(22) Jorge Ben Jor – Oba, la vem ela – YouTube

Oba La Vem Ela is one of my favorite songs by prolific Brazilian samba musician, Jorge Ben Jor. Starting with a stark acoustic guitar, instruments are slowly added in after Jorge Ben Jor starts singing. The song eventually opens up to a string section that acts as an extremely rich and beautiful accompaniment. I really like the way the trumpet plays such a minimalistic role throughout most of the song, coming in to play a syncopated single note like a sonar piercing through the ocean of strings. One interesting instrument is the cuíca, a membranophone that makes the howling sound in the background throughout the piece. I chose this song because Jorge Ben Jor is one of my favorite artists and I really enjoy samba and bossa nova music.