Artist Spotlight:Seu Jorge

I often wonder what life was like before I heard Seu Jorge. In fact, I group my musical tastes into two halves: Life before Seu Jorge and after Seu Jorge.

Though Jorge defines his musical base as samba, he has an arsenal of sunkissed acoustic melodies that, when listened to, immediately relocate you to a state of tranquility and in the need of a beautiful white sanded beach and a Red Stripe beer in your hand. His music is intoxicating. And here's the big kicker: All of his songs are in Portuguese.

Think about that. The idea that he moves thousands of English speaking citizens with the elegance in which he delivers his words, but we can't understand a damn word he's saying! That's the beauty of listening to Jorge. His music requires an open mind, pure love for music, and a willingness to accept the fact that art transcends all language barriers. Music is beauty. And beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, sounds, and languages.

The Seu Jorge story starts back in the 1970's where he was born by the name of Jorge Mario da Silva. He actually got the name Seu Jorge by later on from a friend and member of the band O Rappa. He lived in a small house in Belford Roxo, located in a lowland region in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Growing up, Jorge had a variety of different jobs such as a repairman or office boy, but his interest was sparked early as he paid special attention to his father as he played percussion in small orchestras. By the age of 10, Jorge had one goal in mind: To be a musician.

He was already on his way singing in bars around Rio when tragedy struck and his brother was tragically slaughtered at a bakery around the neighborhood. The family mourned and fell apart, and soon enough they were living on the streets with new addictions and a lack of sleep. (Let me add a note here that before I read his biography I sensed the hardships he's endured in just the delivery of his words. It's there, though I can't understand Portuguese, I could still hear his pain.) However, Jorge motored through the problems in his life and kept the fire he had for singing burning even brighter. He was singing nightclubs when a famous local clarinetist invited Jorge to audition for a play. This would be his official big break. Soon enough he would be in over 20 plays and learned many different aspects of acting and film, and most importantly he had a bed to sleep in at night.

Theatrical experience was the platform for his later band, Forofa Carioca, a mixture of samba, reggae, funk, rap, dance, and soft acoustic melodies. Eventually he broke away and he began his career as a solo artist. Jorge has done a variety of films such as "Cidade de Deus" and "Mae Gentil-Folias Guanabaras." In 2004, he put out the album "Cru," filled with samba and reggae hits. In July of the same year he was invited by Wes Anderson to do a small role in the film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"and he was immediately on board for the film as well as the soundtracl.

Though he's put out a few albums that have been heralded as "must-haves" for your CD collection, the album I'd like to focus on here is The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions. Though The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou received mixed reviews when it came out, the soundtrack has been universally accepted as a gift from the music gods. The standout of the soundtrack and the movie, if you ask me, was Jorge. Jorge makes rare acting appearances in The Life Aquatic, and when he does appear on screen it's never for a particular role or line, but rather a guitar strumming deckhand that provides a live soundtrack for the action taking place. What an ingenious idea this was. Pele dos Santos, the character he plays in the film, only knows how to play the Portuguese versions of David Bowie songs, all of which are featured on the soundtrack. His loose guitar playing and honest, unpolished voice makes for a unique album while still retaining the original framework of the Bowie classics. However, Seu Jorge puts a little personal touch on the songs and offers a sunkissed island purity into the core. A few of the covers on the album include, Rebel Rebel, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, and my personal Jorge favorite, Life on Mars. He even contributes an original to the soundtrack which is the fun filled, Team Zissou. Even the Thin White Duke himself, David Bowie, has placed his stamp of approval on the recordings. "Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs acoustically in Portuguese I would never had heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with," said Bowie.

If you're having a beach barbeque or just in the mood to relax with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, then The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions is the perfect soundtrack for such an event. Seu Jorge brings serenity to any situation.