorites from the artists, including “Coracão Vagabundo,” “Desde Que O Samba É Samba,” “Expresso 2222,” “Esotérico,” “Drão” and many others. The songs, which are mostly written by Veloso and Gil, are performed acoustically, as both duets and solo.

Dois Amigos was produced by Veloso and Gil, with sound engineering by their sons, Moreno Veloso and Bem Gil. The album was released internationally earlier this year.

For more information, visit the Nonesuch Records website. To read a 2012 review of the Brazilian ensemble Trio da Paz celebrating the music of Stan Getz and João Gilberto, click here.

—Brian Zimmerman