"The man in the flowered tie," that's Jorge. He's also the boy who flies, travels among alchemists, philosophers, sambistas, invents words, plays wearing the number 10 shirt, and sings about Brazil, life, and love for his muses and his ancestry.
The man in the flowered tie - Jorge Ben Jor. Image taken from TRIP magazine's website
Image description: This is a photograph of a smiling man. He is wearing a white shirt with a floral bow tie in green, pink, and yellow. The man is also wearing sunglasses. He is posing against a white background.Raised in Tijuca, Jorge Duílio Lima de Meneses, known as Jorge Ben Jor, was born in the 1940s (different sources cite different dates, but he claims it was 1945) and grew up among dockworkers, poets, musicians, religious figures, and soccer lovers.
His father, a stockworker and songwriter, was his point of reference for poetry and the world of samba. His mother, daughter of Ethiopians who “by a geographical oversight” was born in Brazil, was Jorge's connection to African cultures, especially Ethiopian culture.
During his childhood, Jorge Ben Jor was a seminarian and even sang in the Gregorian choir. It was during this period that he learned about the life of Saint Thomas Aquinas, studied Latin, and began taking an interest in alchemy, a theme frequently explored in his songs. Like many boys from the suburbs, Jorge dreamed of becoming a soccer player. He even played for Flamengo's youth team, but the lack of pay made it impossible to dedicate himself exclusively to the sport. During this period, Jorge Ben Jor also worked as a document processing agent, but he never gave up his studies of alchemy. Seminarian, soccer player, document processing agent, and musician.
Music, always present in his life, became a profession in his youth. Living in Copacabana and a regular at Beco das Garrafas since he was 16, it was there that Jorge Ben became a great phenomenon by releasing, in 1963, the album "Samba Esquema Novo." The album showcased one of his main characteristics: the distinctive sound of the guitar influenced by various rhythms, such as samba, rock, and jazz, in a totally original mix. In 1976, amid the civil-military dictatorship, Jorge Ben Jor released the album "África Brasil," highlighting the African and Afro-descendant contributions to the country's history, a work that would establish him as one of the greatest exponents of Brazilian Black culture. Songs like "País Tropical," "Taj Mahal," and "Umbabarauma" are just a few among the many hits that have spread Jorge Ben Jor's genius around the world.
Jorge Ben Jor album covers. Source: TRIP magazine website
Image description: The image is a collage of music album covers. It is arranged in four horizontal rows and five vertical columns. The covers vary in colors and styles, predominantly featuring colorful images and text in different languages. Some covers show human figures in various poses, while others display abstract illustrations or images of animals.
