New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Raices jazz Orchestra (RJO) continues sharing content from their powerful self-titled debut album with the release of "
Mas Que Nada", a video clip shot on location in Portoalegre (POA), Brazil's southern metropolis. RJO's version of
Jorge Ben's classic composition "
Mas Que Nada" is the third track in their album, and one of its highlights.
The arrangement was written by Succar and Gil and the track was co-produced by percussion masters Tuti Rodrigues and Marc Quiñones. Latin Grammy Award Winning singer Anaadi adds her vocal star power and artistic presence to this musical and visual love letter to the South American giant's culture and way of life.
Once more Succar and Gil stay true to the meaning of RJO going to the source, the very roots of Brazilian culture. They jam in POA's Bairro Restinga, one the biggest and most populated neighborhoods in the city, with the local Samba School Estado Maior lá da Restinga, conducted by drum master Xilico. The video clip was also shot at the iconic colonial Travessa dos Venezianos located in Cidade Baixa, POA's bohemian neighborhood and the center of its vibrant nightlife.
The track is a vivid soundscape that starts as a powerful, groove-oriented samba funk. This number will make you move!. Anaadi's vocal performance is sultry sweet, but she can also bring the house down with her rhythmic, powerful ad-libs. The video includes a tribal, hipnotic rendition of the chorus section of another Brazilian classic, "Berimbau," during which a local Capoeira School, Angola Raizes do Sul, showcases its mix of dance and martial arts to the sound of RJO's music. The video then explodes into a samba con salsa coro ending, a joyful street dance scene where all the participants are joined by the Rumberisimas salsa dance school. These hot, fiery, streetwise salsa sounds carry the trademark sabor that infuses all of RJO's productions.
This arrangement is a return trip to Brazil from the heart of Latin America, a tour de force that digs deep into the roots, Raíces, of both worlds. Through this video clip RJO gives us the unforgettable gift of their intense musical and human experience of Brazil.
