Jorge Ben Jor S/D

I think he's the best--I like Veloso (read his memoir recently), but he's kind of the Sting of Brazilian music, very nice, melodic, a little too genteel for my taste. Plus he's just so derivative of João Gilberto (yeah, all the post-bossa musicians owe him a lot, but Caetano really takes it too far). Still, Gil and Veloso's '90s collab, "Tropicalia 2," is the best thing either one of them has done in years. I like "Livro" pretty well too. Tom Ze is great--he's in his own category, actually. Mutantes are also very good, but Gil is so much more prolific, with a few duds here and there, but overall, he's consistent. He's certainly more listenable, at his most over-produced, than Paul McCartney... "O Sol De Oslo" was his best album in ages.

-- Neudonym

Is this the same record as "Gil and Jorge"?

Which Veloso are you basing this judgment on?

So--which version of C.V.? All of them, really--I find his voice "beautiful" but inexpressive; he's so concerned with "singing beautifully" that nothing much comes across most of the time (for me, at least). A good example would be the two versions of "Tradicao" on Gil's "Realce" and Gil/Veloso's "Tropicalia 2." The orig. version, by Gil, is maybe a big cheesy--slick Fender Rhodes sound and all--but the vocal has so much character. Whereas the 1993 version, sung by Veloso, and with a really beautiful acoustic guitar arrangement, done more slowly, is nice, but his vocal just expresses...nothing... to me, it lacks character. Gil is more soulful, in my opinion.

I find this affects all his work, at least to my ears. His guitar playing is competent but again, it's just a watered-down version of João's. So I guess it's a matter of taste--I've seen C.V. live, though, and enjoyed it immensely.

Or, for that matter, any of Gil's late-60s/early-70s self-titled albums, which might be better than CV's at that? Some of the weird stuff on Side 2 of Gil's 1969 album out-collage anything being done anywhere; and that's on a record that also includes "Aquele Abraco," which might be the most beautiful pop melody, maybe, ever?

Jorge Ben, though, to un-hijack the thread, doesn't get enough credit for being slightly subversively experimental in his own Flamengo-loving heavy-drinking common-man way. Discuss?

Here's his breakdown: http://www.slipcue.com/music/brazil/ben.html

-- Amateurist

Yeah--I like it, mostly.

Gil: I really love "Aquele Abraço"--what a great song. "Refazenda" too.

I don't know why no one has put out a good two-disc Gil best-of in this country, with translations.

don't really know that much about Jorge Ben beyond "Africa Brasil"--I own this "Personalidade" best-of on Jorge Ben (Jor) but I've never really been able to get into it, seems mostly unformed and crude to me, but I'm probably just u.f. and c. myself.

Sacudin Ben Samba - 'nice' early album. never excited me that much but also never turned it off.

A Tábua de Esmeralda - probably my favorite of his albums. super duper emotional. at one point it sounds like he's about to cry as he's singing.

i have a few more on vinyl that i don't remember the titles to and can't find the covers to remember, but they are all very good. only complaint is, as someone said upthread, they get a bit samey.

I just received the Força Bruta album which they were pushing at Dusty Groove, but now I see that it is on the um, Dusty Groove label and am a little afraid to put it on.

i dunno. 1970. i bet it's amazing.

Why? That's one of his classic albums.

Actually, I know one tune from the comps, "Mulher brasiliera," and I like that one so we'll see how it goes.

OK, I took a break after the end of disc two of my other purchase, the Benny Moré box, put this on and yeah it's pretty cool. Funky soul, kinda like Bill Withers, I guess. The leadoff track I recognize from a comp too, "Oba lá vem ela."

Ooh it's the top seller at Other Music in NY and Chicago Reader's Peter Margasak is blogging about it. Slipcue.com suggests it's a bit mellow but still gives it the thumbs up.

http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/post-no-bills/2007/07/12/dusty-groove-gets-groovier/

JaXon:
>does anyone have a clue which album the song Comanche from the Black Rio comp comes from? a google/amg/discogs search turns up nothing.

Jorge Ben - Negro e Lindo

thank you, one year later.

It looks like Dusty Groove will be reissuing Ben's eponymous 1969 LP — Rogerio Duprat-directed, with "Take It Easy, My Brother Charles" — in August. I'm excited!

was africa brasil reissued on vinyl? is there a 12" or 45 out there of 'taj mahal'?

awesome!

can't believe what africa brasil is selling for now... $100 or up. somebody please reissue this thing.

a banda do ze pretinho from 1978 is pretty slamming, btw

I've been listening to Jorge Ben for a few years now but until this year I realized how important his music is for me. For albums I'd recommend I'd go with his early 70's albums:

Jorge Ben (1969)
Forca Bruta (1970)
A tabua de esmeralda (1974)
Africa Brasil (1976)

He is very prolific (last time I checked he had 35 albums under his belt) but I recommend starting with any of these 4 albums first, as it captures Ben at his most wildly inventive and features many of his catchiest songs.

