Seu Jorge started out as part of the band Farofa Carioca, writing most of the songs for their 1998 debut album “Moro no Brasil”. In 2001, he released “Samba Esporte Fino, an album that was predominantly of a pop influence. It was released outside Brazil under the name “Carolina” on November 25th 2003 under Mr Bongo Records. Seu Jorge has earned himself a lot of exposure through his work as an actor and soundtrack composer. He appeared in the critically acclaimed 2002 film City of God and then played Pelé dos Santos in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which he provided a lot of the soundtrack in the form of Portuguese language cover versions of David Bowie classic. Bowie himself later said, “Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs in Portuguese I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with”.
In June 2006, he performed at Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee and at the Festival Sudoeste TMN in Portugal. He also performed in 2006 at the Bluesfest in Ottawa and performed at the Harborfront in Toronto. He never fails to get the crowd moving in his electrifying performances.
He is one of those artistes who pursues a number of ventures, such as in 2012, when he collaborated with American fashion designer Rachel Roy on a line of sportswear, footwear, jewellery and handbags. The collaboration is part of Macy’s new campaign spotlighting Brazil and it’s culture. It is available exclusively at Macy’s and on Rachel Roy’s website.
On August 12th 2012, Seu Jorge performed in the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London during the Handover section of the ceremony. Jorge performed alongside B Negão and Marisa Monte and concluded with a surprise appearance by Pelé.
In 2013, Seu Jorge appeared on rapper Talib Kewli’s Album “Prisoner of Conscious”, on the song Favela Love.
Now able to boast a career that has lasted for almost fifty years, Veloso has become an iconic presence in the Latin music scene, having won nine Latin Grammy Awards and two American Grammys, too. His stock as a national treasure wasn’t always quite so high, though; in the sixties, he was amongst the founders of the Tropicalisimo artistic movement, and his politically-charged lyrics and support of anti-government protests landed him in hot water with the authorities on a consistent basis. It led to him eventually leaving for London in 1972, after a string of legal troubles, and it was there that he began to forge his signature style of blending Brazilian folklore with tropical musical styles.
He moved back to Brazil in 1974, and has gradually reinforced his reputation as a powerful figure both musically and politically - his songs have dealt with topics including race relations, homelessness, poverty and the AIDS epidemic. He has released in excess of thirty studio records, and remains a prolific recording artist as well as a frequent live performer. In 2004, he recorded ‘A Foreign Sound’, which saw him take on American and British tracks including ‘Come As You Are’ by Nirvana and 'Love for Sale' by Cole Porter.
Seu Jorge is a native Brazilian musician, songwriter and actor. He started with nothing, growing up in the favelas and living on the streets for almost three years.
I am a great fan of Sir Seu Jorge and his crazy dreadlocked hair and rhythms! His music talent flourished when he was living in streets amongst his friends. He himself prompted the new Brazilian pop samba song collections.
Every time I hear him, it's so uplifting and it's impossible not to start tapping my toes, then nodding my head, and finally swinging my hips - it's totally engrossing. Stealing glances to other people in the crowd, I guess this happens to all Seu Jorge fans!
Backed up by brilliant percussionists, his shows absorb the whole crowd. He covers genres from MPB (Brazilian Popular Music), samba, rock and funk. He gained more publicity through his hard work as an actor and the soundtrack composer. I still remember his character in City of God, Knockout Ned, as well as his beautiful classic guitar playing and David Bowie covers in Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou”.
Caetano Emanuel Viana Telles Veloso better known simply as Caetano Veloso is one huge figure of Brazilian latino music. At the grand age of 72, he continues to tour globally as his discography of tropical sounds is simply so revered around the world that he believes it to be his duty to outreach to his loyal fanbase.
The man has had an incredibly interesting life, from the very beginning of his musical career having been exiled from his homeland due to being considered a political threat. Therefore the audience is equally engaged when listening to the singer/songwriter talk between tracks as they are whilst he performs. He has a huge variety of stories and you imagine the crowd would have paid simply to watch him speak about his life and experiences. However this evening the spotlight is the hand selected psych gems of his discography which include 'A Bossa Nova é foda' and 'Baby'. Moving between languages, Veloso demonstrates musicianship, lyrical skill and great intelligence all at once tonight. A real class act.