Gaia Wilmer Large Ensemble: Parabólico review – gorgeous reinvention of Gilberto Gil’s grooves
Gaia Wilmer, the Brazilian saxophonist and composer, has released Parabólico, the first of a three-volume tribute to singer Gilberto Gil performed with her 20-piece Large Ensemble. The album continues a signature project in which Wilmer radically reworks the catalogues of celebrated Brazilian musicians, following previous homages to Egberto Gismonti and Caetano Veloso, and this instalment is praised as a gorgeous, wholly reimagined take on Gil's music.
The review notes that few of Wilmer's arrangements resemble Gil's originals: the track Overture stretches a 25-second guitar-and-vocal intro from his 1985 album into four minutes of trumpet and piano, while Oriente and Eu Vim da Bahia transform familiar melodies through horn fanfares, jazz swing and flute-heavy ambience. Rather than mimicking Gil, Wilmer is said to expand and reinvent his work while preserving its emotional core, with contributions from singer Mônica Salmaso and pianist Vitor Gonçalves highlighted as standout elements.
- Gaia Wilmer releases Parabólico, reinventing Gilberto Gil's music with her ensemble
- First of a planned three-volume tribute series
- Arrangements radically transform, rather than replicate, Gil's originals