O Bidu Silencio No Brooklyn (1967) is pretty glorious too, though the sound quality isn't great. I would add Ben (1972), which includes what I think is his first recording of "Taj Mahal."

I bought Africa Brasil brand new from Amazon.co.uk about 18 months ago; it's not going for £60+ second hand from a seller. Fucking hell.

Anyway, if you like Africa Brazil you should probbaly try the new Seu Jorge album, America Brasil O Disco, which is some kind of (very good) tribute / ideological/aesthetic follow-up.

ya i hope dusty groove re-releases o bidu with better sound. anyone seen their new JB reissue?

'O Bidu' is great too. I've been obsessed with the gil and ben acoustic set 'Gil e Jorge' for a while. Some misses, a lot of hits.

x-post

O Bidu Silencio No Brooklyn (1967) is pretty glorious too, though the sound quality isn't great.

I love this one too. It's weird -- I'd only heard mp3s of the CD which had that overly-reverbed sound. Then I bought a copy of the US pressing (mono, on Kapp/4 Corners) off ebay and it sounds completely different: clean backing tracks, and his voice clearly mixed but far louder than the instruments (unlike the cd where it kind of all blends together). Maybe there's different mixes floating around, or maybe that CD release had done some fakey-stereo remixing. Either way, it's a great album and should definitely be made available again.

can't believe what africa brasil is selling for now... $100 or up

Wow, I had no idea. Does it matter what the pressing is? (Mine is Philips Brazil, 1976, catalog # 6349 187. Weird sleeve -- cardboard, but really thin with no spine, like some 12-inch singles used to have.)

Anyway, great album. I've almost never DJed in a bar without played "Ponta De Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma)." Other faves (probably fairly predictably) are "Taj Mahal" and "Xica Da Silva" (the latter of which Boney M do a good cover version of, by the way.)

it seems that even the recent CD reissues are selling for close to that price? I bought it new for £8 only a couple of years ago, what's going on?

Besides Africa Brasil I've only heard a couple of his mid-60s albums, which didn't make any particular impact on me. Have to delve more.

A Tábua de Esmeralda - probably my favorite of his albums. super duper emotional. at one point it sounds like he's about to cry as he's singing.

Yeah, that record is really beautiful!

even the recent CD reissues are selling for close to that price?

Not here (not even close), though this site has a Japanese pressing at $280 (Brazil closer to $50.00):

http://www.musicstack.com/album/ben,jorge/africa-brazil_-_philips

(Japanese pressing is a CD, actually. And one LP is priced at $20.80. I never know what to believe with these things.)

Reading about 50% of this thread and scanning the rest I can see that nobody has really given Jorge's early 80s period it's proper props. Just heard the Bem-Vinda Amizade LP and if you're into slick new-wavey "ethnic funk" (i.e. "balearic"), this will totally whet your whistle.

Jorge Ben's 80s period (when he became Jorge Ben Jor) is most known here in Brazil for "W.Brasil", a track with references about an ad agency, drug dealers, Tim Maia and his usual nonsense. It was sorta comeback, but the commercial success of this tune was so huge that people kind of forgot all his brilliant albums from the 60s and the 70s. He was the "W.Brasil" guy.

you make me sad.

I need some info about the different versions of "Taj Mahal" that are out there. IIRC, I have some 80's-90's live versions, a medleyed version on piano, the Africa Brasil version, and something that sounds like it predates all of them and which has one of the most FEROCIOUS percussion breakdowns I have ever heard in my life. I can trace the source records on all the other versions, but I can't find any concrete documentation about this one at all.

Taj Mahal later recorded a song called "Jorge Ben." True!

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, February 10, 2003 12:45 PM (7 years ago)

lol 7 years ago, but this HAS to be the cut off of the Tropical LP (1977) (and that breakdown is massive as fukk)

the song "georgia" off said LP is str8 fire 100% beautiful

also i want to say that jorge ben in the 70s rivals stevie wonder in just releasing a slew of the best shit ever made

can't believe what africa brasil is selling for now... $100 or up

Amazon still lists it new for that price. Even used some are selling it for $75

chill out dude's on his honeymoon

actually it's really crucial and time sensitive that we know exactly which version he played. curmudgeon?

JORGE BEN IS RLY IMPT TO ME

Bear up, m bison

Played Jorge doing "Taj Mahal" on the Spotify playlist at my wedding reception this past weekend....It made me very happy

good drunk song

Back in stock for $13.99 + postage:
https://www.dustygroove.com/item/700774

(along with a few other great JBJ titles)

thanks

Those Dusty Groove reissues that were listed for August no longer show up in search results on the site.

