Seu Jorge

In Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou", we are introduced to Pelé dos Santos, the mysterious troubadour who touts his classical guitar, performing strangely familiar musical interludes.



Bill Murray's performance was oddly appealing as usual, but I will draw attention to Pelé, better known as Seu Jorge, the samba artist whose rich voice reaches profound depths.



His performances in the film are familiar because they are acoustic, translated versions of David Bowie hits in Portuguese. This must have been an interesting project- transforming the distinctive nasal tone of David Bowie, whose use of different effects found him reinventing himself over the years. Bowie was a shining example of a pop/rock artist - flashy, trend-setting, and distinctive. He was a true innovator of his time.



Now take Seu Jorge, and artist thriving off his patriotic roots by means of samba rhythms. He is representative of all that is acoustic. An earthy voice, strong character, and skilled fingers on the nylon strings make him a Bowie's foil.



So without any delay, here is a selection of his Bowie renderings. Be sure to check out the original songs, as well as Seu Jorge's authentic sound.







This artist may be familiar to you as Knockout Ned from City of God, or Mané Galinha in Cidade de Deus.