Photos by: Allison Nesis

Source: SF Weekly

By Eric Arnold

Fonte: The Seattle Times

By Jonathan Zwickel

Special to The Seattle Times

You gotta look pretty far afield to find anyone impartial to the events of Jan. 20. Here we go all the way to São Paolo, Brazil, where singer-percussionist-producer Luciano Albuquerque — better known as Curumin, who plays Seattle with his samba-funk trio on Saturday night — offers this levelheaded analysis:

"We got the same reaction when Lula [President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva] got the power here in Brazil," he says by phone, English impressive, accent melodious. "Lula was our first — how can I say — the first poor-man president. A worker. And we are very, very happy when he won. At the end of this eight years of Lula's president, all you can hear is like, well, he has a good final view of things. But he's a politician as the others and they have a whole system with him. He's not a lonely guy that can do everything, you know? So I'm obviously very happy with Obama's election, the first black president in the United States, but I always feel like, well, I wanna see what this guy will do."

Read more

SLIM's - 20h30
Special Guests: Money Mark, Blackalicious, Lateef the TruthSpeaker & Tommy Guerrero

Read about it on SF Weekly


AMOEBA MUSIC (In Store) - 18h00

Special Guests: Lateef The TruthSpeaker & Gift of Gab (Quannum Projects)

Source:SF Station

By Matt Crawford

Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Curumin brings his eclectic mix of soul samba, funk and other genres back to U.S. soil this month with a tour that stops January 21st at Slim’s, where he will be joined by label mates Blackalicious, Tommy Guerrero and Lateef. The São Paulo resident released his second album JapanPopShow with Bay Area record company Quannum Projects last year.

SF Station (SFS): São Paulo musicians seem to be popping up more often in the United States. Do you feel like there are more eyes on Brazil lately as people look for the next undiscovered band?

Curumin: Well, I feel there are a few points to see in that question. First, growing up in São Paulo, I always had an intense exposure to North American culture, in cinema, radio, TV, etc. This is much more the case than in other cities in Brazil. I feel that we're closer in our expressions than the other cities are. We have our Brazilian thing, but it's mixed with other references.

The other thing is, São Paulo is in a real intense art moment. Lots of artists, from all over Brazil are living here because it's a place you can find some work. In music, for example, a scene has formed, with good clubs to play and people to watch and consume music.

I feel that North America is more open now to entertain music from other places than in the past. A few years ago, it was really hard to release an album or book a tour -- singing in Portuguese and playing that kind of music -- in the U.S. It looks like people are looking for something different now.

SFS: Were you actively looking to expand beyond Brazil before Blackalicious heard your music and you signed to Quannum, or was it a chance encounter?

Curumin: I think that nobody thinks local anymore. In 2001, I toured Europe playing drums for a singer from Brazil. It was my first experience at festivals and on a real tour.

In that time, it wasn't common to have tours in Brazil. We don't have many festivals or underground clubs in other cities. It used to be really hard to play outside São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. Brazil didn't used to have the infrastructure for an underground music scene.

I released my first record in 2003 and since than I was actively looking to expand outside of Brazil, because I had this experience and I knew that it was easier to play in Europe than to play in Bahia, for exemple.

SFS: What has been the biggest challenge for you?

Curumin: Singing in Portuguese in the U.S. is a big challenge. Promotional stuff is also hard. There is always a new technology to learn and you have to take care of myspace, facebook, imeem, a website, orkut, youtube, blogs, video clips, t-shirts, stickers, etc. It's almost impossible do this without a crew or some money.

SFS: Has your association with an American label and the relationships you have built with your label mates influenced your music?

Curumin: Playing with or watching the guys produce and make music has influenced me a lot. The Quannum crew is awesome. Last year I stayed some weeks in San Francisco and jammed with Honeycut, Tommy Guerrero and Pigeon John, and that was great. They're incredible musicians. I made some productions with Chief Xcel, too, And I watched Gift of Gab record.

SFS: Your music mixes several different genres that you were exposed to when you were young. Where do you look for inspiration now?

Curumin: Life is the biggest inspiration: a walk through São Paulo, drinking with good friends, a show, a movie, a swim in a river, a walk through an Atlantic forest or through a Cerrado forest, or just sleep when I’m tired. Dreams are a big inspiration.

SFS: What musicians should people interested in getting acquainted with soul samba listen to?

Curumin: From our days, I recommend 3 na Massa, Lucas Santtana and Instituto.
From old stuff, the masters are Jorge Ben and Tim Maia, but there is also great music from João Donato and the first records of Gal Costa, Djavan and Luiz Melodia.

