Bebel Gilberto Tickets

About Bebel Gilberto

b. Isobel Gilberto, New York, USA. Gilberto's provenance almost suggests that she was destined to produce music that has been judged "the epitome of cool" and "gorgeously seductive". Gilberto is the progeny of a fêêted Brazilian chanteuse, Miúcha Gilberto, and the guitarist Joao Gilberto (who is credited with inventing bossa nova alongside Antonio Carlos Jobim). Having been surrounded by beautiful sounds from an early age, Bebel made her recording debut at the age of seven on an album by her mother, whom she joined onstage at Carnegie Hall two years later. Bebel released her own eponymous debut EP in 1986 but despite collaborations with the likes of David Byrne and Deee-Lite's Towa Tei (she appeared on the latter's "Technova" single and the albums Future Listening! and Sound Museum), Gilberto did not release a solo album until the start of the new century. This extended gestation period is alluded to in the title of Tanto Tempo, which translates as "So Long". The collection of subtle electronics and unhurried Brazilian rhythms was, for the most part, recorded in Brazil with the producer Suba. Tragically, Suba died in a house fire before the album was released, reportedly after returning to the burning building to rescue recordings.

Echoing Tanto Tempo's juxtaposition of the traditional and the contemporary, the album mixed old songs (Baden Powell and Vinícius De Moraes' "Samba Da Bênçao", Marcos Valle's "So Nice (Summer Samba)", and Chico Buarque's "Samba E Amor") with new compositions. Collaborators on the album included Amon Tobin, Carlinhos Brown, Smoke City, the Thievery Corporation, Celso Fonseca, and Mario Caldato Jnr. Tanto Tempo was reissued the following year alongside an album's worth of remixes by artists such as Derrick Carter, 4 Hero, Rae And Christian, King Britt, and Layo And Bushwacka!. Prior to the release of her album Gilberto apparently performed jingles for McDonald's in New York, a vocation that seems incongruous with her subtle, sophisticated recordings. Curiously, Tanto Tempo has been reported as former US president Bill Clinton's favorite album.

For her next project Gilberto teamed up with a number of producers, including Marius de Vries, in an attempt to replicate the success of her work with Suba. Released in summer 2004, Bebel Gilberto was a more downbeat collection than Tanto Tempo and lacked the experimental edge that Suba brought to the earlier album.