Recently (2 days ago) I saw Seu Jorge and Almaz perform at the Phoenix in Toronto. As those of you who read my previous blog post already know, I knew what I was getting into in terms of music and the show. Somehow I don’t think most people who attended the show did however…

Five or six years ago, when Seu Jorge first came to Toronto, he was shinning off the release of his album Cru and his screen appearances in the Life Aquatic and City of God. The promoters of the show, Small World Music, sold all the tickets fast and quickly booked another show for the same night at the Lula Lounge. The opening act was cancelled, and patrons from the first show left at a certain time to make room for show number 2. The people who came out to see him back then were a bunch of Toronto hipsters, avid readers of Exclaim magazine and people who have their ears to the ground to see what cool new trends our musical global village has to offer.

2005 Seu Jorge

Fast forward to 2010, the ‘Seu Jorge show’ is not the same ‘Seu Jorge show’, it is ‘Seu Jorge and Almaz’, promoting their new record. All the press releases were talking about this “new” style, kind of psychadelic brazilian radiohead inspired rock, a union of the mangue beat of recife with Seu Jorge’s eccentric artistry mixed in with the modern day middle class paulista (from São Paulo) sensitivity (they all probably met while hanging out in Sao Paulo).

Now, whereas the last time, the crowd was cool Canadians mixed in with Brazilians who were hype to the “Farofa Carioca” sound (Seu Jorge’s original band), this time the crowd was mostly Brazilians, many of them from the interior of Minas Gerais (in the Tdot for work and who get their fill of Globo television on the daily). Others were Cariocas (from Rio) who wanted that ‘Farofa Carioca’ style, and still others were the Paulistas and Pernambucanos who like their national form of Rock n Roll. Many of the Canadians were there wanting to see the “samba revival” that was promised on the facebook page. I guess the promoters, not just the local guys, Union Events, but the whole tour promoters, dropped the ball because they marketed it as a “Seu Jorge” show instead of as a “Seu Jorge with Almaz” (meaning Lucio Maia and Pupilo from Nação Zumbi & totally a different thing). It’s weird to release the CD on the market here just 2 days before the tour begins. There was no time to soak it up.

Well… me at the show? I went to see Nação Zumbi + Seu Jorge; I had a clue but didn’t know exactly what to expect, but was sure eager to see.

Lucio Maia, cool dude, try and check Machinado, his new project

So let’s talk about the show. Ok, yes, It’s a courageous tour, wicked innovative for North America. It was groundbreaking that Lucio Maia and Pupilo from Nação Zumbi were in town (they are used to playing for thousands upon thousands). It is also great that people have the opportunity to see Brazilian music that is not standard issue and that many in Brazil love and enjoy and is responsible for an entire regional and national youth movement (look up Chico Science). That’s mind-boggling. However, the band never really took it to the next level despite a wicked start and some nice distorted dubby guitar from Lucio and wicked vocals by Seu Jorge. I can sum it up to three reasons that overlap and play into each other.

One, the sound quality was horrible. What was up with that?? The drum kit was ultra muddy. The snare sounded like a broken boat and the high hats were dull. The kick was alright but the bass guitar didn’t have that dubby punch that could have brought the crowd into the zone. The percussionist?! My lord, were his mics even turned on?? I was right by the sound board but had to focus on him to hear his ilu (hand drum) and the shakers. Everybody knows what makes Brazilian music shows wicked is the wicked percussion. The guitar was loud but almost too loud despite the stellar performance. I even thought Seu Jorge’s voice was turned up so high and EQ-ed that it masked some of the other happenings in the band. This is most likely the house’s fault, but you never know, maybe they brought their own sound guy.

Two, the repertoire and its execution were neither here nor there. This is a polemic one because I really like the style and I am really torn between loving it and thinking it was flat (maybe because of reason 1). The first part of the show was wicked, dubby funk, rock, raw all the way, but then the vibe started to wane. The reason: The covers of the American and English tunes. Roy Ayers, David Bowie and Micheal Jackson. While it’s cool that these Brazilian bad boys listen to that stuff, and that North Americans listen to Tim Maia and even Seu Jorge, the cultural exchange didn’t fly with the hipsters from Toronto (and the Brazilians here probably didn’t recognize the songs). Roy Ayers just played the Phoenix a while ago. It’s hard to replicate a king. Although the recording sounds good, wicked even (check it below), the live version didn’t take. “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” is just too powerful a tune for anyone to rock live in a big venue, and it sounded boring. Plus, Curumin did the same tune last year at a small venue.  And then came Michael Jackson… One of the coolest girls I know leaned over to me and said she didn’t like how he sang Micheal Jackson. True, it was weak. Seu Jorge wasn’t in to it, and the window of time where the mere mention of MJ would elicit tears of emotion has passed. Maybe if he sang “Beat It” instead of the song he sang that I can’t even remember.

Three: The crowd. Like I said, the majority of the crowd wanted one thing, and the band wanted to play another… every time I would venture around I heard some people complaining.  A lot of people were saying, “nao dar pra dancar” or “you can’t dance to this.” Maybe Seu Jorge didn’t seem so hype at the show because he felt that vibe from the people? He even mentioned to the crowd, “don’t worry, I’ll play some old hits later,” and indeed he did at the end. The crowd was super happy for this and there were tons of people there digging it, but this isn’t Brazil, and as someone who was just in Brazil, the artists just didn’t get to the appreciation level that they are used to. When a crowd doesn’t give enough love, it reflects in the artists’ performance. Many have the capacity to turn it around, but I felt as if it didn’t happen this time around, and for this I go back to reason number 1.

So summing up, wicked concept, wicked show, but no need for the American covers. I loved the guitar and bass but REALLY missed the percussion and heavier rhythm (thanks mr. sound guy!). I am happy that the peeps from Nação Zumbi were here in TO, but I wish that the promoters had hyped this aspect more so people didn’t go there with the wrong expectations. If the show wasn’t satisfying for you, it’s most probably because you were either on the fence about going, or you had different expectations, or of course because of the three reasons I listed earlier. For me, the performance was a 6.5 despite my love of  the music and the style (mostly due to the sound).

so cool, people just haven't seen in North America

Alex Bordokas