This Brazilian singer came to wide attention after his appearance on the recent Life Aquatic With Steven Zissou, when he supplied comic relief with his off-the-cuff renditions of Bowie songs in Portuguese. On stage, he has a minimalist approach. He plays guitar backed by a percussionist and another musician on cavaquinho, a small, four-string instrument that is commonly used in Brazilian music. At his most recent appearance in town last Spring at SOBs, he captivated the audience with a set that included songs from his latest album, Cru (Raw), a couple of covers and of course the songs from the movie. One of the best-received tunes then was his version of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Chattertown”, in which he comments on the untimely passing of Kurt Cobain, the suicide of Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas and the deaths of other artists who died young, a song which ends with the note that “I’m not doing that well either.” His lively but low-key cover of Jorge Ben’s classic “Mas Que Nada” had everyone singing along on the chorus. He played the song as if he were inviting everyone for a jam session in his living room. No special instrumental effects, no bossa nova guitar wizardry - just plain fun, and the fun he was having with the song came across to the audience as well. One of his strongest original songs is the social statement samba “Sou Favela” (“I’m from the Favela”), which states, partly in English, that the slums of Brazil “are a social problem that needs to be looked into. The people who live in the favelas do it because they have no other choice.” He adds, at the end of the composition, that the squatter cities of Brazil are filled with “hard-working people, not the criminals you see on the paper every day.” Seu Jorge is not a great guitar player, but his lack of sophistication on the instrument hardly seems to matter. He can handle the samba, reggae and other beats he plays on his songs quite effectively, and his personal charm—which he tries to hide with his scruffy looks—is felt the moment you see him on stage. His baritone voice is suitable for the samba genre, and it is in songs like Caetano Veloso’s “Será”, which he often performs as an encore, that he sounds his best

Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey St. (betw. Bowery & Chrystie St.), 212-533-2111; 8, $25, $22 advance.