With their albums Swing & Samba Rock and Samba Incrementado they singlehandedly started a movement that brought samba rock to the forefront of Brazilian clubs.
Swing & Samba Rock, their first album mixed jazz, rock and soul with an irresistible samba beat. It was a tribute to the sound already established by the masters of samba-rock.
On Swing & Samba Rock the band played classic tracks like “Coqueiro Verde” (composed by Roberto & Erasmo Carlos), “Palladium” (composed by Ed Lincoln and Orlandivo), “Zamba Bem” (composed by Marku Ribas), “Paz e Arroz” (composed by Jorge Ben), “Segura a Nega” (composed by Bebeto and Luis Vagner).
On their second album Samba Incrementado the band continued to shine with their interpretations of old classics like D’Angelo’s Muito Incrementado, Jorge Ben’s Nega Zula and Luis Melodia’s O Morro Nao Engana. But here they also showed tremendous songwriting potential (especially by leader Marco Mattoli) alone or with partners like Seu Jorge O primeiro da Ilha and Rodrigo Leao Vem k N’ga.
The band is composed of Marco Mattoli (vocals & guitar), Edu Salmaso (drums), Gringo Pirrongelli (bass), Tereza Gama (vocals), Fred Prince (percussion), Marcelo Maita (keyboards), Tiquinho (trombone) and Reginaldo 16 Gomes (trumpet). The musicians have toured with Jorge Ben, Wilson Simonal, Branca di Neve, and many other swingers.
Discography:
Swing & samba-rock (Regata/Jam Music, 2001)
Samba incrementado (MCD, 2005)
Pela Contramão (Yb music, 2009)
Menina da Janela (Yb music, 2014)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