SFS: What should we look for from Curumin in 2009?

Curumin: Fun. This is the only way I know.

Curumin performs at Slim’s on January 21st. Tickets are $16 in advance and the show starts at 8:30pm.

Source: KEXP Blog

LISTEN HERE:

Source: Mic to Mic

Money Mark will be a special guest performer at several upcoming shows by Brazilian artist Curumin. Mark is scheduled to perform with Curumin on the following dates:

January 21 - Echoplex, Los Angeles
January 22 - Slim's, San Francisco
January 30 - Mercury Lounge, New York

Hear Mark's newest song, "Stuck at the Airport," from Brushfire Record's This Warm December holiday album at Mark's Myspace page.

Jan 20- The Loft - San Diego
Jan 21- The Echo - Los Angeles - Special Guest: Money Mark
Jan 22 - Slim's - San Francisco - Special Guests: Money Mark/Lateef/Blackalicious/Tommy Guerrero
Jan 23 - Doug Fur - Portland
Jan 24 - Nectar Lounge - Seattle
Jan 26 - Legion Arts - Cedar Rapids
Jan 27- Cedar Cultural Center - Minneapolis
Jan 28 - Old Town School - Chicago
Jan 29 - Stonefly Brewery - Milwaukee
Jan 30 - Mercury Lounge - NYC - Opener : Chin Chin / Special Guest: Money Mark

"

Source: Short and Sweet NYC

It was a night of beautiful music, people, and dancing from start to finish at BAM's Red Hot + Rio 2 where 16 of the best Brazilian artists in the world touched the stage, both contemporary and classic. From bossa nova to samba soul, Jobim to Tropicalia, it was a celebration of Brazilian culture that had the entire BAM Howard Gilman Opera house dancing and going crazy.

The stage was absolutely filled to capacity with Brazilian musicians. Curumin, CéU, Bebel Gilberto, José González, and Otto, rotated singing in front of the superstar backing band of João Parahyba, Moreno, Domenico, Kassin, Stephane San Juan, Alberto Continentino, Money Mark, Janja Gomes, Ze Luis, Jorge Continentino, and Carlos Darci. Featuring trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, baritone sax, two guitars, bass, 3 percussionists, and 3 singers, the total sound throughout the night achieved beautiful and rich melodies and harmonies, that resonated throughout BAM's beautiful opera house and were accentuated by visual projections.

It started with Jose Gonzalez serenading the audience with his velvety voice. Then Curumin came on the mic and picked things up a notch. CéU followed and enchanted the crowd with her beautiful voice. Bebel Gilberto came on next and the crowd got progressively warmer. Then Otto came out and got everybody jumping. Things calmed down for a bit, but then the Harlem Samba drum line walked down the center aisle and onstage making the entire audience get on their feet to end the show.

Source: Concierge.com

by John Oseid

Last week I witnessed a bunch of rambunctious Brazilians tear up Brooklyn. Nobody called the cops; it was a musical melée confined to BAM, downtown Brooklyn's great Beaux Arts theater-turned-progressive art house. By the middle of the Red Hot + Rio 2 show, beach balls were flying around the hall and musicians and fans alike were cramming the aisles. Fire codes were broken, for sure.

Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul lived up to its billing. New Yorkers were treated to a handful of young Brazilian artists they've had few chances to hear before. The show was a follow-up to the hugely successful Red, Hot + Rio, an acclaimed 1996 album and series of AIDS benefit performances built around Tom Jobim's bossa nova tunes. This year's crew performed mostly seventies soulful samba/funk/rock classics by Jorge Ben Jor and the late Tim Maia. Proceeds from the show go toward the New York-based BrazilFoundation, which works on health issues and community and cultural development in Brazil. Check out the site for how to make a contribution.

Daughter of bossa nova mastermind João Gilberto and the best known of the Red Hot artists, Bebel Gilberto dedicated the show to "songs of our heroes." Playing before a backdrop of trippy, hypnotic videos, a seventeen-member band with a killer horn section was backed by veteran drummer João Parahyba. Singers came out for two or three song sets, and collaborated at times.

