MUSIC

Jorge Ben is someone who needs no introduction. Since his first hits in the 60s, this artist has become one of the greatest icons of Brazilian pop music. His anthems "Mais Que Nada" or "Pais Tropical" are probably two of the most ever-listened Brazilian songs of all time. After being involved in the Tropicalia movement and incorporating the influences of Afro-American funk into his repertoire, with the support of his backing band -Trio Mocotó-, his very personal samba sound also opened up to the new musical trends coming from the States at the edge of the 70s. Boogie and disco music were making headway and soon became popular in the Brazilian market. Jorge Ben's albums recorded at the beginning of the 80s reflect this trend and deliver a good number of outstanding tunes. “Bem-Vinda Amizade” is one of those albums. Recorded in 1981, it is a solid album, start to finish. It comprises the usual samba funk numbers, so characteristic of Jorge Ben, with killer boogie and disco tracks (‘Oé Oé (Faz O Carro De Boi Na Estrada)’, ‘Ela Mora Em…’). And it also contains downtempo soulful slow burners like 'Lorraine' or 'Katarina, Katarina', funky as Hell! An essential addition to any Brazilian music collection.

Caetano Veloso, one of the great masters of Brazilian music, released his first album "Irene", also known as "The White Album", in 1969, and his second studio album as a solo artist. Veloso and his ally Gilberto Gil were arrested and jailed for criticizing the military regime without any clear reason. This is the monumental album that he left behind just before his exile to London, England, and sent out to the world as his own message. Limited edition of 500 copies on clear vinyl.

Evocative, eclectic, intimate, and rhythmically complex, TRANSA contains everything that has made Caetano Veloso the most distinctive and, arguably, most important voice in modern Brazilian music. The album was recorded during Veloso's political exile in England but released in 1972 upon his return to his homeland. Though the songs are not overtly political, they seem allegorical, celebratory, and plaintive at once, and point to a tension between the artist's expressive impulse and the strictures of his native country. This tension is further heightened by the presence of lyrics in both English and Portuguese. The beautiful, desperate "You Don't Know Me" may be the world's first bilingual bossa nova/folk-punk anthem of identity. The jazzy "Nine Out of Ten" gives way to the gear-shifting "Triste Bahia," which features webs of accelerating Brazilian percussion. A spare treatment of the classic samba "Mora Na Filosofia," the cosmic ditty "Neolithic Man," and the 12-bar "Nostalgia" (ending with the wise line "That's what rock & roll is all about") close out the set. TRANSA is a jewel in Veloso's discography and a must for anyone interested in Brazilian pop--or brilliant, original pop in general.

With this new solar album, Brazilian singer-songwriter Lucas Santtana wishes to re-enchant our life on earth. For his ninth album "O Paraíso" (Paradise), the free heir of the Brazilian tropicália intends to redefine our idea of Paradise. "It is in front of us, we must open our eyes and learn to contemplate it in depth," he explains. The Earth is a living organism also called "biosphere", a unique planet in the solar system where all the conditions are gathered to welcome life. Lucas places life at the heart of his songs and celebrates the collective forces that resist to preserve it. His guitar-vocal songs with bossa nova sounds are mixed with organic sounding percussions, enriched with electronic orchestrations and textures. The Brazilian composer gets closer to his French audience by collaborating with Flavia Coelho, Flore Benguigui (from the band L'Impératrice) or the saxophonist Laurent Bardainne, and by even trying his hand at French on one of his tracks. It's a festive new album, which helps us better understand where we live and with whom we share this heavenly home.

Limited white vinyl specifications. This is the second solo album since the masterpiece "Recomecar" by Tim Bernardes, the vocalist / guitarist of São Paulo's soul / guitar rock band O Terno, who is attracting attention as the bearer of the new generation of Brazilian music. His father is Maurício Pereira, a musician who is also a member of Os Mulheres Negras, which was also recorded in the Brazilian compi "Outro Tempo: Electronic And Contemporary Music From Brazil 1978-1992" of , and his unusual musical sense is the same. Outstanding in the generation. It has been praised by the original Tropicália, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa and Tom Ze, as well as recent free folk music such as Fleet Foxes and Devendra Banhart from outside Brazil, as well as David Byrne. He also participated in O Terno's 7inch release on in Japan with Shintaro Sakamoto and Devendra Banhart. Love songs, sadness songs, change songs, and inclusive singing voices resonate with emotions and provide healing. Expected work that will be able to enjoy the talent that can be called the flag bearer of this Neutropicaria!

