Banda Black Rio

Oberdan Magalhães, later referred to as the late Oberdan, established Banda Black Rio in 1976. Its distinctive approach used rhythm & blues as the foundation for energetic grooves that wove together the gafieira style, samba, and jazz. Over the years the lineup shifted, at times featuring trumpeter José Carlos Barroso, drummer Luís Carlos dos Santos, keyboardist Jorge Valdir Barreto, guitarist Cláudio Stevenson Jorge, bassist Valdecir Ney Machado, and additional players. The group’s breakthrough came with the samba-funk track “Maria Fumaça,” issued on the self-titled album released by WEA in 1977 and adopted as the theme for the TV Globo telenovela Loco-Motivas. The band also interpreted both original material and reinterpretations such as Ary Barroso’s “Na Baixa do Sapateiro” and Edu Lobo’s “Casa Forte.” Critics drew parallels between Banda Black Rio and other soul-funk ensembles including Kool and the Gang and Earth, Wind and Fire, while the music found a receptive audience in English dance clubs during the closing years of the 1990s. Two further albums followed—Gafieira Universal on RCA in 1978 and Saci Pererê on RCA in 1980—before the collective disbanded that same year. Activity resumed in 1999 under a refreshed roster directed by Oberdan’s son, William Magalhães.