“A Revolta Dos Malês” supplies a retelling of the most important slave revolt in Brazil’s historical past. Backed by tribal percussion and a sage flute, Rogê is joined by a refrain of feminine singers and husky-voiced drummer Stephane San Juan who onomatopoeically drive house the triumph of the slaves who rebelled towards the imposition of Catholicism in 1835. Rogê’s music bears the affect of those Afro-Brazilian communities; and, extra broadly, it’s due to their battle that the religion, tradition, and music of Candomblé and Islam are nonetheless distinguished in Brazil at present. “Rio De Janeiro e Janeiro” (with horns from Menahan Avenue Band’s Leon Michels and Dave Man) lists the indigenous names of many Rio locales that sound downright attractive when pronounced: “Glória, Urca, Paquetá/Vista Alegre, Humaitá/Ipanema, Arpoador/Ramos, Jacarepaguá”—a testomony to the fantastic thing about Brazilian Portuguese.
There are additionally moments of sheer ginga, or the free-flowing Brazilian spirit, on Curyman II. The keyboard-driven “O Topo Do Coqueiro” feels just like the cobblestoned sidewalks of Lapa and the sun-soaked boardwalk of Ipanema, whereas “A Força” toasts the facility of affection (what else?) and salutes the central deities of Candomblé. The string preparations all through Curyman II have been composed and orchestrated by one of many final residing scions of bossa nova and Brazilian jazz, Arthur Verocai. It’s not their first collaboration collectively; Verocai additionally wrote the string preparations for the primary Curyman album. And final 12 months, on the first-ever U.S. tour of Verocai’s 1972 self-titled crate-digger basic, Rogê was beside the composer, enjoying acoustic guitar and singing alongside a 30-piece orchestra. It’s heartening to see such a major artist enjoying a pivotal position in Rogê’s attain in direction of new audiences, and it marks one other essential facet of the legacy of which Rogê is a component—a resilient and various heritage that he carried with him from the nook golf equipment in Rio, and one which lights up all corners of his work as a solo artist at present.
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