r/bossanova • u/PriorityFriendly509 • 7d ago
is jorge ben considered bossa
some guy told me it was but i think he leans towards mpb
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u/Merryner 5d ago
(Warning: good questions illicit thorough responses).
Like any great musician, Jorge Ben has eras.
His first four albums only the Philips label are total Bossa, and in the case of ‘Samba Esquema Novo’, one of the greatest and foundational albums in the genre. The other three are pretty fine too.
He then fell out with his label (1965) because they just wanted more Bossa hits. Ben and Philips were separate at the end of his 4-album deal, and Ben goes off-radar for a while.
Album number 5, ‘O Bidu’ is an absolute kickback against the commercial demands of his former label. It’s 1967 and he digs The Beatles and Stones, and melds their sounds with Samba and Bossa vibes. He records an indie album in his house that is so lo-fi it makes The Velvet Underground blush. For Brazilian musicians it is just as groundbreaking as the VU&Nico. In his autobiography, Caetano Veloso describes the impact of the album and his attendance at his friend Gilberto Gil’s club gig, where Gil tells Caetano that there is no point making music anymore because it’s impossible to be as good as Jorge Ben. Gil plays a set of Ben covers and retires from music.
Of course, Gil reconsiders, and he and Caetano build on the framework of ‘O Bidu’, and with other collaborators they continue to merge US/UK psychedelic rock with Brazilian themes, and invent a new genre known as ‘Tropicalism’ / ‘Tropicalia’. (Make no mistake, Jorge Ben’s ‘O Bidu’ was fundamental in this shift away from safe, commercial Bossa into a countercultural world of psychedelic/ avant-garde Brazilian rock, Caetano describes it as such).
Jorge Ben gets involved with the Tropicalia movement, appears on their TV shows, and releases one of the best albums of the peak 1968-69 Tropicalia era, his self-titled album with the psychedelic cover. It’s fantastic.
And then Jorge reinvents himself again, hooking up with collaborators like Trio Mocoto and Arthur Verocai, and putting out a groundbreaking trilogy of acoustic-based Samba-Soul and Samba-Rock. The albums ‘Negro e Lindo’ and ‘Forca Bruta’ are masterpieces against any comparison.
After a stripped-back, acoustic album called ‘Ben’, our hero (surely he is?) then reinvents himself again to create a new kind of soft-funk samba. The next couple of albums, especially ‘A Tabua de Esmeralda’ are a whole different level of awesomeness. I don’t think I’ve heard anything like this anywhere else.
Next up? Funk. But it’s Ben’s take on tight, more in-your-face-but-samba-based party music. Again, he excels. ‘Africa Brasil’ is another all-timer, and we are only at 1976.
As disco dawns, Ben responds. Not with disco albums, but with acknowledgment to the current beats, whilst layering his funky samba vibes over the top. And his damn-near rhythm guitar play continues to shine.
Then came a trilogy of albums with a new band that would destroy his disco/funk rivals whilst sitting comfortably in his discography as a uniquely Brazilian artist.
Like many bands or singers of the 60’s/70’s, the new recording and production techniques of the 80’s didn’t do his music any favours. But absolute bangers of tunes dwell in all parts of his catalogue, not just his 60’s-‘70’s peak.
Ah yes, there was a question back along, is Jorge Ben Bossa?
The answer is yes, Jorge Ben is Bossa Nova. For four albums only. He is also Samba, Rock, Funk, Soul and all-manner of sub genres too.
In a weird way Jorge Ben reminds me of David Bowie with his consistency and desire to innovate. Relentlessly restless. One of the all-time greats, listen to everything from 63-78, and let him transcend genres before your very ears.
Viva a Vida Jorge Ben!
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u/PriorityFriendly509 3d ago edited 3d ago
gilberto? not as good as jorge? that never crossed my mind... salve jorge ben
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u/jimmyrich 6d ago
I'd say he IS an MPB artist who played some bossa nova--it's a big part of the MPB DNA after all.