Trinca de Ases

Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and Nando Reis are key figures in MPB (Música Popular Brasileira): Gil and Gal arrived with the tropicália movement of the 1960s; Reis from the moment he took Brazil by storm with rock band Titãs back in the 80s. Each of them, individually, already carries a lot of history and an almost bottomless music vault. As a trio, they are a gathering of epic proportions. But what often happens whenever you get together a group of superstars with such a strong background is that they end up concentrating a bit too much on the past.

And that's precisely what we hear in Trinca de Ases. Recorded live in São Paulo, this show is filled with mutual compliments and declarations of how much they love one another; all the while there is a palpable feeling of a nice cozy evening among family and friends. Trinca de Ases has that kind of campfire tone. It sounds like an uncomplicated rendezvous around Gilberto Gil and Nando Reis’ songs (Costa was never a songwriter), piling up classics such as Gil's ‘Palco’, ‘Ela’ and ‘Copo Vazio’ alongside Reis’ ‘Espatódea’, ‘O Seu Lado de Cá’ and ‘All Star’. There are also a few visits to Caetano Veloso, Luiz Melodia and Stevie Wonder.

Trinca de Ases is a two-hour party with this notable trio. But just like a get-together with friends, you end up keeping the memory of the experience and not so much any extraordinary musical moments.