Tropical Diaspora Records Presents: Fred Jorge E Os Maiorais [Remastered]

"A glance at the history of the past generation and a touch of experimentation in the use of current technology bring innovation and zest to their music."
— Fred Jorge e os Maiorais

This remastered reissue is presented by Tropical Diaspora Records in direct collaboration with artist Fred Jorge. The original CD is preserved at the Museu da Imagem e do Som - Campinas (MIS reference BR MC-047, FICC collection). Tropical Diaspora Records presents this album as an archival reactivation, bringing a documented piece of Campinas's Black music history back into active circulation.

Fred Jorge e os Maiorais are the authentic staple of the new wave of Brazilian Black music. With soul music, deep funk, samba, Afrobeat, and hip hop as the ingredients of their first CD, the band incorporates references, lyrical style, and traditional instruments that invoke the influences of the great masters of Black music. A glance at the history of the past generation and a touch of experimentation in the use of current technology bring innovation and zest to their music: that's how they make the brand new black/samba Brazilian style. To listen and to dance. Check it out. The group has shared the stage with important names in Brazilian music, including Funk Como Le Gusta, Sandália de Prata, and the master Jorge Ben Jor himself.

The band's trajectory began with the end of another: Big Muff, of which Fred Jorge was the vocalist. In 1999, the musician, enthusiastic about the forgotten records of Brazilian Black groups that were beginning to be reissued, and with copies of the Tim Maia Racional Volumes I and II vinyls that fell like lightning into his hands, decided to take a new direction: he left blues and rock behind and formed a group to play samba soul, also beginning to write compositions with Portuguese lyrics as this universe was unveiled. Fred Jorge e os Maiorais debuted at the end of 2000 on the stage of Delta Blues Bar in Campinas, SP. Ten years later, with a demanding and loyal audience, the band launched an authorial CD with references, musical language, and period instruments that evoke the great masters of world Black music.

Led by singer, DJ, and vinyl record collector Fred Jorge, the band presents its first CD with previously unreleased songs. After ten years playing in Campinas, São Paulo, and the region with a repertoire that rescues and preserves the roots of samba soul and funk, the band studied the language of these styles and shows, through its own compositions, its history. The initial idea of returning to the roots of Black Brazilian music turned into a great deal of research into the style. The danceable mixture of samba and soul music created by Tim Maia was the point of departure for understanding the origin of the bridge between Brazilian music and North American music (Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, George Clinton, Sly Stone, etc.). From then on, the search for instruments that were used at the time began, instruments that would give the album a sound close to old productions. The search for a new concept and musical language for the style came from this alchemy between analog and digital.

This album embodies the Tropical Diaspora Records concept in three specific ways. First, the collector as composer: Fred Jorge's vinyl archive, including Tim Maia Racional I and II and forgotten Brazilian Black groups, functions as a compositional sketchbook. The album's original songs are not covers but informed improvisations on stored memory. Second, sonic archaeology: the band deliberately sought out period instruments to achieve a specific sonic proximity to 1970s productions, yet they captured it digitally, an alchemy between analog and digital that brings innovation and zest. Third, geographic specificity: Campinas is not Rio or São Paulo capital. This album documents the interior diaspora, how samba soul traveled, took root, and was reinvented in the greater São Paulo region, far from the coastal epicenters.

Tracklist

1 - O Céu Encontra o Chão
2 - Só Agora
3 - Vou Sair
4 - Ziquizira
5 - Cabelo Como o Meu
6 - Ponto de Vista Qualquer
7 - O Dia da Virada
8 - O Caso É...
9 - Eu Tenho Rei
10 - Guine-Bissau

Complete Musician Credits by Track

Track 1: O Céu Encontra o Chão
Fred Jorge – voice
Luis André 'Gigante' – drums
Bruno Vitale – bass
biLê – guitar
Cristiano Oliveira – keyboards
Helder Lucio – percussion
Marcelo Valezi – tenor sax
Marcelo 'Pomps' Pereira – alto sax
Marcelo Rocha – trumpet
Fransoel Decarli – trombone
Caroline Blumer, Mariana Castrillon – vocals

Track 2: Só Agora
Fred Jorge – voice
Luis André 'Gigante' – drums
Bruno Vitale – bass
biLê – guitar
João Cleber – keyboards
Helder Lucio – percussion
Marcelo Valezi – tenor sax, baritone sax, solo
Marcelo 'Pomps' Pereira – alto sax
Marcelo Rocha – trumpet
Fransoel Decarli – trombone
Caroline Blumer, Mariana Castrillon – vocals

