a.k.a. ‘City of God’ and ‘A Life Aquatic’ star, a.k.a. the ‘coolest man on the planet’ (according to The Times) once again graced us Ingleses with his presence as he performed a one-off show at The Barbican, London. Jorge’s choice of opener was rather a strange one, a laid back rendition of ‘Mania De Peitao’, failing to inspire the audience and ensuring the show got off to a slow start. This was a fact clearly not lost on the cool man himself as he soon leapt into the more upbeat and better known ‘Tive Resao’ and the impossible to stand still to ‘O Samba Tai’. The slow start was soon eclipsed by the sight of people fleeing their seats to dance in the aisles.
While may not have the greatest voice in the world the shear power of his gravely tones easily filled the large open space that is The Barbican. His lethargic image jars somewhat with the passion and energy he manages to pack into every word, but seems only to further add to his appeal. Joined on stage by two percussionists, and a bassist/guitarist I couldn’t help thinking the quartet would seem more at home in a dusty club in Brazil, perhaps with a circle of dancers forming around them. There was no hint of pretentiousness or over rehearsal; what I saw was simply four guys who enjoy playing music having a good time on stage. As Jorge first appeared he proudly exclaimed, “Brazilian music is to dance.” and while his English is far from impeccable he did his best to keep a rapport going with the crowd.
To those not accustomed to Brazilian music it’s hard to instil in them how a man playing the tambourine can look cool, but believe me you have a lot to learn. As Jorge took a little break and let his band entertain us for a while the mix of frantic drumming and incredible tambourine work led to more than a few jaws hitting the floor. The show had it all from its stand and stare moments to Jorge’s slow ballads (think Sao Gonca) and upbeat sing along tunes such as ‘Carolina’ ; not to mention the unsuppressible urge to dance to this strange fusion of old school samba and the more modern sounds of Brazil’s streets. also took the opportunity to tell us a little of his Brazil. “In Brazil there are many scandals, there are many bad people in government; but the Brazilian people – they are good people.” He followed this with his statement of pride in his origins ‘Eu Sou Favela’ (I am the favela) in which he repeats in his curious tone ‘A favela e um problema social’, which I trust you can translate for yourselves.
For an encore paid tribute to ‘A Life Aquatic’ with a little Bowie a Portugeusa. While his takes on Bowie and Elvis classics are musically interesting, and sung well it is clear that Jorge’s greatest appeal lies in the force and passion that underlie his own words. His latest album ‘Cru’ is out now in the UK.
at The Barbican Centre - 31st October 2005
Words By: Joe Kent
