Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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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.

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.

Biography by John Dougan, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Ben's first full-length record, this 1963 release contains the hit singles "Mas Que Nada" and "Chove Chuva" and typifies the light yet propulsive rhythms that afforded Ben a decades-long career in Brazilian pop. Not yet pared down to the more rock- and Afro percussive-driven sound he eventually developed, Samba Esquema Novo (which translates to "New Style Samba") is replete with swirling bossa nova rhythms and soaring choruses. Its big-band-style accompaniment, nicely off-set by Ben's signature minor-tone guitar workings, propels the set into an upbeat and enjoyable listen.

Review by Travis Drageset, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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1969 was a big year for Jorge Ben. While he was already an established veteran in Brazilian musical circles, he refused to align himself with either the Jovem Guarda or MPB movements because he found both camps willing to abandon samba in favor of popular styles from North America and England. That ambivalence hurt him professionally but not creatively – until the release of this self-titled classic. When the new tropicalia crew heard the set, they were floored and they attempted to draft the brilliant singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist into their fold. If emulation is the best form of flattery, it happened immediately. Two tracks from this set, "Que Pena" and "País Tropical," were recorded immediately by Gal Costa and showed up on both her 1969 releases. Caetano Veloso recorded this set's final track "Charles, Anjo 45" for his own self-titled recording that same year!

While the cover of this album – finally issued on CD in the United States by the venerable Dusty Groove organization in 2008 – is psychedelic enough to be folded into the emergent tropicalista brand, the music tells a different story. True to his feelings, Ben kept the samba as the central tenet of this recording. It's true that he drew great inspiration from American soul music, but rather than attempt to create a style of music that was merely derivative of it, he went out of his way to write songs and collaborated with his two great arrangers, José Briamonteand the great Rogerio Duprat to inspire that samba and soul flowed seamlessly together. Further, he and producer Manoel Barenbien used reverb and other sounds to great effect. The end result is a recording that sounds truly revolutionary even in the 21st century. Samba and Brazilian folk forms dominate the structures of these tunes. Rhythmically, it couldn't be further from soul. "Criola," that opens the album, is a perfect example. While horns and strings reflecting Motown's psychedelic soul sound of the era are heard prominently, the shifting time signature, the strong acoustic guitar flow in the forefront, whistles, berimbaus, hand drums, shakers, and chanted choruses behind Ben's breezy delivery bring out all the most infectious elements of samba. "Domingas," which follows, is the tune's mirror image; a ballad saturated in wispy flute, the constant presence of the backing voices, maracas, and the choppy, rhythmic acoustic guitar and a baritone sax solo emulating the lyric on the second chorus offer something emotionally riveting, and seductive, even if the tune is rather socially and politically charged with ambivalence. "País Tropical" marries soul and samba to Caribbean calypso with a beautiful call and response lyric and chorus. But it's not just the music. Ben is a poet as well as a songwriter. "Take It Easy My Brother Charles," reflects the tension between races and celebrates the black element in Brazilian and even world society, and the creative debt owed to Africa prefigures the Black Rio movement by three years. The shifting meters in "Descobri Que Eu Sou Um Anjo," where the strings hold true to one rhythm and harmonic structure and the rest of the instruments and voices follow another, is delirious an enchanting.

Moe Green's liners on the reissue correctly state that Ben's consistency was remarkable from 1965-1976. That said, this set stands out a bit because while it sums up all the places he'd been in the '60s, it also prefigures the funkier elements that he would embrace as the '70s emerged. Two periods of Brazilian culture are embraced here, held in an uneasy tension that nonetheless feels seamless in this brilliant recording.