“…this album is very much a product of the current Rio scene (where it was also partly recorded), and it ranks with the best experimental Brazilian rock albums that scene has produced in the last decade” Rod Taylor, Brazil Beat “Personally this has everything for me: finely balanced Brazilian songwriting with an edge of noise.” Andy Cumming, Sounds & Colours “Muito Sol reinforces Ricardo Dias Gomes’ position at the forefront of contemporary Brazilian music.” Joseph Neff, The Vinyl District “Dias toggles effortlessly between melodic gems and more sound-driven excursions…It’s one of my favorite albums of the year” Peter Margasak, Nowhere Street “Gomes is a minimalist at heart, adept at conjuring up intimate worlds from the sparest of gestures” Andy Beta, The Shfl “…a strange beautiful work of skewered pop, and unexpected weirdness” Bob Baker Fish, Cyclic Defrost “…enticingly original music” John Parry, Backseat Mafia “…unveils new, intricate elements with every new play” Ljubinko Zivkovic, Echoes & Dust Hive Mind Records are excited to bring you Muito Sol, the third solo album from Brazilian auteur Ricardo Dias Gomes. The album is a deep, widescreen exploration in classic Brazilian song that brings all the subtlety and delicacy you'd expect from the pioneers of Musica Popular Brasileira coupled with a thoroughly 21st century sensibility and taste for sonic innovation. A respected innovator on the Rio de Janeiro music scene since the mid 90s, Gomes is perhaps best known for his work on the trio of critically-acclaimed albums Caetano Veloso released in the late 00s: Cê (2006), Zii and Zie (2009) and Abraçaço (2012). Playing bass on these modern milestones in post-Tropicalia, and subsequently touring the world with Veloso, inspired Gomes to record his debut album -11 (2015), followed by the mini-album Aa, which featured Arto Lindsay (2018). Muito Sol was recorded between New York, Lisbon & Rio de Janeiro and features a stellar cast of global players such as Jeremy Gustin (drums), Will Graefe (guitars), Ryan Dugre(guitars), Gil Oliveira (percussion), Alex Toth (trumpet), Tiago Queiroz (sax, flute), Jonas Sá (synths), Julian Desprez (guitars), Pedro Sá (guitars) & Shahzad Ismaily (synths); the album is often deceptive in its simplicity and repeated listens reveal layers of intricate instrumentation and arrangement, making listening something like an exciting exercise in excavation. The album was recorded following Gomes' move from Rio to Lisbon and was inspired by the sense of unease that followed the move from a culture of vibrant spontaneity to a more genteel and 'civilised' country. Unlike Gomes' previous solo outings, Muito Sol includes a number of songs that explicitly celebrate Brazil's musical heritage and culture that are based on the Samba Ostinato. The songs, led by Gomes' gentle and dreamy voice, are often reminiscent of classic innovators such as Caetano Veloso, João Bosco or Edu Lobo, though they take unexpected lines of flight into more experimental territory. There is also an element of drone underpinning the whole album which surfaces and takes full charge on Fllux and Transição, before the album is closed by what turns into the molten, distorted piece of raging hardcore, Coração Sulamericano, Ricardo's expression of pride in his Latin American heritage. Muito Sol is a sun drenched dream from start to finish and album to be bathed in.

For their first multi-artist compilation, Music From Memory take us on a trip to the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Outro Tempo: Electronic and Contemporary Music From Brazil, 1978-1992 is a double LP that explores the outer reaches of Brazilian music, where indigenous rhythms mix with synthesizers and where MPB mingles with drum computers. As Brazil faced the last years of its military dictatorship and transition to democracy, a generation of forward-thinking musicians developed an alternative vision of Brazilian music and culture. They embraced traditionally shunned electronic production methods and infused their music with elements of ambient, jazz-fusion, and minimalism. At the same time they referenced the musical forms and spirituality of indigenous tribes from the Amazon. The music they produced was a complex and mesmerising tapestry that vividly evoked Brazilian landscapes and simultaneously reached out to the world beyond its borders.
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The product of extensive research, this compilation is a unique introduction to this visionary music and features many fresh discoveries in a country well trodden by record diggers. It gathers tracks from obscure albums that have for too long been neglected by even the most avid collectors of Brazilian music. It includes now highly sought after music by Andréa Daltro, Maria Rita, and Fernando Falcão, as well as unknown gems like those of Cinema, Carlinhos Santos, and Anno Luz. This is an essential release that reveals a broader spectrum of Brazilian music, striking a unique sonic signature that is full of innovation, experimentation, and beauty.

