Samba rock: the swing that defines São Paulo

Samba rock is a Brazilian invention: the samba beat meeting rock guitar and the groove of soul and funk. One of the central names of this mix is Jorge Ben (now Jorge Ben Jor), who from the 1960s developed a unique, swinging way of playing guitar.

It was at the dances of São Paulo, especially in its outskirts, that samba rock took its best-known form: a partner dance full of spins and steps passed down from generation to generation.

Over the decades the style gained new voices, from Trio Mocotó to Seu Jorge, and it remains alive at dances and dance floors across the country.

On the floor, samba rock has a superpower: it gets couples dancing together and connects those who lived the old dances with those discovering the rhythm today. It's a key part of the Grooves & Brasilidades project.