Seu Jorge

Though the recent spat of somewhat dubious artist releases from the sacred Montreux Jazz Festival’s archives may suggest an increasing loss of prestige, a live set at Montreux continues to represent a defining moment in a musician’s career. Famed Brazilian singer/actor Seu Jorge got his turn back in 2005, the sounds of which are now being issued in CD form following last year’s DVD release. In contrast with his recent, more solitary pairing with singer Ana Carolina, Jorge sticks largely to what he does best here, maintaining a livelier samba/funk vibe for the better part of this ten-song set. Backed by a bassist and three percussionists, the sambista runs through the clever anti-silicone diatribe of "Mania de Peitão” and the animated "Tive Razão” commandingly, toying with vocal inflections and contentiously drawing the audience into the show. Things slow down considerably in the middle section, as Jorge moves through the shaky Bossa moments of his studio album, Cru, before jamming it out again with "Te Queria” and long-time show favourite and Martinho da Vila classic "Cirandar.” The one weak moment in the set comes at the end when the percussionists are turned loose for what should have been a showcase of their rhythmic skills but ends up collapsing into an incoherent pissing contest. That said, as Seu Jorge moves further and further away from his funky samba roots, catching the charismatic baritone moving at full steam as he does here is probably a good idea.