September 14, 2008

Music: Jorge Ben


"Jorge Ben Jor (born 1942 in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian popular musician. His characteristic style fuses samba, funk, and rock into samba-rock, with lyrics that blend humor and satire with often esoteric subject matter."

"In 1963, Jorge came on stage and sang "Mas Que Nada" (or "no way") to a small crowd that happened to include an executive from the recording company, Philips. One week later, Jorge Ben's first disc was launched."

"The hybrid rhythms that Jorge employed brought him some problems at the start of his career, when Brazilian music was split between the rockier sounds of the Jovem Guarda and traditional samba with its complex lyrics. But as that phase in Brazilian pop music history passed, and the entire world became captivated by bossa nova, Jorge rose to prominence."

...continue reading this Wikipedia article



Did that get you interested?
At the excellent Brazilian music blog Loronix you'll be able to find some more of Ben's music. And here are a few shortcuts for you (I'm sure there's more!):

Jorge Ben - O Bidu | Silencio no Brooklin (1967)
Jorge Ben - Historia da MPB (1970)
Jorge Ben - Ben (1972)
Jorge Ben - A Tábua de Esmeralda (1974)
Jorge Ben - Solta o Pavao (1975)
Jorge Ben - Tropical (1977)
Jorge Ben - Alô, Alô, Como Vai? (1980)
Jorge Ben - Bem-vinda Amizade (1981)


click images to enlarge