We’re going to kick off our look at Brazil’s finest music with Seu Jorge, the talented fella who sang all those Bowie songs in The Life Aquatic.
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For our money anyone who appears in a Wes Anderson movie is instantly cool. Anderson regulars like Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Tilda Swinton are among the coolest actors in the business and the supporting cast is usually top class too.
It was through Anderson that us, like most of the world, were introduced to Brazilian actor/singer Seu Jorge. Some of you may have spotted him as Mané Galinha (Knockout Ned) in the superb City of God in 2002 but it was two years later that he went more mainstream. Okay, just a little more mainstream
In 2004 Jorge played a character called Pelé dos Santos (nice) in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zizzou, Anderson’s movie about a Jacques Cousteau-type figure played by Murray who gets caught up in a typically odd series of events at sea.
Jorge’s character pops up all the way through the film singing beautiful covers of David Bowie songs in Portuguese. Every tune is a stone cold classic and somehow they sound even better in Portuguese.
If you haven’t seen it, check out his version of ‘Starman’ below.
An album of the covers, called The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions, was subsequently released and it is perfect summer listening.
Aside from that, Seu Jorge (Jorge Mário da Silva to his mother) has collaborated with all sorts of artists, from Beck to Talib Kweli, as well as releasing stuff under his own name, most recently a re-release of a 2003 album called Carolina: Deluxe Edition in February of this year. Check out the title track below.
The Rio native is the epitome of Brazilian laid-back cool and this quote from him on his website sums up his attitude.
Samba is our truth, our particularity, our gold medal, our bastion, our Brazilian flag.
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