Banda Black Rio

Banda Black Rio are one of the most important Brazilian bands in history. Formed in Rio de Janeiro, 1976, the group pioneered the soul-funk movement in Brazil led by renowned saxophonist Oberdan Magalhães. 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, mirroring 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, considered one of the all-time great Brazilian jazz-funk records. The third album, SaciPererê, was also released in 1978, and re-issued in 1980, 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 performing and recording. 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. With a renaissance in Brazil's black music culture led by a new generation of soul, funk and hip hop artists, BBR finally returned with a brand new formation for comeback album Movimento in 2000, which was given a European release as Rebirth. 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 Oberdan Magalhães’ son William Magalhães.