Recorded on September 13, 2010 and unearthed from NPR’s archives for its YouTube release, this Tiny Desk Concert features Seu Jorge, the Brazilian singer and guitarist brought to an international audience by his role in Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic,” where he covered David Bowie in Portuguese. Backed by his band Almaz, he performs a set steeped in samba, soul and MPB (Brazilian popular music), including reworkings of classics such as “Saudosa Bahia.” A son of a Rio de Janeiro favela, also revealed by the film “City of God,” Seu Jorge has a deep, raspy and deeply moving voice, able to tip a song from nostalgia into sensuality. In the stripped-down setting of Bob Boilen’s desk, this multi-song live capture reveals all the warmth of a major figure of the Brazilian scene. An essential filmed live concert for discovering the richness of Brazil’s popular music and one of its most soulful contemporary voices.
Personnel & credits
- Seu Jorge — chant, guitare