Track 3: Vou Sair
Fred Jorge – voice
Luis André 'Gigante' – drums
Ricardo Tocha – bass
biLê – guitar
Hevaldo Souza – keyboards
Helder Lucio – percussion
Marcelo Valezi – flute solo
Caroline Blumer, Mariana Castrillon – vocals

Track 4: Ziquizira
Fred Jorge – voice
Pedro Prado – drums
Mario Porto – bass
Emiliano Sampaio – guitar, acoustic guitar, solo
Matheus Alvisi – keyboards
Helder Lucio – percussion
Marcelo Valezi – tenor sax
Marcelo 'Pomps' Pereira – alto sax
Marcelo Rocha – trumpet
Fransoel Decarli – trombone
Caroline Blumer, Mariana Castrillon – vocals

Track 5: Cabelo Como o Meu
Fred Jorge – voice
Luis André 'Gigante' – drums
Bruno Vitale – bass
biLê – guitar
Cristiano Oliveira, Matheus Alvisi – keyboards
Helder Lucio – percussion
Marcelo Valezi – tenor sax
Marcelo 'Pomps' Pereira – alto sax
Marcelo Rocha – trumpet
Fransoel Decarli – trombone
Caroline Blumer, Mariana Castrillon, Candice Vitale – vocals

Full Album Credits

Band Members (Os Maiorais core lineup)
Fred Jorge – voice, artistic direction
biLê – guitar
Lucas Jardim – keyboards, vocals
Du Longuin – drums
Ricardo Tocha – bass
Marcelo Pomps Pereira – sax, flute, vocals

Additional Musicians
Luis André 'Gigante' – drums (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5)
Pedro Prado – drums (track 4)
Bruno Vitale – bass (tracks 1, 2, 5)
Mario Porto – bass (track 4)
Cristiano Oliveira – keyboards (tracks 1, 5)
João Cleber – keyboards (track 2)
Hevaldo Souza – keyboards (track 3)
Matheus Alvisi – keyboards (tracks 4, 5)
Helder Lucio – percussion (all tracks)
Emiliano Sampaio – guitar, acoustic guitar, solo (track 4)
Marcelo Valezi – tenor sax, baritone sax, flute (all tracks)
Marcelo Rocha – trumpet (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)
Fransoel Decarli – trombone (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)
Caroline Blumer – vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Mariana Castrillon – vocals (tracks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Candice Vitale – vocals (track 5)

Lyrics
Fred Jorge (tracks 1, 2, 3, 5)
Fred Jorge / Ricky Furlani / Mario Porto (track 2)
Fred Jorge / biLê (track 3)
Pedro Ortolano (track 4, Ziquizira)
Fred Jorge / Mario Porto (track 5)

Arrangements
Base arrangements: Fred Jorge and Mário Porto
Horn arrangements: Marcelo Valezi
Choir arrangements and vocal direction: Caroline Blumer

Design and Photography
Design: Ricardo Tocha
Back cover photos: Adriano Rosa

Remastering (2025/2026 Edition)
Remastering engineer: Tropical Diaspora Audio Lab
Concept and liner notes: Tropical Diaspora Research Unit

Archival Reference
Telephone: 19 97111512
Origin: Campinas - SP (Brasil)
Residence: Campinas - SP (Brasil)

Selected Lyrics Excerpts

Cabelo Como o Meu
"Estou aqui para lembrar a tradição / Cabelo como o meu não se põe a mão / Eu uso black power pra representar / Em quintal de negro tem que saber dançar"
"I am here to remember tradition / Hair like mine cannot be touched / I wear black power to represent / In a Black family's yard, you have to know how to dance"

Ziquizira
"Xô ziquizira / Eu sou do balacobaco / Meu santo é forte / Não caio na boca do sapo"
"Go away, nonsense / I'm the real deal / My saint is strong / I won't fall into the toad's mouth"

A Note from the Archive

"Um olhar no estilo da antiga geração e ousadia no uso da tecnologia atual para inovar: é assim que se faz a novíssima black/samba brasileira. Para ouvir e para dançar. Experimente!"
"A glance at the style of the old generation and boldness in the use of current technology to innovate: that is how the newest Brazilian Black/samba is made. To listen and to dance. Try it!"

Why This Release Matters

In an era of algorithmic playlists, Fred Jorge e os Maiorais [Remastered] stands as a deliberate archival act. It refuses to let the interior samba-soul movement of the 2000s be forgotten. By bringing this documented piece of Campinas Black music history back into print, Tropical Diaspora Records fulfills its core mission: mapping the sonic journeys of the Black Atlantic, including the journeys that never left São Paulo state but still changed the dance floors of Campinas forever.

Tropical Diaspora Records
Mapping the sonic journeys of the Black Atlantic and beyond.