An 18-piece big-band based in Porto, Portugal, Orquestra Bamba Social blends samba with jazz, funk and hip-hop. Founded in 2012, the band has performed in venues and festivals across Europe and earned a wide following. Acclaimed Brazilian producer Alceu Maia produced the band’s first EP and they have since released several albums in collaboration with some of Brazilian music’s biggest stars.

The Brazilian samba icon Teresa Cristina is the featured vocalist on Orquestra Bamba Social’s version of the classic song “Berço do Afeto” (Cradle of Affection), an ode to the process of composing that is featured on "Global Café." "The tip of the pencil sketches / The beginning of a song / Looking for the tonic syllable / Disassembling and assembling the chords on the guitar / Sliding on loose strings / The flower of a bud grows and sprouts / Perfuming the whole night / Immortalizing this song.”

“Começa com S” (Starts with S), featured on "Bossa Nova," is a tribute to samba, Brazil’s most influential music style. They sing, “The only one who never left my side / Was always
samba / Never asking if I’m poor or rich / It doesn’t even knock when it wants to come in / If I’m alone or if I’m with friends / It is always there."