Compiled by John Gómez and featuring extensive liner notes, Outro Tempo showcases this overlooked corner in Brazil’s rich music history for the first time.

Recorded and originally released only in Argentina in 1972, the album shows an exquisite and delicate dialogue between the guitar of Sebastião Tapajos and the percussion provided by Pedro Dos Santos that generates ambiences of unusual beauty and depth.

It is a necessary addition to the much-hailed Pedro Dos Santos album “Krishnanda” in the collection of anyone with an interest in the most adventurous sounds of Brazil and also an essential work in the discography of Sebastião Tapajos.

Includes the killer afro-samba 'Mungangá' and the hypnotic groover ‘Sorongaio’.

Negro É Lindo is the eighth album by Brazilian artist Jorge Ben, released in 1971. The title is a translation of the slogan "Black is beautiful" to Portuguese. The album has a song called "Cassius Marcelo Clay" paying homage to boxer and black activist Muhammad Ali. Rather than use overly theatrical performance to shock the audience or write songs loaded with political content, Ben became known as one of the country’s great musical alchemists, a furiously eclectic songwriter who combined elements of indigenous Brazilian music with a groove from the west coast of Africa. Never a controversial figure in the manner of the tropicalistas like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Ben became one of the most respected and resilient figures in Brazilian pop.

An amazing bit of Brazilian samba funk that also touches on MPB, bossa nova, jazz… Originally released in 1976, this sought-after gem opens with the beautiful version of Burnier & Cartier’s “Só Tem Lugar Prá Você”, building up a mellow, airy vibe that stays throughout the entire album. Vocal harmonies and arrangements and excellent guitar work are masterfully combined creating a joyful journey featuring the undisputed talent of Raymundo Bittencourt, Octávio Burnier and Paulo Moura. This release is the result of a collaboration between Vampisoul and Glossy Mistakes. First time vinyl reissue.

The first volume in a survey of a form of Brazilian country music known as música caipira ("hillbilly music") - a stripped-back forerunner to música sertaneja, the Brazilian equivalent to US country & western which in it's contemporary form has come to dominate the domestic music industry in recent decades. This collection covers some of the earliest recordings made by the pioneering folklorist Cornélio Pires at the end of the 1920s, through to records from the 30s, 40s & 50s and the beginning of the 60s. Somewhat rooted in Portuguese troubadour folk traditions, música caipira is typically performed by a duo singing in parallel thirds and sixths, drawing upon a Portuguese-Brazilian style known as moda de viola - with the viola being the viola caipira, a Brazilian-style ten-string guitar that is the core instrument of the music. Born out of the "outback"-style region in north-eastern Brazil, these songs tell stories of pain, love, loss & betrayal - often backed by homemade guitars using invented tunings. Away from the polished pop country & western-stylings of the sertaneja, these recordings could be viewed as the Brazilian equivalent to the roots music of the American dustbowl or Appalachia.

Limited Clear Vinyl edition, 300 copies! Joao Gilberto's self titled third album, is the fruit of the collaboration between Gilberto and the great composer and arranger Antonio Carlos Jobim and Walter Wanderley and his ensemble. This is one of the greatest pieces of work in the field of Brazilian music. Gilberto's delicate singing moves on top of extremely subtle, elegant orchestral arrangements of various songs from the classic repertoire, "Samba da Minha Terra" and "Saudade da Bahia" (Dorival Caymmi), "O Barquinho" (Roberto Menescal / Ronaldo Bôscoli) without forgetting essential numbers by Carlos Lyra, Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim. A timeless masterpiece, period!

Originally released in 1972 in very limited numbers. A trip of an album rich in percussive energy and African chant - made in Brazil! The sounds of continents colliding in a young, funky & soul fuelled 70s ....this is one is on full burn from start to finish ! This the only album by Massáhi Tribe and it became notorious for it’s unique sound and the almost complete lack of information about its creators. Check!

the Label say:

'This is a sound made in Brazil. All the members are Brazilians.
But the goal is to show the young african music, with all his distinctions that features the origin of the black continent’s music.

In this record we launch several curious things. Starting from a rhythmic draw, based on the camel steps that match the division 4/4, on the same line of YÁ YÁ YÁ and SOUL MUSIC, which was given the name of OGA, this, because in Lagos, Nigeria’s capital, is an intimate treatment among friends. There, a man feels good when compared to a OGA (camel).
Purposely and proudly we launch this new and different LP, not only dedicated to all record collectors in the world but also to all party lovers, nights in club, and even for who’s loving, because on both sides, there aren't intervals. It’s a contagious and crazy rhythm."

