Vitor Ramil

Vitor Ramil, the younger sibling of composers and vocalists Kleiton and Kledir, saw his songs interpreted by an array of artists that included Gal Costa, who placed “Estrela, Estrela” on her album Fantasia, as well as Zizi Possi. Over the years he collaborated with Egberto Gismonti, Wagner Tiso, Hélio Delmiro, and Márcio Montarroyos. At the age of eighteen he issued his debut solo effort, Estrela, Estrela (1981), which featured guest appearances by Egberto Gismonti, Wagner Tiso, Luis Avellar, Zizi Possi, and Tetê Espíndola. Two years later came the experimental A Paixão de V Segundo Ele Próprio; Mercedes Sosa later revisited its track “Semeadura.” In 1985 he traveled to Rio de Janeiro RJ to cut Tango, enlisting Nico Assumpção, Hélio Delmiro, Márcio Montarroyos, Leo Gandelman, and Carlos Bala. He has also published books, among them Satolep and Pequod, the latter honored with the Açorianos prize. Rooted in gaúcho traditions from Brazil’s far south, Ramil has long pursued a blend of regional folk elements; his fifth album, Ramilonga (A Estética do Frio) (1997), centers on the milonga, the form common to Rio Grande do Sul and its neighbors Uruguay and Argentina that has left an indelible mark on the musical character of his home state. Tambong (2000), featuring Egberto Gismonti, Lenine, Chico César, and João Barone, appeared at the same time in Brazil and in a Spanish-language edition for Argentina.