Biography
Dom Salvador & Abolição was a Brazilian group led by pianist Salvador da Silva Filho (Dom Salvador), famed for playing "samba in his left hand and jazz in his right". Formed exclusively by Black musicians, the band released the landmark album Som, Sangue e Raça in 1971, which fused North American funk and soul with samba, baião, and choro, functioning as a bold statement of aesthetic attitude and racial pride during Brazil's military dictatorship. Featuring refined production by Hungarian-born Ian Guest, the record pioneered spatial textures and the use of the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Despite his artistic brilliance, Dom Salvador relocated to New York City in 1971, where he built an international career performing with Harry Belafonte and became the longest-serving resident musician at the prestigious River Café in Brooklyn. The original vinyl remained forgotten for three decades until it was rediscovered in record company archives by drummer Charles Gavin in 2001, and it is now one of the most sought-after rarities among collectors worldwide. Now 86 years old, the master remains fully active and recently released the acclaimed Jazz Is Dead 24!
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.