Trio Mocotó are mostly known for being Jorge Ben’s backing band at the peak of his career, during the early 70s. They shaped what has been called samba rock sound, resulting in the fusion of Brazilian sounds and American pop-rock. After forming in Sao Paulo’s Jogral nightclub, where Fritz Escovão, Joãozinho Parahyba and Nereu Gargalo would work as regular backing musicians for the featured artists, Jorge Ben recruited them for his own band. They took part in the recording of Ben’s self-titled LP from 1969, Força bruta and Negro é lindo albums. Their first solo album, Muita zorra! (…São coisas que glorificam a sensibilidade atual), came out in 1971 and hit the charts with the single ‘Coqueiro Verde’, opening a very busy period in their career. Their second, and self-titled, album was released by RGE in 1973 and is a perfect mix of dancefloor-oriented samba percussion, funky guitars and Brasilian pop with a soulful twist. The opening track, ‘Desapareça, vá, desapareça’, is a killer tune and the perfect introduction to the vibe of the entire album, mixing samba and funk like no others had done at the time. ‘Swinga Sambaby’ would also be an obvious choice for those into party tunes, making the album sparkle with this fierce combination of irresistible rhythms and deep vocals. Even the jazzy touch is here, just listen to ‘Palomares’ or ‘Tô Por Fora da Jogada’ and enjoy dreaming of the golden sand of the Brazilian beaches…