Skip to page content

Jorge Ben Jor

About this Artist

Over his 30-year career, singer, composer, and guitarist JORGE BEN JOR has been on the cutting edge of Brazilian musical culture. Born in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, he was heavily involved with the bossa nova movement in the ’60s, was considered a pioneer of “world music” with his distinctive Afro-groove, and was re-discovered by Brazil’s younger generation in the ’80s. He garnered international fame with tracks on David Byrne’s Beleza Tropical compilation in the ’90s. His distinctive style of swinging, funky sambas, African rhythms, and rock-infused sounds has a universal appeal. To date, Jorge Ben Jor has written more than 700 songs including the hit “Mas que nada,” which has been performed by such luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Julio Iglesias, and Sergio Mendes, and has 28 albums to his name. He made his Hollywood Bowl debut in 1998.