Gil's album of Marley songs!

How did the idea of making an album with only Bob Marley cover versions come about?
GIL : After samba and baião, reggae is the musical genre that has won the most space in my heart. I was taken by it between 1974 and 75, after I returned from exile in London and when the first Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh, Yellowman albums... In short, that whole crowd from Jamaica began appearing in Brazil. Five years ago, João Araújo (president of Som Livre record label and father of Cazuza) suggested that I make the album, saying that I would record it beautifully. I started considering the idea, but other projects — "Quanta", "Quanta gente veio ver", the "Eu tu eles" album, the one with Milton, "São João vivo" — kept being scheduled and the Bob Marley cover album ended up being put off. Until I finally had some time and traveled to Jamaica, where I had already recorded "Vamos fugir" with the Wailers in the 1980s, to kick off the CD. The hard part was choosing from Bob Marley's more than a hundred songs.

And how many songs did you end up with?
GIL : The album has 14 songs, among them "Buffalo soldier", "Rebel music", "Kaya" and "Lively up yourself". I recorded one track with Sly & Robbie (reggae duo), four with the I-Threes (vocal group that accompanied Marley), and "Them belly full (but we hungry)" and "No woman no cry", with Herbert and Os Paralamas.