Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble Reimagines Gilberto Gil's Music

Saxophonist and composer Gaia Wilmer has released "Parabólico," the first volume in a three-part homage to Brazilian music icon Gilberto Gil, featuring her 20-piece ensemble. This album continues Wilmer's signature approach of radically reimagining the works of Brazilian virtuosos, a style previously demonstrated in her albums "Folia: The Music of Egberto Gismonti" and "Trem das Cores," which celebrated Caetano Veloso. "Parabólico" transforms Gil's familiar grooves into lush new compositions by altering tempos, introducing breathy melodies, and incorporating flourishes of horns and undulating rhythms.

Many of Wilmer's arrangements on "Parabólico" are nearly unrecognizable from Gilberto Gil's original recordings. For instance, the overture, which in Gil's 1985 album "Dia Dorim Noite Neon" is a brief 25-second introduction of strummed guitars and group vocals, is expanded into a four-minute piece on "Parabólico." Wilmer's version features a slowly unfurling breathy trumpet melody complemented by twinkling piano accents. Another track, "Oriente," replaces Gil's original wavering vocal harmony from 1972 with vibrant horn fanfares and a jazz swing rhythm. This new arrangement supports singer Mônica Salmaso's lightly tripping bossa nova vocalizations. Even one of Gil's most well-known songs, "Eu Vim da Bahia," is reinterpreted with a significantly slower tempo, evolving into an experimental, flute-heavy ambient piece. The original sprightly melody is transmuted through the brassy weight of a big-band horn section, showcasing Wilmer's distinctive arrangement style.

Wilmer's artistic practice involves deconstructing and rebuilding the musical foundations of her country's celebrated artists. Her previous work, "Folia: The Music of Egberto Gismonti," transformed Gismonti's intricate finger-picked melodies into a sound described as almost prog-influenced cacophony. "Trem das Cores," dedicated to Caetano Veloso, explored the eerie tenderness within Veloso's typically lilting melodies. With "Parabólico," Wilmer applies this transformative process to Gilberto Gil's extensive catalog, creating what the review describes as "luscious new works from their deconstructions." The 20-piece ensemble's performance is noted for its ability to produce rich and evocative sonic landscapes, demonstrating a deep understanding and creative reinterpretation of Gil's musical legacy. The album's title, "Parabólico," suggests a parabolic trajectory, perhaps hinting at the expansive and far-reaching nature of Wilmer's musical explorations and the way she bends and reshapes familiar musical forms.