Sorry. Maybe they'll get more back in soon (Japanese editions). Glad I jumped on and bought Africa Brasil while it was available.

Back when I covered Luaka Bop's 21rst Anniversary collection, I started off by thinking out loud about this Ben song, one of my all-time faves by anybody anywhere; any comments on its (and his) back story etc. would be welcome:

Is "Ponta De Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma)" really about where slaves
arrived in Brazil? Or did I just expand a mental legend over the
years, trying to explain and contain the unsettling, unsettled poise
and expanse of Jorge Ben's rolling, grinding samba soul classic?
Literally, it's about soccer, but the key line "um ponta de lan a
Africano" doesn't match the title ("Point of the African Lance",
ouch!), and the line's translation---"an African point man" (also "Um
ponta de lan a decidio", " A man whose mind is made up")—is pretty
pointed too. Word to Brazil's 60s junta, and to its polite society,
which has long tended to insist that Brazilians aren't hung up on
race. But it sounds like big Ben's got all of the above and something
else on his mind, that he's listening to, listening for. Sounds like
he's still listening.
The restless example of Ben (who could have played it safe, with
respectably salt-of-the-earth pop star status established early)
further schooled Beleza Tropical, the reputation-making debut release
on Luaka Bop, the New York City label founded by David Byrne in 1988
Beleza… arrived like a ship from post-bossa nova Brazil, mostly filled
with discreetly fabulous and accomplished descendants of the
tale-telling, refugee gamesters in Boccaccio's Decameron. The crew of
Beleza… can mostly be ID'd as members and fellow travelers of the '60s
Tropicalia movement, who had been exiled or isolated because of yadda yadda; he's the point man get it.

this album! begins with one of the absolutest most alltime-enest jams ever.

wow yeah that slays! never heard this record before

Taj Mahal later recorded a song called "Jorge Ben." True!

― Michael Daddino (epicharmus), Monday, February 10, 2003 1:45 PM (eighteen years ago) bookmarkflaglink

This is cracking me up.

I just got the s/t from 1969 after having it on mp3 on an old ipod for years and remembered it's one of my favorite albums ever. Just gorgeous. I used to listen to it on the beach over the summer with my wife's family. Like a salve on a hot day.

https://tomhull.com/ocston/blog/

The Gil e Jorge album is just the perfect album to groove to and get lost in on the weekend.

been playing a lot of negro é lindo lately, what an album closer "palomaris" is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lriSjRl77A

xp lol at Taj Mahal "Jorge Ben." All the albums mentioned in this revive are fantastic. I'll add one that I don't see discussed much: 10 Anos Depois (1973), which is a series of medleys of his best-known material from the first 10 years of his career, all performed in the early 70s style of the Ben and A Tábua de Esmeralda albums. Basically Jorge Ben megamix, a non-stop samba-rock party

I know a bunch of his albums but not Negro e Lindo. I'll give it a listen this week.

that’s a good one

força bruta is incredible

I listened to Negro e Lindo while on the beach a couple of weeks ago. Perfect music for cooling off while baking in the hot sun.

I'd say Solta o Pavão is the most slept-on classic Ben album of at least several.

negro e lindo is the one from his ultra classic run that i've yet to add to my collection proper. the muhammad ali tribute is alltime.

i heard solta o pavão in passing once and when i was told what it was it just seemed like, "yeah this is predictably badass in that case." still haven't procured a copy of it, for whatever reason.

i love jorge ben so much, i would fall to pieces if i ever saw him perform live

I saw him live in London in the early 00s. A few times he did that medley thing where he appeared to think 'yeah I can chalk off a few favourites here', which to me sounded a bit cheesy and 'Las Vegas years'. But he was charming and it was of course amazing to see this icon on stage.

A few times he did that medley thing where he appeared to think 'yeah I can chalk off a few favourites here', which to me sounded a bit cheesy and 'Las Vegas years'.

That's a pretty good summary of the entire "10 Anos Depois" album. I thought it'd be fun too have all the jams on 1 record, but they don't do justice to the originals at all.

(for my money, Força Bruta is peak JB)

The hits set his audience want to hear [or what he thinks they want to hear] and the golden period in the late 60s/early 70s including Força Bruta, the self-titled one, A Tabua de Esmeralda, Solta.., etc seem to be two different worlds.

i love jorge ben so much, i would fall to pieces if i ever saw him perform live

I'd say Solta o Pavão is the most slept-on classic Ben album of at least several.

― Dexter Holland's Opus (Deflatormouse),

its got some heaters for sure, "cuidado com o bulldog", "para ouvir no radio", "dorothy" top my list

Never even heard of that one! Will have to give it a spin soon.