This is how, in 1971, Embaixador and Maestro João Negrão described the record on his back cover. These words did not aged a bit.

We are very happy and proud to announce, 44 years later, the first 100% official reissue of this genuine work that became legendary and considered as the "Holy Grail" of Brazilian music among collectors around the world.'

Based in the Brazilian capital of São Paulo, the TORMENTA collective has long offered an alternative vision of the city's rich and colorful musical heritage. Operating as an ongoing series of DIY parties, creative agency and record label, TORMENTA has welcomed challenging sounds into São Paulo and released music from a cross section of Brazilian artists, including Fkoff1963, 177th & Digestivo. Their musical output is unrestrained: pop edits and unhinged hard dance rubs against errated heavy metal and lifted ambient drone. Anything's possible, as long as there's a social conscience and a middle finger to expectation. In 2019, TORMENTA put together a short film for the online edition of Nyege Nyege Festival. Since the crew is made up of obsessive horror movie fans, the direction was clear. "O Som do Labirinto" (The Labyrinth's Sound), is a terrifying and psychedelic audiovisual experience that's centered around a journalist attempting to examine a series of mysterious gatherings. Casting a side-eye to VICE's notorious series of fish out of water documentaries, the film drags its protagonist to hell through a series of grueling mental trials, all accompanied by TORMENTA's bloody toolbox of tortuous sounds. This full-length soundtrack finds the collective exposing their deep horror movie knowledge and finally flexing their film score muscle. The crew's ragged club DNA is still present, but mainlined into a Frankenstein's monster of John Carpenter synths, haunted piano loops and gruesome Lustmord-esque dark ambient drones. Alada's 'Running' straps a familiar hoover bass to bloodcurdling low-end rumbles and sparse, propulsive kicks; MTMA's 'O Pesadelo' sounds like broken clocks and music boxes at the "Evil Dead" cabin; 177th's 'Together' is a nightmarish beatless rave anthem that's like Lorenzo Senni on a bad trip; and Bruxax's 'Scream' is a full-on sludge metal freak-out that could sit alongside a Rob Zombie movie. The "O Som Do Labirinto OST" is Brazilian experimental club music in corpse paint holding a jack-o-lantern and weilding a bloody knife. Be afraid.

The out-of-this-world recordings of Dilson de Souza, leading a kind of tropical chamber jazz on leaves from a ficus tree. Dilson was from Barra do Pirai, in the Brazilian countryside; moving to Rio as a young man, where he worked in construction. He recorded his first record in 1954, for RCA Victor. He travelled to Quito around 1957, soon hooking up with Benitez & Valencia, who introduced him to the CAIFE label. Dilson played the leaf open, resting on his tongue, hands free, with his mouth as the resonator. Though a leaf can also be played rolled or folded in half, this method allowed for more precision, a tethered brilliance. A picked ficus leaf stays fresh, crisp and clean-toned for around ten hours. He could play eight compositions, four at each end, before it was spent. Biluka plays trills and vibratos effortlessly, with utterly pure pitch, acrobatically sliding into notes and changing tone on the fly. In Manuco, he leads Los Caníbales into a mysterious landscape on a rope pulled from an Andean spaghetti western, and corrals and teases them into a dialogue. A leaf, a harp, a xylophone, and a rondador — joined in Bailando Me Despido (Dancing As I Say Goodbye) by a saucy organ, doing sloshed call-and-response. In Anacu de Mi Guambra, Biluka shows his full range of antics, hiccuping melodically over a set of magic tricks. His expressiveness was boundless. The eucalyptus leaf is popular among Aboriginal Australians. In China, they’ve played leaves for 10,000 years. In Cambodia, people play the slek, a leaf plucked from either the sakrom or the khnoung tree. But ain’t nobody like Biluka, ever. Astounding music.

Caracol is one of the first examples of fusion between Brazilian percussive music and electronics. Synthesizers, samplers and sequencers were still a novelty in Brazil in the 1980s, but João de Bruçó and R.H. Jackson created an avant-garde masterpiece.

Using popular references and an eagerness to escape any retro / stylistic cliché that came to haunt Brazilian youth music at that time, they plunged into an audacious, intuitive and improbable sound journey in Caracol.
This rare adventure of Brazilian music was released independently in 1989, financed by the artists themselves. The original small pressing sold-out, belonging now to record collectors around the planet. For the first time Caracol is re-released on vinyl, with two extra tracks found after decades!

