África Brasil



África Brasil is a 1976 release by Brazilian artist Jorge Ben Jor. For this album, Ben rearranged three of his earlier compositions: "A Princesa e o Plebeu" from Sacundin Ben Samba, "Taj Mahal" from Ben, and "Zumbi" from A Tábua de Esmeralda.

The album is marked by its funkiness and its mix of Brazilian, African, and American musical styles, and it is one of Ben's best-known recordings.

Opening track "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)", a song about an African striker, became a well known football-associated track. It was included on David Byrne's 1989 compilation Brazil Classics Beleza Tropical, prompting rotation of a video for the track on VH-1. In 1991 Ambitious Lovers released a cover version on 12-inch single that became a dance hit. A version by Soulfly was released in 1998 as a single. The original version of the track was used in the documentary film Di/Glauber.

British rock singer Rod Stewart used a melody from "Taj Mahal" in his hit song "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Ben filed a plagiarism lawsuit against Stewart, the upshot of which was Stewart's agreement to donate his royalties from the song to UNICEF.

It was listed by Rolling Stone Brazil as one of the 100 best Brazilian albums in history.

The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die as well as Tom Moon's collection 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.

Track listing
All tracks written by Jorge Ben


 * 1) "Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" – 3:52
 * 2) "Hermes Trismegisto Escreveu" – 3:02
 * 3) "O Filósofo" – 3:27
 * 4) "Meus Filhos, Meu Tesouro" – 3:53
 * 5) "O Plebeu" – 3:07
 * 6) "Taj Mahal" – 3:09
 * 7) "Xica da Silva" – 4:05
 * 8) "A História de Jorge" – 3:49
 * 9) "Camisa 10 da Gávea" – 4:04
 * 10) "Cavaleiro do Cavalo Imaculado" – 4:46
 * 11) "África Brasil (Zumbi)" – 3:47