Banda Black Rio

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Banda Black Rio is a Brazilian musical group from Rio de Janeiro that was formed in 1976. It has a repertoire based on funk but also including samba, jazz and Brazilian rhythms.

History

Compared to other foreign soul-funk groups, such as Kool and the Gang and Earth, Wind and Fire, Banda Black Rio developed a particular style of instrumental soul music fusing together elements from a number of genres.

WEA had just been established in Brazil, and they wanted to create a band which could be the pioneer of this movement; so they contacted Oberdan Magalhães, a renowned saxophonist, that accepted the challenge and formed Banda Black Rio. Born and brought up in Madureira (an area of the Zona Norte), he was the cousin of Silas de Oliveira, (the composer of many sambas enredo and one of the founders of the Escola de Samba of the Império Serrano) and the godson of Mano Décio da Viola.

Influenced as much by Pixinguinha as by Coleman Hawkins, and split between Cartola and Stevie Wonder, he had taken his plans of musical fusion into the Rio night-club scene, where he had begun playing at the age of 15. A student of Paulo Moura, he then joined the group Impacto 8, where he started to outline what would much later become the sound of Banda Black Rio. In Impacto 8, Oberdan brought together musicians like the trombonist Raul de Souza and the drummer Robertinho Silva, playing a mixture, still in its early stages, of soul, jazz and samba. From there, after a short period alone playing in bars, he joined the pianist Dom Salvador’s band, the “Abolição”, where he met the drummer Luis Carlos, the trumpet player Barrosinho and the trombonist Lucio Silva. Between shows and as a session musician for recordings with other artists, Oberdan also met the guitarist and arranjer Claudio Stevenson, the bass player Jamil Joanes and the pianist Cristóvão Bastos. It was with these musicians that he created his core group, Rio 40º

The band recorded six albums: the instrumental Maria Fumaça (1977), Gafieira Universal (1978) and Saci Pererê (1980). They were also invited to take part in other artists' albums, such as Luiz Melodia and recorded a live album with Caetano Veloso entitled Bicho Baile Show and Global Brazilians in 1985. The album was released in 1995.

In 2000, Banda Black Rio recorded the album Movimento, it was released in Brazil and in 2002 it was released in Europe by Mr. Bongo Recordings.^[1] The album had a great acceptance. After a period of preparation for a new cd, Banda Black Rio still headed by William Magalhaes, released in 2011 a great new album, named Super Nova Samba Funk. The album was released by the label Far Out Recordings^[2] It counts with respected artists such as Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Seu Jorge, Marcio Local, Mano Brown and others.^[3] The band presents to the marketing excellence of the samba-funk^[4] and brings contemporary elements such as Hip Hop and Rap.^[5]

Discography

• 1977 - Maria Fumaça
• 1977 - O Dia em que a Terra Parou by Raul Seixas
• 1978 - Bicho Baile Show by Caetano Veloso
• 1978 - Tim Maia Disco Club by Tim Maia
• 1978 - Gafieira Universal
• 1980 - Saci Pererê
• 1995 - Global Brazilians
• 2001 - Movimento
• 2003 - Rebirth (Compilation, Mr Bongo Records)^[6]
• 2011 - Super Nova Samba Funk^[7]

References

2 - http://www.faroutrecordings.com/

External links

• Official website
• Banda Black Rio: Music and Social Revolution
• Not Ready for the Museum Yet: An Interview with William Magalhaes
• Allmusic history