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Jorge Ben (now known as Jorge Ben Jor) represented the Rio wing of Brazil's Tropicalia movement. Born to an African mother, Ben embraced African and African-American music - especially funk and soul - far more successfully than other Tropicalia stars. This, along with the insistent presence of his melodic guitar lines, make his music readily accessible to U.S. listeners. In the early 1960s, Ben recorded as a samba artist, gaining international reknown as a songwriter when Sérgio Mendes covered his song, "Mas Que Nada." Later, along with contemporaries such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa, he pioneered the revolutionary "Tropicalia" movement, which blended American blues, rock and roll and pop kitsch into the already potent musical stew of Brazilian pop. Later still, Ben became known as the driving force behind Brazil's homegrown funk/soul scene, and was an inspiration for the Black Rio soul scene. Ben's intimate, playful vocals and alluring acoustic guitar give him a unique, seductive sound. Like many other Brazilian MPB artists, his best recordings were made before the late 1970s, although his later commercial pop-rock recordings have more integrity than similar efforts by contemporaries such as Gilberto Gil.
