There's Brazilian music, there's African music, and then there's the occasional genius who can fuse the two. Rio's Jorge Ben, who came to prominence during the Tropicalia era, mixes samba, rock, and pretty much any West African rhythm you can think of. "Umbabarauma," from his 1976 album Africa Brasil, might have the wildest and most propulsive rhythm guitar intro anyone has ever heard. And then it gets wilder and more propulsive. Turn it up!
"Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma)" enjoyed a second life a decade later among rock listeners when David Byrne used it to kick off Beleza Tropical, the first of his top-notch Brazilian compilations, which inspired this video remix:
