JORGE BEN JOR ^BR

A living legend, the father of samba rock and one of the most influential Brazilian artists of all time plays Roskilde Festival

Jorge Ben Jor burst onto Brazil’s dynamic music scene in 1963. He proved successful at blending samba, soul, funk and Western pop.

His music has been vastly sampled by music producers and DJs and covered by many bands in a variety of genres such as heavy metal, disco, rock, reggae, jazz, drum’n’bass, house music and more. 

His smash hit “Mas Que Nada” (yes, you know it, just play it) is one of them. The song was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013. Jorge Ben Jor himself was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2005.

His originality and open-mindedness led him to his participation in the Jovem Guarda, bossa nova and Tropicália movements, which put him in the unrivalled historic position of having been a member of most of the important movements of 20th Brazilian popular music.

His songs celebrate everyday life in Brazil from the favelas to the football fields, but also delve into esoteric musings about alchemy and spirit.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that he arrived as an international star. His growing popularity abroad yielded several invitations for performances at festivals.

Jorge Ben Jor has kept active since the early beginnings. And he has seen and experienced a lot: he challenged the military junta in Brazil in the 70s, he has been quoted by President Obama, been plagiarized by Rod Stewart (compare “Taj Mahal” to “Do You Think I’m Sexy?”) and has collaborated with hip-hop artists Dead Prez and Talib Kweli.

Jorge Ben Jor is a living legend. He doesn’t tour often outside of Brazil so we’re proud to have him play at Roskilde Festival 2019. Get ready to dance!