Banda Black Rio

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.

Compared to other 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 together with the Trumpet player Barrosinho, Keyboard and Arranjments Cristovao Bastos, Guitars and Arranjments Claudio Stevenson, Bass Jamil Joanes, Trombone Lucio Silva and formed Banda Black Rio. Mixing R&B, Jazz and Samba Elements, Banda Black Rio was one of the first to undertake the fusion of Essential Brazilian Music with International Black Music. They were brought together in 1976. Banda Black Rio was often associated to Soul-Funk Bands like, Kool And The Gang, Earth Wind And Fire, Herbie Hancock, etc.

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, Raul Seixas, Sandra de Sa, Emilio Santiago, Alcione, Carlos Dafe, and recorded a live album with Caetano Veloso entitled Bicho Baile Show and Global Brazilians in 1985. The album was released in 1995.

The present band are the sons of the original members. Two albums came out from this new generation of Black Rio. Rebirth released in the 2001 and Supernova samba funk in 2012.

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