Review by Thom Jurek, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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The combination of Jorge Ben and Trio Mocotó had already produced great things when Força Bruta first appeared in 1970. Ben's self-titled album of the year before had reeled off a succession of Brazilian hits, including "País Tropical" and "Cadê Teresa," and made the four musicians very busy as a result. Força Bruta was a slightly different album, a slice of mellow samba soul that may perhaps have been the result of such a hectic schedule during 1969. One of the hidden gems in Jorge Ben's discography, it's a wonderful album because it kept everyone's plentiful musical skills intact while simply sailing along on a wonderful acoustic groove that may have varied little but was all the better for its agreeable evenness. The songs may have been more difficult to distinguish – virtually every one began with acoustic guitar, similar instrumentation, and Ben's caressing vocals over the top – but it made the record one of the best in Ben's hearty career.

Review by John Bush, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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"Negro e Lindo" ("Black is Beautiful") happens to be my fourth favorite Jorge Ben album and is in the same league as the three previous albums he's recorded from 1967-1970. This album has a more controlled, mature, jazzy sound to it, mixed with tropical music, of course. This is a more mature album that has hints of exuberance to it without it being "wild", like his three previous albums. Plus, there is a song dedicated to the honor of boxer-champion Muhammad Ali. This album, along with many of Jorge Ben's albums, was out of print for years. I have seen copies of this album floating around Ebay, selling for $50-80, on CD. This album was released on CD in 1993 and years later, it has gone out of print. It's a shame, especially since Jorge Ben is becoming more known throughout the world. I can only hope that his music will be reissued and released to the world again, so that everyone can have a chance to hear how beautiful this man's music really is!

Review by LWNORWAY, Amazon

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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A Tábua de Esmeralda (together with Jorge Ben's 1976 album África Brasil) could be said to represent the creative culmination of his astonishing '70s. The music that Ben recorded during this period had tremendous influence on Brazilian musicians at that time and to a great extent helped to ignite the creative explosion that took place in the Brazilian samba rock and samba soul scenes during the '70s. The sound on this particular album is very simple, with the songs being driven by Ben's characteristic acoustic guitar playing together with a bass guitar and percussion. Floating in the background on several tracks are also some nice string arrangements and a double bass. The melodies are magnificently crafted, managing to be catchy and free-flowing without ever feeling banal or predictable. One of many great songs on this album is the upbeat opening track, "Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando," with its funny lyrics about alchemists. Other especially fine moments are the space-themed "Errare Humanum Est," "Zumbi," with its Africa-inspired lyrics, "Cinco Minutos," and "Magnolia." A Tábua de Esmeralda belongs in the record collection of any fan of Ben's music and is also a great starting point for someone who wants an introduction to his work.

Review by Philip Jandovský, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Recorded with little rehearsal and only two acoustic guitars (plus a percussionist) for accompaniment, Gil e Jorge focuses squarely on the individual talents of Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben as musicians, vocalists, performers, and improvisers. Of course, they prove up to the task. The nine lengthy tracks on the album (it was originally configured as a double LP) feature Gil and Ben interacting to a high degree, trading lines and often repeating them several times. The best tracks here – "Nega," "Taj Mahal," and "Meu Glorioso Sao Cristovao" – are highly rhythmic and have the heft of ancient Brazilian folksongs. Unfortunately, there isn't another record in Gil's discography even remotely close to it.

Review by John Bush, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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This 1976 album is undoubtedly one of the greatest classics of Brazilian popular music, with Jorge Ben mixing funky samba, Afro-Brazilian beats, and crunching guitars to create one of the most fascinating sounds ever recorded in Brazil. The album kicks off with the raw, energetic "Ponta de Lança Africano," and from there on it never slows down, but continues to pile up one fiery, funky gem after the other. The samba soul and samba funk scenes of the '70s in Brazil produced many great artists and many great recordings, fully comparable with the best soul and funk music recorded in the U.S. during the same period. Jorge Ben was the most prominent figure of this scene and África Brasil is probably the most famous of his '70s recordings. For any person who is interested in the music of Jorge Ben, or indeed Brazilian funk in general, there is no better sample of it than África Brasil.

Review by Philip Jandovský, Allmusic.com

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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Jorge Ben - Salve Jorge! (2009) 15CD Box Set

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