Vogue Brasil has dubbed Seu Jorge "the coolest man on the planet" -- a title only partly due to his film role in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, in which he plays a troubadour who performs Portuguese covers of David Bowie songs.
The magazine's global statement may be an exaggeration, but even without meeting Seu Jorge, I get a hint of the Brazilian singer-songwriter's charisma. Near the end of our phone interview, which is mediated by a translator, Seu Jorge ("Your" or "Mister" George) breaks into English: "I would like to play a new piece of mine for you."
Then he switches on a tape of a bossa nova ballad. His voice is soft, but with an appealingly rough edge. As we listen, I can hear him drumming lightly on the furniture. "It's for my next album, but it's just a demo right now," he says afterward, almost apologetically.
His gentleness and charm are at odds with the role that made him an international movie star. In 2002's Cidade de Deus (City Of God), he played Knockout Ned, a character who becomes a ruthless mobster in a Rio favela (slum) overflowing with drugs and guns.
This violent world is all too familiar to Seu Jorge. Born in 1970, he grew up in a favela in Rio de Janeiro state, where his brother was killed for no apparent reason. The killer was never found.
The harshness of life almost swallowed him. "Being black and poor, I found it very hard to accept myself. Starting to play music really helped me overcome a lot of those personal issues, and make friends. It also sharpened my intellect, opening me up to the work of other musicians and letting them provide my education."
In the early nineties, he began his career in humble bars and clubs, playing covers of songs by great Brazilian artists such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Chico Buarque. "At that time, I was living on the street, which I did for seven years. I came to realize that I'd never gain respect unless I performed my own material."
A musician with an eye for talent introduced Seu Jorge to a theatre group at Rio de Janeiro State University. "They did quite a lot of Shakespeare or work based on Shakespeare. I was given small roles, but I learned a great deal about acting and I wrote music for the stage. And it got me off the street."
In the mid-nineties, Seu Jorge formed the band Farofa Carioca, playing a mix of samba, funk and rap. The group became popular in Brazil, but after a few years, he decided to launch a solo career. His 2001 debut Samba Esporte Fino was a massive hit, and led to movie roles.
In Brazil, Seu Jorge is being hailed as the heir of Veloso, Gil and Buarque. His latest recording of original songs, Cru (Raw), consists mainly of samba and bossa nova, with elements of hip hop, performed on acoustic guitar and various percussion instruments. The pared-down production brings out the nuances in Seu Jorge's voice.
"I wanted to make something with broad international appeal, to get away from all those clichéd symbols of Brazil and Brazilians -- guys in soccer shirts, girls shaking their butts, that kind of thing. I overheard someone saying our music is mainly 'drums and bums.' This is something much more intimate."
Seu Jorge performs tonight following a set by Swedish jazz trio E.S.T. at the Centre for the Performing Arts, 777 Homer St., 604-872-5200.
