''Quanta gente veio ver: Ao Vivo'' (English: ''How many people came to see: Live''), known internationally as ''Quanta Live'', is a Grammy-winning 1998 album by Brazilian musician

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Minister of Culture in the administration ...

recorded live with a seven-piece band at the Teatro João Caetano in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

during his 1997 world tour. At the 41st Annual Grammy Awards, it won the award for Best World Album. The album's tracks span a number of musical styles, including tropicalia, a genre with which Gil is closely associated, as well as samba, funk, bossa nova,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (Mexican cuisine), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: ...

, and pop.

Background and style

''Quanta gente veio ver: Ao Vivo'' was recorded at the Teatro João Caetano in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during his 1997 world tour. It is connected in name and content to his 1997 studio-recorded album ''Quanta'', which included a variety of tracks from different points in his career. ''Quanta Live'' is the name of the international release. Stylistically, Gil's well known association with the tropicalia genre is evident on the album, and its musical content has also been described as including samba, funk, bossa nova,

, and pop songs and styles. Most of the songs Gil plays with his seven-person supporting band were written by Gil. Two are covers of popular

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

songs, " Is This Love" and "

Stir It Up "Stir It Up" is a song composed by Bob Marley in 1967 and first recorded by the group Bob Marley and the Wailers that year and issued as a single. It was later covered by American singer Johnny Nash on his 1972 album ''I Can See Clearly Now' ...

", one was written by Gordurinha, one by

Alberto Ribeiro Alberto Ribeiro (1920–2000) was a Portuguese singer and film actor. He starred alongside Amália Rodrigues in the 1947 musical film '' Black Capes''.Creekmur p.62-63 Selected filmography * ''Gentleman Thief A gentleman thief, gentleman ...

, and another co-written by Gil,

João Barone João Alberto Barone Reis e Silva, better known as João Barone (born August 5, 1962 in Rio de Janeiro), is a Brazilian drummer. Since 1982 he is the drummer of the band Os Paralamas do Sucesso. Discography Guest appearances *Eduardo Dussek - ...

Bi Ribeiro Felipe de Nóbrega Ribeiro, better known as Bi Ribeiro (March 30, 1961 in Rio de Janeiro) is a bass player. Since 1977, he is the bass player of the Brazilian rock band Os Paralamas do Sucesso. Ribeiro is responsible for the songwriting of many ...

, and

Herbert Vianna Herbert Lemos de Sousa Vianna (born May 4, 1961) is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer mainly known for his work with rock band Os Paralamas do Sucesso. Biography Herbert was born in João Pessoa, Paraíba. His fa ...

. Talking about the album in an interview with ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

'', Gil said "What I really like to do is pick up the guitar and play, to write a song and sing it, to incorporate elements from all kinds of music. That's why I like ''Quanta Live''. It's everything. It's jazz and samba and reggae and salsa. It's bossa nova and baião. It's everything together. That's what I like."

Reception

''Quanta Live'' has received critical acclaim, and won the

Grammy Award for Best World Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album is an honor presented to recording artists for influential music from around the globe at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors i ...

at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards. Interviewed the following year, Gil expressed that the award was particularly meaningful not only because ''Quanta'' was intended to represent a summary of the artist three decades into his career, but also because it was the live version rather than the studio album which won. Diane Gordon of ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' said that through this performance "one can understand his immense international popularity" and praised the sound quality of the recording, calling it "as exciting as his material". ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

''s Richard S. Ginell's positive review commented that Gil is "still in possession of a quicksilver voice with a beautiful falsetto, a staccato guitar style that makes his electric model sound like an acoustic, and strikingly original, even quirky tunes". ''

''s Mike Quinn said "it's music that makes you want to dance with lyrics that make you think".

Track listing

#"Introducão" (Gilberto Gil) – 2:34 #"Palco" (Gil) – 3:58 #" Is This Love" (

) – 4:55 #"

" (Marley) – 4:42 #"Refavela" (Gil) – 3:56 #"Vendedor de Caranguejo" ( Gordurinha) – 4:08 #"Quanta" (Gil) – 5:57 #"Estrela" (Gil) – 4:45 #"Pela Internet" (Gil) – 4:23 #"Cérebro Eletrônico" (Gil) – 3:51 #"Opachorô" (Gil) – 4:19 #"Copacabana" (

) – 4:49 #"A Novidade" (

, Gil,

) – 5:16 #"O Gandhi" (Gil) – 3:42 #"De Ouro E Marfim" (Gil) – 3:54

Personnel

* Gilberto Gil - vocals, acoustic and electric guitars * Arthur Maia - bass * Celso Fonseca - acoustic and electric guitars * Gustavo de Dalva, Leonardo Reis - percussion * Jorginho Gomes - drums * Paulo Calasans - keyboards * Raul Mascarenha - saxophone

References

{{reflist, 30em 1998 live albums Gilberto Gil live albums Grammy Award for Best World Music Album Tropicália albums Portuguese-language live albums