Remastered from the original tapes, this reissue includes a reproduction of the original graphic art, new testimonies from João de Bruçó and RH Jackson and a long article signed by Bento Araujo, author of the book series Lindo Sonho Delirante, which investigates audacious and fearless music created in the Brazilian underground.

This would have been the Brazilian post-punk supergroup. It would have, because bassist and singer Sandra Coutinho moved to Germany, leaving these recordings behind – only two songs were released, in an independent compilation (Enquanto Isso).

Sandra (Bass, As Mercenárias) along with Denise Camargo (keyboards and voice, BruhaháBabélico and Dequinha e Zaba), Biba Meira (drums, De Falla) and Karla Xavier (guitar, R. Mutt), expressive musicians in expressive bands, were AKT. And this powerful repertoire, composed and recorded in the short period of the group's existence, recorded and produced by R.H. Jackson (Caracol) the complete session remained unheard until now.

A milestone in the history of electro-pop and post-punk music in Brazil! Finally gathered in a 12" the two 7" of the seminal band Agentss, ground zero of Brazilian post-punk. Originally released in '82 and '83, until now these recordings were only available in their original format. Their members were key figures of the São Paulo underground, after the band split-up they went to create important bands such as Voluntários da Pátria, Azul 29, Violeta de Outono, and Mumia. The track "Agentes" was included in the Não Wave (Brazilian Post Punk 1982-1988) compilation released by Man Recordings in 2005. The release comes with an insert featuring unpublished photos and texts telling the story of the band. A milestone in the history of electro-pop and post-punk music in Brazil. Agentss was a seminal band that recorded only two singles, did few shows and imploded. It's no exaggeration to compare their debut show with the famous Sex Pistols concert in Manchester, when approximately 50 people that left the place with the idea of starting their own band. The band's sound was a transitional one. Part of what is perceived as post-punk is actually pre-punk (including bands as Suicide, Chrome, Cabaret Voltaire, and This Heat) and we could draw comparisons of Agentss with the initial Ultravox (John Foxx era), the albums by guitarist Snakefinger produced by The Residents and the experimental early Devo.

Reissue, originally released in 1962. Bossa Nova Soul Samba came as Ike Quebec's best contribution to the fruitful marriage between jazz and Brazilian music. Recorded in 1962 and released on Blue Note in the same year, this was Quebec's final recording before his death in January 1963. A beautiful studio session dominated by Quebec's tenor sax warm tone and the light and gentle groove provided by Kenny Burrell (guitar), Wendell Marshall (bass), Willie Bobo (drums) and Garvin Masseaux (chekere). Clear vinyl.

This album from 1976 unites a dream team of musicians from Os Mutantes, Black Rio, Som Nosso and special guest Dominguinhos, into an amazing fusion of Brazilian regional rhythms of capoeira, forró and candomblé, with the heaviest funk, soul, rock, progressive and psychedelic music ever released in Brazil. In his own words, Eduardo Araújo stated in 1976: "Our musical philosophy remains the same: mixing rock and northeastern music to make a universal sound." It is curious to observe the aesthetic changes that Eduardo Araújo underwent until he reached the cult sound of this 1976 album: echoes of Santana, Tim Maia, Luiz Gonzaga and Emerson, Lake & Palmer in an album that was released independently at the time and, until today, never re-released. The original release of 'Sou Filho Desse Chao' in 1976 was made totally independent by Eduardo Araújo himself, with total lack of commercial distribution, remaining obscure from music charts and later rediscovered acquiring a well-deserved status of rare gem for music collectors.

Selva Discos fulfills its duty of giving a new life to Fernando Falcão's long lost LPs with the reissue of his album Barracas Barrocas, originally released through Egberto Gismonti's cult record label Carmo in 1987. Somehow, an original copy of this album is even more elusive than its predecessor Memória das Águas and it is a pity that such a stunning piece of music was kept apart from listeners worldwide for so long.

The follow-up to Memória das Águas was recorded in São Paulo after Fernando Falcão returned from his exile in France in 1984. In order to conceive Barracas Barrocas, the musician had the help of illustrious friends, such as singer-songwriter Alceu Valença and singer Tetê Espíndola, alongside brothers Myriam and Daniel Taubkin. At the time, Falcão was still using the sound sculptures he created for Memória das Águas, as he is credited in the liner notes for playing a "water orchestra" and his berimbau variant called balauê.