The audience was taken with the charming banter of Curumin, a skinny Japanese-Brazilian samba-hop artist who bopped around the stage singing "Take It Easy My Brother Charles" and "Xica da Silva," a Ben Jor composition from a famous telenovela of the same name. Nouveau-hippie CéU has recently built herself quite a reputation in the States. After singing a few solo tunes, she was joined by Moreno Veloso, son of the legendary Caetano, on Tim Maia's sweet reggae/soul "Imunização Racional (Que Beleza)." But it was a scruffy guy named Otto who nearly stole the show. I had never heard of the Pernambuco-born percussionist-turned-singer, and in a hoodie and rumpled jeans, the bearded Otto looked to me like an anti-globalist who just got out of bed. By the time he was on to the classic Jorge Ben Jor composition "Taj Mahal," he was peeling off layers and running up and down aisles. All hands in the air, the house rocked to a very familiar refrain: Watch the video clip above of Jorge Ben Jor himself performing his song and you'll learn from where Rod Stewart "borrowed" "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy."

Considering that samba soul, like many great modern Brazilian music movements, has syncretic links to America, the finale was a real coup. The crowed turned around to the sounds of samba drums from the foyer and went to its feet as a dozen or so joyous teenagers drummed down the aisles and up the stage. The Brazilian stars paid their respects as well and then it was lights out. The group was called Harlem Samba. Who knew?

Source: Daily News

Curumin among the best of new Brasil
Jim Farber

There's a stereotype of Brazilian music - two, in fact. Either it's a swooning vocal ba-de-dah-ing over a languid bossa nova guitar, or a rash of samba drums flailing away like it's the peak of carnival.

That's fine, but there's a whole generation of younger Brazilians who either roll their eyes at such sounds, or use them as just a jumping-off point for something fresh. A host of stars of that ilk - including CéU, Otto and Curumin - will coalesce tonight at a densely packed show at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House titled "Red Hot Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul."

"I don't want to be the guy who just represents Brazilian music to the world," declares Curumin, perhaps the most exciting of these new stars. "I will always have a Brazilian flavor to my music, because I'm from here. But I want my music to be whatever I want it to be."

And he wants it to be a lot. If you listen to "Japan Pop Show," the new CD by Curumin (pronounced Kooro-mean), you'll hear a mad mutt of funk, hip hop, lounge, pop and electronica, along with hints of Brazilian jazz and the kind of samba rock pioneered by '70s S.O.B.'s stars like Jorge Ben and Tim Maia.

It's to Curumin's credit that he kneaded this thick sonic dough into something not just digestible but delicious. "Japan Pop Show" includes some of the catchiest music released this year, including a single, "Compacto," that rates as an ideal song of summer. Unfortunately, it came out here after the temperature plunged. "Well," says Curumin, "at least it's summer in Brazil."

In both his sound, and in his genes, Curumin epitomizes his Brazilian home city of São Paulo, which is one of the most ethnically diverse places on earth. Born Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, Curumin boasts a Spanish father and a Japanese mother. (São Paulo has the largest Japanese population of any city outside that country.)

Curumin has been playing in bands since before puberty, accounting for his nickname, which refers to a precocious child. He grew up not just with the music of Brazilian tropicalia (advanced by musicians like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil) but also U.S. heavy metal, hip hop and soul. His first album, 2006's infectious "Achados e Pardidos," contained an innovative take on Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothing," which disrupted its beat with burping new rhythms.

In the last few years, Curumin found himself becoming part of a loose scene in São Paulo along with the electro-dance acts CSS and Telepathique, all of whom circumvent traditional Brazilian styles. Ironically, they've all gotten more attention in the States than at home.

Tonight's BAM show also includes a showcase for the sultry female singer CéU (who made a splash here with her self-titled debut, even scoring a Latin Grammy) and Otto, a percussionist from Recife in eastern Brazil. He's part of a significant scene documented in a recent compilation CD put together by David Byrne's Luaka Bop Records. To Curumin, the value of all these artists is that they push the bounds of nationality in the Internet age. "There is no more 'Brazilian music,' or 'U.K. music' or 'French music,'" he says. "We're taking from all these sounds and bringing down the boundaries."

Source: New York Times

“Red Hot + Rio 2” flashed back to the 1970s at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Thursday night. Fresh-faced young singers took turns backed by a full band and horn section in songs from Brazil’s era of “samba soul”: mostly hits by Jorge Ben Jor, along with songs from Tim Maia and Gilberto Gil that aligned the deep, strutting beat of samba with soul, reggae and rock. The singers were among Brazil’s leading younger musicians — Curumin, CéU, Otto, Moreno Veloso and Bebel Gilberto — along with José González, an Argentine Swede.

The songs are still irresistible. They celebrate love, nature, music and history in catchy singalong phrases, whether bemoaning a painful breakup in breezy samba-pop, as Ms. Gilberto did in “Que Pena,” or singing about a slave who became a powerful woman in the reggae of “Xica da Silva,” performed by Curumin.

