William Magalhães forms a modern-day Banda Black Rio epitomising the spirit of his father Oberdan’s original ’70s Brazilian samba soul and funk group. BBR defined the Black Rio movement now enjoying a revival headed by Magalhães’ incarnation with the passion of soul and funk again linking Rio and New York for a feel-good blast that also takes in hip-hop, samba, pop and bossa. Brazilian icons Seu Jorge, Marcio Local and Elza Soares feature alongside bossa pioneers Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil as well as Flame Killer and GOD PT3 from the famed NYC Mobb Deep crew. Super Nova Samba Funk brings Rio’s black music cultures together to embody the ecstatic revival of Brazil and the Black Rio movement.
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Formed in Rio De Janeiro, 1976, Banda Black Rio pioneered the soul-funk movement in Brazil led by renowned saxophonist Oberdan Magalhaes. As global stars of the politically charged Black Rio movement, emerging almost a decade earlier from the Soul Brasileiro genre, BBR brought together Rio’s black funk scene to rally against repression, a conservative record industry and white middle class press to mobilise disenchanted black Brazilian youth against the military dictatorship that mirrored the struggles in North America. Banda Black Rio released a string of unforgettable recordings in the late-1970s from 1977 debut album, Maria Fumaça, on Warner Music to 1978’s Gafieira Universal on RCA Recordings that is considered one of the all-time great Brazilian jazz-funk records. The third album, SaciPererê, was also released in 1978 by which point the band had made a lasting impact both in Brazil and abroad. Following the death of original band leader Oberdan Magalhães in 1984 the band stopped recording and performing. Far Out’s Joe Davis helped the rare-groove scene rediscover BBR in the early 90s supplying the top DJs such as Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay with the imported vinyl before celebrated artists such as Mos Def and Incognito recorded their songs to further resurrect the legendary band’s name.
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Mos Def’s rendition of ‘Casa Bey’
With a renaissance in Brazil’s black music culture led by a new generation of soul, funk and hip hop artists BBR finally arrived back with a brand new formation for comeback album Rebirth in 2000, before launching their most ambitious project to date with 2011’s Super Nova Samba Funk – the group’s sixth studio album produced and led by William Magalhães.
The philosophy on Super Nova Samba Funk remains the same: celebrating the musicality of black Brazil through strong lyrical representation and its unique combination of jazz, funk, soul, samba and gafieira. Title track opener Super Nova Samba Funk and Samba Nova are two instrumental tracks that showcase Rio’s finest players who together form BBR. Isabela combines elegant brass, jazz and gafieira swing that counts the special input of Elza Soares – the legendary scatting samba singer – and Cesar Carmargo Mariano – the famed pianist and arranger, father of Maria Rita, and husband to Elis Regina. Irerê is built around a beautiful melody sung to Africa by Gilberto Gil – bossa nova MPB and tropilcalia revolutionary. Nossa Jornada, Final Feliz and Aos Pés do Redentor, featuring Tropicalia and bossa pioneer Caetano Veloso, confirm Afro-Brazilian roots exist in bossa nova and samba.
Seu Jorge – world famous Brazilian musician, singer, songwriter and actor famed for his roles in City of God and Life Aquatic whose latest music project with Almaz signed to Stones Throw Records – distinctive samba vocals fire the infectious Brazilian soul-pop of Louis Lane; Marcio Local – a major new Brazilian star signed to David Byrne’s Luaka Bop imprint – combines samba and soul on the swinging “carioca” melody Quem Vem lá. Rap and R&B brings respected artists such as Do
m Pixote and Mano Brown as well as notorious Queens, New York, rappers from the million-selling Mobb Deep crew Flame Killer – extensively featured with Mobb Deep – and God Pt3 – leading member in Blaq Mobb & Infamous Mobb – on US East Coast hip-hop collaboration track Back to the Project.
