Gal Costa, Brazilian superstar, brings tropicalismo to town on Saturday
She will be joined by guitarist and Rio de Janeiro native Romero Lubambo. No stranger to Ann Arbor audiences, Lubambo is marking his fifth UMS appearance. He last was in town in February 2008 with the Assad Brothers.
“Gal is a wonderful vocalist, whose major significance is in interpreting the songs of some of Brazil's great songwriters,” said Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, associate professor of history & American culture and interim director of the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies at the University of Michigan.
Hoffnung-Garskof will join fellow U-M professor Sueann Caulfield at the U-M’s Clements Library the night before the concert interviewing Costa about her artistry, cultural background and personal history.
“She was one of the Bahian musicians who took Brazilian music by storm in the late 1960s by blending international rock and pop sounds with bossa nova and other Brazilian musical styles,” Hoffnung-Garskof added.
In the 1960s, a young Costa became part of a group of musicians that would become known as tropicalistas, including fellow Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, who challenged the sonic limitations of bossa nova. Along with others, they redefined Brazilian music with wide-ranging influences from many different cultures.
The music also had a political component.
“Although tropicalismo wasn’t a political movement, it was a reaction against the dictatorship and the politics of the era,” Costa said in an interview posted on her web site. “And it was also the first time that electric instruments were used in Brazilian music. Before tropicalismo, musicians relied on acoustic instruments.”
The tropicalistas got into hot water with the authorities with “Divino, Maravilhoso,” a catchy pop song that described the violent measures of the Brazilian government and warned listeners to beware of complacency. Veloso and Gil were arrested, imprisoned, and then asked to leave the country. They remained in London, in exile, until 1972.
Gal Costa sings “Divino, Maravilhoso” in the 1970 documentary “Bahia por Exemplo”:
“The tropicalista artists were intent on finding a revolutionary aesthetic; they commented ironically on the failings of Brazilian nationalism and the militant left while expressing admiration for many of the aspects of Brazilian life and popular culture that embarrassed traditional nationalists,” Hoffnung-Garskof observed.
“They also contributed to a revaluation of African cultures in Brazil, to the affirmation of alternate sexualities and to a critique of the dictatorship. Gal was part of this movement, though I think it is fair to say that she was not one of its principal intellectuals. She was a pop star who came of age within the tropicalista milieu.”
In 1969, Costa released two groundbreaking albums somewhere between fusion and art-rock. In 1970’s “Legal,” she adopted a bluesy vocal style and added touches of Motown soul.
“At this time, I started incorporating North American influences,” she explained. “I was inspired by Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles.”
By the time Costa headed out on a series of international tours in the early ’80s, she had become a global superstar with a multi-platinum single, “Festa do Interior” to her credit. To date, she has released more than 30 albums, including “Live at the Blue Note” in 2006.
“I’ve always had a jazz influence,” she wrote. “As a teenager, I listened to Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. I was inspired by those divas. I’ve always loved jazz, and when you hear music that you love, of course, it influences you and inspires you.”
Hoffnung-Garskof counts himself a Costa fan and said he saw her perform once, in São Paulo.
“Gal offers a throaty, more vigorous version of the classic bossa nova vocal style,” he said. “She can sing the languid songs of Jobim beautifully, but can also kick it into a more intense register for her renditions of (Dorival) Caymmi.”
PREVIEW Gal Costa Who: Brazilian vocal superstar performs with jazz guitarist Romero Lubambo, courtesy of the University Musical Society. What: Selections in the Tropicalismo tradition, from Costa’s more than 30 albums. Where: Hill Auditorium, 825 N. University Ave. When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. How much: $10-$42. Info: UMS web site; 734-764-2538 Related event: On Friday, Nov. 6, 1-2:30 p.m. at the U-M Clements Library, 909 S. University Ave., Brazilian history experts and U-M professors Sueann Caulfield and Jesse Hoffnung-Garskoff interview Costa about her artistry, cultural background and personal history.
Roger LeLievre is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.