Ok… Seu Jorge. The secret? Well, he is a pure performer. In a universe of incredible musicians, the Brazilians who truly rise to prominence are the amazingly versatile performers. He is an actor, a musician, a song writer, and a “character” so to speak. I can say this with a certain degree of confidence because the first time he was in Toronto, we hung out for a bit on the tour bus. The guy is seriously down to earth and super cool.
Poster signing...
He is big on the “world scene” because of his acting in some incredible international films like “The Life Aquatic” & “City of God.” He has been able to draw the attention of an audience much greater than the one available in Brazil. Couple this with his incredible talent and you have a winning formula beyond the “standard issue” Brazilian exports and ‘run of the mill’ divas.
Seu Jorge
On August 2nd Seu Jorge hits the Phoenix in Toronto and this will be my chance to check out his new show with the band Almaz. I am very curious and am going into this expecting a pretty cool show. The band is made up of one Lucio Maia on guitar, and drummer Pupillo, from Nação Zumbi, simply one of the most innovative and groundbreaking bands from Recife, Brazil. To think that the new school stewart of Rio de Janeiro samba revival, Seu Jorge, has teamed up with the maracatu rock gurus of Recife boggles my mind. Truth be said, at first I didn’t get it. These guys have obviously been spending some time together in São Paulo jamming and listening to a lot of music. I caught up with Lucio Maia’s other band, Machinado, in Belo Horizonte during the Conexão Music Festival and I was blown away by the wicked dub sounds mixed with the power trio of guitar bass and drum set. Can’t wait to see what Almaz is all about.
To tell you the truth, the vibe being marketed by the record label (Stones Throw Records) kinda reminds me of the Curumin “samba soul funk” concert from last year. The record, Seu Jorge and Almaz, and the accompanying tour are a mix of classic Brazilian and North American funky groove songs, from the likes of Tim Maia to the sounds of Roy Ayers.
The cool thing is that these guys are shrewd in what they want to put out. They know their sound is fresh, even though the tunes are old-school. That is exactly what (hopefully) will make this show a good time. Nuff cool people know the music, Seu Jorge and Almaz are incredibly talented musicians and performers, they’ve got wicked distribution and can offer an alternative to Brazilian standard issue music. Everyone wins: the musicians, the label, the Brazilian music scene, the promoters, the fans, and even the bloggers.
Let me take the bio from Facebook event page for the Phoenix in Toronto August 2nd:
Singer Seu Jorge spearheaded the Brazilian samba renaissance of the early 21st century, expanding his audience far beyond South America via featured roles in the internationally acclaimed films City of God and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Born Jorge Mario da Silva, he spent his childhood in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, working odd jobs to survive. While serving his year of compulsory military service, he played cornet in a Brazilian army band. In 1991, Jorge’s 16-year old brother was killed by Rio police. It was at the funeral he met Gabriel Moura, nephew of Brazilian saxophonist Paolo Maura, who agreed to put Jorge in touch with other aspiring musicians looking to form a band. He spent the next three years teaching himself guitar, and in 1993 was hired as an actor and musician with Tuerj, a theatrical troupe sponsored by the University of Rio de Janeiro.
Jorge appeared in close to two dozen Tuerj productions in the months to follow before exiting in 1996 to lead Farofa Carioca, a major-label Brazilian pop outfit that sold few records but nevertheless anticipated the commercial revival of samba.
Adopting the stage name Seu Jorge, his dusky baritone and charismatic stage presence immediately attracted attention and in 1999 he left Farofa Carioca to mount a solo career, collaborating with Beastie Boys producer Mario Caldato on the commercial and critical smash Samba Esporte Fino.
In 2002, Jorge was cast as Knockout Ned in director Fernando Meirelles’ Academy Award-nominated City of God and two years later co-starred in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou as Pelé Dos Santos, a member of an oceanography crew with a penchant for singing David Bowie covers in Portuguese. The project introduced many filmgoers to Jorge’s music, and elevated the global profile of his sophomore solo effort, the acclaimed 2004 release Cru.
The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions, assembling all 14 of the songs he recorded for the film, followed in late 2005. With America Brasil O Disco in 2008.
SEU JORGE AND ALMAZ
Monday August 2, 2010
Phoenix Concert Theatre
410 Sherbourne Street Toronto ON
Doors 8 pm – Show 9 pm – 19+
presented by the Union, with Small World Music. Click on links for ticket sales
also available at Rotate This in Toronto.
Seu Jorge and I in the early days
Alex Bordokas
