Curyman II

“A Revolta Dos Malês” provides a retelling of the biggest slave revolt in Brazil’s history. Backed by tribal percussion and a sage flute, Rogê is joined by a chorus of female singers and husky-voiced drummer Stephane San Juan who onomatopoeically drive home the triumph of the slaves who rebelled against the imposition of Catholicism in 1835. Rogê’s music bears the influence of these Afro-Brazilian communities; and, more broadly, it’s because of their fight that the faith, culture, and music of Candomblé and Islam are still prominent in Brazil today. “Rio De Janeiro e Janeiro” (with horns from Menahan Street Band’s Leon Michels and Dave Guy) lists the indigenous names of many Rio locales that sound downright gorgeous when pronounced: “Glória, Urca, Paquetá/Vista Alegre, Humaitá/Ipanema, Arpoador/Ramos, Jacarepaguá”—a testament to the beauty of Brazilian Portuguese.

There are also moments of sheer ginga, or the free-flowing Brazilian spirit, on Curyman II. The keyboard-driven “O Topo Do Coqueiro” feels like the cobblestoned sidewalks of Lapa and the sun-soaked boardwalk of Ipanema, while “A Força” toasts the power of love (what else?) and salutes the central deities of Candomblé. The string arrangements throughout Curyman II were composed and orchestrated by one of the last living scions of bossa nova and Brazilian jazz, Arthur Verocai. It’s not their first collaboration together; Verocai also wrote the string arrangements for the first Curyman album. And last year, on the first-ever U.S. tour of Verocai's 1972 self-titled crate-digger classic, Rogê was beside the composer, playing acoustic guitar and singing alongside a 30-piece orchestra. It’s heartening to see such a significant artist playing a pivotal role in Rogê’s reach towards new audiences, and it marks another important aspect of the legacy of which Rogê is a part—a resilient and diverse heritage that he carried with him from the corner clubs in Rio, and one that lights up all corners of his work as a solo artist today.

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