Brazilian music is, and has always been, cunningly porous, absorbing possibilities from all over the vicinity. Among them were the fuzz-toned guitar riff and folk-rock harmonies in “A Minha Menina” and the scrubbing disco rhythm guitar (akin to the role of the cavaquinho, the small guitar in a samba) in “Os Alquimistas Estão Chegando.” The band, directed by Alexandre Kassin and featuring the drumming of João Parahyba — who created subtle, fluttering cross-rhythms with brisk strokes of his brushes — more or less recreated the arrangements of the old recordings.

Unlike, say, Rascal Flatts singing the Eagles, the younger generation performed its elders’ songs with a knowing flair. Curumin, Mr. González and Mr. Veloso applied wryly earnest tenor voices to their songs; CéU brought supple sweetness to hers. Following through on Mr. Ben Jor’s own freewheeling vocal style, Otto, from Pernambuco, cackled and growled at times; he also jumped around the stage, stripped off his jacket and one of two shirts, and sang part of “Taj Mahal” — the Jorge Ben Jor song from which Rod Stewart took the melody of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” — while out in the audience. By the finale, when singers shared rockers like “Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma), a song about soccer, and “Aquele Abraço,” a song about Rio de Janeiro with the Harlem Samba drummers joining the band, Ms. Gilberto was doing bouncy go-go dance moves.

It was a jubilant show, but it was also a missed opportunity. In their own careers the performers on the bill extend the Brazilian mix even further. Mr. Veloso’s and Mr. Kassin’s shared group, the +2s, toys with electronics and structural convolutions; Otto and Curumin draw idiosyncratically on hip-hop; CéU has infusions of blues and electronica. And those performers rarely get an American showcase like the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Wonderful as the oldies were in their 1970s versions, it would have been a treat to hear how this next generation could transform them.

You can create your own "photoslice" using Curumins's song as soundtrack, and share it with your friends.

Click Here

Source:World's Fair News

It takes dedication to leave the lovely climes of São Paulo (82 °F as of 3:30 pm today…) for the relative cold of New York, but Curumin, as well as CéU, Bebel Gilberto, José González, Otto, and others, are heading north to play at Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul, December 4 and 5 (this Thursday and Friday) at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Both The Village Voice and The New Yorker have things to say about it (and for the latter, things to draw about, as well). Here’s The Voice’s take:

“Luciano Nakata Albuquerque—a/k/a Tim Maia’s heir apparent Curumin—has run a band since age eight. Still, the new world that the Brazilian-Japanese artist represents most fully came to fruition in this hemisphere on historic November 4, when he dropped his essential second disc, Japan Pop Show. The São Paulo native is perhaps the foremost visionary of samba-hop as an artist, but as a person, he even more importantly embodies the rise and flowering of a global generation fearlessly exploding restrictive divisions. This shift is reflected in his facility with everything from Chief Xcel’s patronage to the trippy space rock of ‘Mistério Stereo, making him the perfect multifaceted act to represent the melting pot and the Mountaintop in this lineup. With CéU, Bebel Gilberto, José González, Otto, and João Parahyba (of Trio Mocotó) at Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul.”

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave)
Dec 4 & 5 at 8pm
Tickets: $25, $45, $65
http://BAM.org

In recognition of World Aids Day (Dec. 1), a portion of the proceeds from Red Hot + Rio 2 will benefit BrazilFoundation’s AIDS-related projects. BrazilFoundation is a non-profit organization which invests in sustainable and socially progressive humanitarian causes throughout Brazil. More information about this organization can be found at www.Brazilfoundation.org.

Curumin's “Caixa Preta” is also available FOR FREE on iTunes, as the FREE Latin single of the week (11/25/08 to 12/02/08)!

FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.

Source: Mainstream Isn't So Bad

When it comes to dance music, Brazil seems to be the place to be searching for the next big thing. In the last year or so, it's pumped out some hot albums from CSS, Bonde Do Role, Telepathique, and DJ Dolores. And now, to end the year in style, Curumin is releasing his sophomore effort, Japanpopshow. Curumin is the stage name of Brazilian musician Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, an artist who's been involved with making music since the age of eight.

His style starts in his native Latin sounds of samba and bossa nova (as well as Portugese lyrics for the most part), but heavily incorporates a diverse collection of world influences such as jazz, hip-hop, dub, and afro-beat, leaving the listener wondering what's gonna hit them next. The album opens with the title track, a dark number with an almost spoken word thread running over an Encino Morricone guitar line and bird calls via The Orb. Yea, there's a lot going on there for sure, and that's only the first track. Then you move on to Compacto, a laid back number that will make you picture Curumin strolling along a boardwalk in California strumming a guitar along the way.

