Genre : Jazz, Latin
Style : Jazz Funk, Disco, Boogie Funk, Samba
"Maria Fumaça" is probably one of the best Brazilian Jazz Funk album ever recorded, recommended by Gilles Peterson. The name of the band came from by the Black Rio funk movement of the late seventies. "Banda Black Rio" was formed in 1976 by saxophonist Oberdan Magalhães & trumpeter José Carlos Barroso ("Barrosinho"), both former members of the Abolição group who accompanied the pianist Dom Salvador from the late 1960s to the early 1970s. It features Jamil Joanes (eb), Claudio Stevenson (eg), Cristovao Bastos (key, arr), Lucio Silva (tb) and Luis Carlos Santos (ds), supported by The Percussionists Of Rio De Janeiro featuring Luna, Nenê, Wilson Canegal & Geraldo Bongô. Often compared to Kool & The Gang and Earth Wind & Fire, the band rather plays a sound close to The Headhunters style, the backing band of Herbie Hancock during the seventies, and includes some Brazilian music elements. In 1978, the band was recruited as backing band for Time Maia on "Tim Maia Disco Club" and recorded a live album with Caetano Veloso entitled "Bicho Bale Show". Titles includes the Samba Funk "Marai Fumaça", the killer song Mr. Funky Samba and the Brazilian classics "Casa Forte" of Edu Lobo and "Na Baixa Do Sapateiro" of Ary Barroso.
