Samba

Samba on vinyl: Rio, bossa nova and Brazil’s great voices

In short: Samba is the rhythm of Brazil: it emerged in Rio de Janeiro at the start of the 20th century, with Afro-Brazilian roots. Bossa nova grew out of it at the end of the fifties, and later MPB with Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and Marcos Valle. The Vinyl Room currently has 32 samba records.

What is samba?

An early milestone is “Pelo Telefone”: registered in 1916 and often called the first recorded samba. Since then samba has shaped the Rio carnival and the music of the whole country. At the end of the fifties, João Gilberto and Antônio Carlos Jobim turned samba into the quiet, swinging bossa nova. In the sixties and seventies, artists such as Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Jorge Ben and Marcos Valle combined samba with pop, soul and psychedelia – individual original editions by these artists are sought after internationally today.

What to look for

Brazilian original pressings of the sixties and seventies are not widespread in Europe; sought-after editions can be expensive. Many classics are now available as reissues or on compilations such as “Bossa Jazz”. Label, catalogue number and runout show which edition you have.

From our stock

First pressings

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FAQ

Where does samba come from? From Rio de Janeiro, at the start of the 20th century, with Afro-Brazilian roots.

What’s the difference between samba and bossa nova? Bossa nova grew out of samba at the end of the fifties – quieter, with guitar and jazz harmonies.

Are Brazilian original pressings valuable? Collector’s value depends on the edition, its condition and demand. Well-preserved originals of sought-after albums from the sixties and seventies can be worth a lot.