Herbert Vianna records Gil's tribute to Marley!

Os Paralamas do Sucesso, including Herbert Vianna, will record in January with Gilberto Gil a track for the tribute the Bahian singer and songwriter is preparing in honor of Bob Marley, with release expected for April. The group's manager, José Fortes, said the trio is still choosing the song. He said Herbert's "excellent" recovery will allow participation on Gil's CD.

The recording will be a test for the plans of Herbert, Bi Ribeiro and João Barone to release a CD of new material in 2002. The three have been holding regular rehearsals at Herbert's house in Vargem Grande, Rio. While Herbert has not fully recovered, Barone is touring with Rita Lee in the season of the rock queen's tribute to the Beatles and Bi is participating in the band Reggae B, also formed by João Fera, keyboardist of Os Paralamas, and members of the group Negril.

Gilberto Gil made the invitation because the group was the first of the Generation 80 to raise the reggae flag. Gil is a partner of Os Paralamas on the song "A novidade", from the CD "Selvagem?", from 1986, in which the trio anticipated several trends that would become striking in the 90s. Before the accident with Herbert Vianna, which occurred in February, there was a project for a joint live recording with Gil and Os Paralamas, resulting from the happy meeting of the four at an MPBr project show in the year 2000. Gil is also negotiating the participation of the Wailers, Marley's band, and also recorded with the most famous rhythm section in reggae, Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass).

The bases of the CD were recorded in November in Jamaica with Gil's band and vocal participation of the I-Threes, the trio of vocalists who accompanied Marley, formed by Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths and Rita Marley, the singer's widow. Gil's CD will be released in April 2002, but at the show he will perform at the Salvador Summer Festival — which will take place from January 30 to February 3 — he will preview some of the tracks. This is the first time Gil participates in the Bahian festival, already in its fourth edition, as he said in a press conference in São Paulo to promote the event.

In total the festival will have 65 shows over five nights. The diversity of styles is the main hallmark of the festival. An example of this is the second night of the event, which will open with a show by Supla and then presentations by the groups Harmonia do Samba and the Minas Gerais band Skank. Like Gilberto Gil, other artists will also take advantage of the crowd the production expects to gather in the Bahian capital to showcase new songs. The organization estimates 250 thousand people over the five days. Gabriel O Pensador said today that he will do a heavier, more rock-oriented show.

"The name of my new album is 'Seja você mesmo mas não seja sempre o mesmo' and this title shows how I'm feeling" — said Pensador.