Barracas Barrocas is an album that works as a more condensed and coherent artistic statement of Falcão's œuvre. Lush strings, swelling brass, glowing production, and humming atmospheres fill the record, adding a beautiful yet subtly linked counterpoint to his previously explosive debut. It is very cinematic, sounding like the soundtrack of a play that only existed in the musician's mind.

For this release, not only the sound was remastered but the artwork of Barracas Barrocas was completely and faithfully restored. Also, the reissue comes with unprecedented liner notes featuring rare photos of the musician and his sound sculptures plus an article that tells the story of Fernando Falcão after returning to Brazil fol

1965 samba jazz gem recorded by Humberto Clayber, Hermeto Pascoal and Airto Moreira in the early days of their careers. Includes the killer ‘João Sem Braço’ featuring Hermeto’s howling flute and Airto’s overwhelming percussion work. This is the only album ever released by this Brazilian all-star group and has remained unavailable for decades. First time vinyl reissue. LISTEN: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQuvkOzGPg ESCUCHA: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEQuvkOzGPg Auténtica joya de samba jazz grabada en 1965 por Airto Moreira, Humberto Clayber y Hermeto Pascoal, al comienzo de sus carreras. Incluye el demoledor ‘João Sem Braço’ con la flauta aullante de Hermeto y el abrumador trabajo percusivo de Airto. “Em Som Maior” es el único álbum grabado por este grupo all-star de músicos brasileños y ha sido prácticamente inencontrable durante décadas. Nos complace presentar ahora su primera reedición en vinilo.

Samba Esquema Novo is the 1963 debut album by Brazilian artist Jorge Ben. It includes the original recording of the international hit “Mas Que Nada”. It was listed by Rolling Stone Brazil as one of the 100 best Brazilian albums in history. While many of the performers during the heyday of Tropicalia and the rise of MPB (música popular brasileira) opted for a more radical stance in their challenge to Brazil’s political and cultural authorities, artists like Jorge Ben took a more understated approach. Rather than use overly theatrical performance to shock the audience or write songs loaded with political content, Ben became known as one of the country’s great musical alchemists, a furiously eclectic songwriter who combined elements of indigenous Brazilian music with a groove from the west coast of Africa. Never a controversial figure in the manner of the tropicalistas like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, Ben became one of the most respected and resilient figures in Brazilian pop. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1940, Ben took up bossa nova guitar playing after hearing João Gilberto but found the style too complex to execute. This led to his developing his own approach to the bossa nova that focused on playing the guitar as one would a bass — his early recordings are in fact bass-less. His first big hit as a singer/songwriter came at the age of 23 with “Mas, Que Nada.” The song’s subtle bossa nova groove proved so seductive that it was quickly covered by a number of Brazilian artists, most successfully by Sergio Mendes. During the military dictatorship’s cultural crackdown in the late ‘60s Ben, whose music wasn’t scrutinized as rigorously as that of tropicalistas like Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, was able to perform without too much trouble into the early ‘70s. Still, he felt the long arm of Brazilian censorship when a 1971 performance was stopped in midsong because censors felt as though Ben’s backup singers were dancing too suggestively. Benjor It was from the late ‘60s to mid-’70s that Ben established himself as a songwriting force within Brazil. Over the next ten to 15 years he expanded his reach, with varying success, to Europe and America (he’s more popular in Europe than America). In 1989 he released the album Benjor, simultaneously announcing that he was changing his last name to Benjor. During that same time period Ben realized his dream of working with prominent African musicians when he collaborated with Nigeria’s King Sunny Ade, and also was represented on an anthology of Brazilian music compiled by former Talking Head David Byrne. Although not as politically radical as many of his contemporaries, Ben proved that in certain contexts and under unusually repressive restraint, music takes on a radical political dimension. – Allmusic.com

Jorge Ben is the sixth studio album by Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Jorge Ben. It was released in November 1969 by Philips Records. The album was his first recording for a major label since 1965 when his first stint with Philips ended due to creative differences. Ben recorded the album alongside producer Manoel Barenbein, the vocal/percussion band Trio Mocotó, and an orchestral section arranged by José Briamonte and Rogério Duprat. It was written by Ben during his previous few years performing independently and developing his unique samba-based style. He incorporated psychedelic and soul music for this lively recording, while his quirky lyrics dealt with everyday life, romances with women, Afro-Brazilian identity, and self-awareness. Guido Alberi's iconic cover for the album also drew on psychedelic influences in its pop-art illustration of Ben and symbols of contemporary Brazilian culture.