Now able to boast a career that has lasted for almost fifty years, Veloso has become an iconic presence in the Latin music scene, having won nine Latin Grammy Awards and two American Grammys, too. His stock as a national treasure wasn’t always quite so high, though; in the sixties, he was amongst the founders of the Tropicalisimo artistic movement, and his politically-charged lyrics and support of anti-government protests landed him in hot water with the authorities on a consistent basis. It led to him eventually leaving for London in 1972, after a string of legal troubles, and it was there that he began to forge his signature style of blending Brazilian folklore with tropical musical styles.
He moved back to Brazil in 1974, and has gradually reinforced his reputation as a powerful figure both musically and politically - his songs have dealt with topics including race relations, homelessness, poverty and the AIDS epidemic. He has released in excess of thirty studio records, and remains a prolific recording artist as well as a frequent live performer. In 2004, he recorded ‘A Foreign Sound’, which saw him take on American and British tracks including ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana and 'Love for Sale' by Cole Porter.
A towering figure in Brazilian music who, alongside Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento, spearheaded the hugely influential Tropicalia movement in the late 60s (Tropicalia devotees include David Byrne and Beck) before being exiled to London by the Brazilian military junta. Caetano is a hero in Brazil, albeit one among a plethora of extremely gifted singer-songwriters this country has produced. Accompanied by ‘Banda Cê’, the band that backed him on his 2006 album Cê and 2009’s Zii e Zie, they together breezed through a set of Musica Popular Brasileira infused with all the subtlety and nuance characteristic of all the best Brazilian music. The arrangements were rich, detailed and executed with consummate musicianship. Caetano played a moving solo version of London London, a tribute to the city that was his home for 3 years in the late 60s and early 70s, and a favourite of the crowd which numbered many Brazilians. It was refreshing to hear that over the years, his music hasn’t lost its slightly psychedelic pastiche-like edge, with sometimes abrupt breaks and forays into different tempos and moods. As they stood for the ovation, there was nothing but respect and warmth from the audience for this master and elder-statesman of Brazilian Popular Music.