The third cut, Kyoto, features Curumin rapping (in Portugese) alongside Blackalicious and Lateed the Turthseeker (in English) over a throw-back hip-hop beat reminiscent of the Fabolous' track Can't Deny It. Then it's on to the trip-hop lo-fi Dancando No Escuro, the thick and heavy technoesque Salto No Vacuo Com Joelhada (resplendent with delicate music box accompanyment), and the more traditional Latin tinged Magrela Fever.

I could honestly go track by track like this, with each having a completely unique flavor. Instead I'll offer Sambito (Totaru Shock) below, a song that starts out as a lo-fi AM radio sounding Latin track that quickly picks up some juice with a retro remix feel.

Source: UOL Música

Click on the banner to access JapanPopShow hot site

French magazine Brazuca's compilation "Criolina Globrazilian Grooves" with 34 artists from the new underground Brazilian musical scene influenced by the rythms and sounds of the world.

Tracks List:

Volume 1

1. Ogodô Ano 2000 - Lucas Santanna e Seleção Natural
(feat. Tom Zé)
www.diginois.com.br
2. Fuleragem - Eddie
www.myspace.com/bandaeddie
3. Samba Negro – Cabruêra
www.myspace.com/cabrueramusic
4. V.V. – B. Negão
www.bnegao.com.br
5. Laura Bush Tem Um Senhor Problema – Mundo Livre S/A
www.myspace.com/mundolivresa
6. Gonzalito Airlines – Brasov
www.brasov.com.br
7. Ritmo Bom (com Miguel Bezerra) – DJ LK
www.luciok.com.br
8. Tem Dendê – DJ Patricktor 4
www.myspace.com/djpatricktor4
9. Envernizado – Academia da Berlinda
www.myspace.com/academiadaberlinda
10. Afoxé – Piramidi
www.myspace.com/piramidi
11. Fogueiral – Casa de Farinha
www.casadefarinha.multiply.com
12. Os Urubus Só Pensam Em Te Comer – Cidadão Instigado
www.myspace.com/cidadaoinstigado
13. De Repente – Control Z
www.alvodiscos.com.br
14. Guerreiro (Chico Mann Remix) – Curumin
www.myspace.com/curumin
15. 3 Segundos – DJ Bruno Pedrosa (feat. João do Morro)
www.myspace.com/deejaybrunopedrosa
16. Começa a Valer a Partir de Agora – Songoro Cosongo
www.songorocosongo.com.br
17. Circo Sambada – Eder “O” Rocha
www.myspace.com/ederorocha

Volume 2

1. Samba Manco – Kiko Dinucci E Bando AfroMacarrônico
www.myspace.com/afromacarronico
2. Eu Pisei Na Pedra - Chico Correa & Eletronic Band
www.myspace.com/chicocorreaelectronicband
3. Mar Morro - Cérebro Eletrônico
www.myspace.com/cerebroeletronico
4. Teta - Wado
www.myspace.com/wwwado
5. O Peixe – Toró de Palpite
www.myspace.com/torodepalpites
6. Não dê Desgosto – Alessandra Leão
www.myspace.com/alessandraleao
7. Amigo – Diego de Moraes e o Sindicato
www.myspace.com/diegodemoraes
8. Sem Saber - Argamassa
www.myspace.com/argamassa
9. Troça Adubada - Buguinha Dub
www.myspace.com/buguinhadub
10. Gaucho (Corta-Jaca) - Cacai Nunes
www.cacainunes.com.br
11. Kai Fora - Catarina Dee Jah
www.myspace.com/catarinadeejah
12. Didi e Gonzaga - Dudu Maia
www.dudumaia.com
13. Indo-Européia – Neguedmundo
www.myspace.com/neguedmundo
14. Danda Luanda – Luciana Oliveira
www.myspace.com/lucianaoliveira
15. Santo Deserto – Do Amor
www.myspace.com/doamor
16. Afroka – Guizado
www.myspace.com/guizado
17. A balada do Pistoleiro – Super Stereo Surf
www.superstereosurf.com

Free download here!!!

Photos: Kevin Yatarola/Joe's Pub

8/10 @ Festival Calango-Cuiabá, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso
8/15 @ Festival Mada-Natal, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte
8/28 @ Casa São Jorge-Campinas, Barão Geraldo, São Paulo
8/30 @ Festival Eletronika, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
9/20 @ Festival Se Rasgum, Belem, Pará
9/30 @ Sesc Vila Mariana, São Paulo, São Paulo
10/2 @ Festa Criolina, Brasilia, Destrito Federal