Rogê

0:12Welcome to the Monaco Weekly. For today's show, I speak with Brazilian musician Roger. In his new album, Quiriman 2, the Rio de Janeiro-born singer, celebrates the vibrant samba rhythms of Brazil. We discuss the album and if samba remains relevant in the music scene in the country.

0:43Roger, what a pleasure. I'm a big fan of your music as a Brazilian as well. Your music is very special. My first question to you as well. You are in the beautiful city right now, which is that's where you're from, Rio, right? Yes, I'm born in Rio. here in the same neighborhood, Ecuador. It's my roots, and I'm very happy because now I'm not living here anymore. Now I'm living in Los Angeles. Six years ago, I went to Los Angeles with my family. So I have opportunity to be here two weeks, and I'm very happy to see my brother, my mom, and my family, other parts of my family, and my roots, where I came from.

1:26So I'm very inspired a lot. These days, you know, in the air, the music, you know, a lot of sambas in everywhere. That's a part of my music, too.

1:50So much so that in your new album is Curiman, right? You have a song called Rio de Janeiro a Janeiro as well. So that shows already how important it is where you're from in your music, right? Yes. This song, I wrote this song when I arrived in LA. I miss a lot of Rio. And I wrote this song, I think, about five years ago. I just arrived in Rio six years ago. I don't know why, but I didn't put it in the first one. And the second one, Tommy Brennick, it's come to go. Oh, this song is good. That's record. Funky. it's very funky okay because i'm always show i'm always the process of the the album is always i bring around 30 songs and always show for pre-recording for them just guitar and voice and they are choosing the songs around to this this time they choose 16 songs and we record 16 and just then went to the album.

2:56I have a question. Who is the Kuriman? Kuriman. Kuriman. It's a funny story. Kuriman is a funny story. When I arrived in LA, I made a lot of things. I worked with a lot of things. And one of the things that I worked with is I became a music session. So I recorded with a lot of people. A lot of sessions, you know. One day, we recorded with the hip hop guys, very Black Elite vibes so they always have a hard time to say my name it's hard for them to say Roger they always say Roger Roger and I arrived there a lot of guys and they, what's your name? I was in the session, my name is Roger the guy's, what?

3:40no brother, if you want you can call me Roger the guy, no no no, what's your last name? my last name is Kuri and the guy's oh curry man I like it because we have in Brazil the other song from Dorival Caymmi, Curimã the name of the song is O Vento but the song is from Dorival Caymmi O Vento has the Curimã Curimã lambai Curimã Curimã lambai Curimã this song came to my mind the conception of the album because the conception of the Curiman is in my opinion is I want to put the Dorival Cayemi Praeras one of the projects of the Dorival Cayemi this album was Praeras very important in Brazilian music from the 50s with Afro-Sambas from the 60s, from the Body Bowel and my idea from the beginning of the conception of the Curiman was that, the praeiras and afro-sambas and other things.

4:49So the name was very important because, oh, this resumed of the conception, you know. The Curiman is my name, Curiman, you know. And Curiman means old fish in Tupiguan language. So I like it. It's a great name. There's a little bit of English, your name, a little Brazilian. To P as well. Love that. And Kuriman 2, is it kind of a sequel, right, for Kuriman? But why perhaps you kept the same name? Because you feel is it part of the same kind of roots and style of albums? So it's not a completely different album, for example. Yes, the idea is that Kuriman is to make the triology. So it's going to be 31-2.

5:36since the beginning Tommy and I sit and decide it's going to be a triology because I think I want to the album is always a picture so this is a picture of my life right now so Curiman is a picture of my life in Los Angeles so not I think we have more to say than just one album I think the triology is going to be good because we have time to it's going to be six, seven years, you know, that, so, because you do one year and go around with the album, go to the tour, and other years, so it's going to be seven years, seven, eight years living with that, so, so, Kori Machu is a sequence, from Arturo Kai, the musicians, everybody, Tommy, Diamond West, I really like it, that the way that we're going, that we thought before, we think about that.

6:39And now I start to thinking that I already had some songs to the third part and the last one. I look forward to that.

7:00Is Samba still alive in Brazil? I know Samba still exists, of course, but other kind of music genres, they entered as well, the charts. But I love that your album is such a, it's like a love letter to Samba. And it feels modern as well, because, you know, you mix other kind of genres here and there. But I'm curious, how do you see the state of Samba nowadays? I think Samba is stronger than ever. Strongest time from Samba. Yes. I'm very proud and I'm very happy. When I walk around Rio de Janeiro, I'm a little shocked. Wow, I have samba every day and everybody loves samba more than ever. Because when I was a kid, I always loved samba.

7:48But I remember samba is more in carnival, you know, more in carnival or in the suburbs, in Rio or in favelas, you know. and I think now it's more than ever everybody sings Samba, people from South Zona Sul, South Zone, North Zone, everybody together Samba is stronger, very strong and I'm very happy because of course it has other styles Brazil is a big country and it has a lot of kind of music you know, have the Foché in Bahia, beautiful, I love it, and Frevo, Pernambuco, and many, many others in South, you know, in Minas Gerais, other vibes, other kinds of music too, but for me, I'm suspect to say, but Samba is the strongest, international too, you know, because Bostanova is Samba.

8:54Exactly. Yes, so, so, So I think it's very good when somebody's healthy and strong for the new generation to understand our roots. How does it feel for you as a Brazilian musician living in L.A.? Because you're also bringing Brazilian music to the world, right? I mean, you sing in English sometimes as well. How do you see that? How do you see this connection? Do you feel Americans or people outside Brazil are more, you know, listening more and more to Brazilian music? Oh, my brother, I have to say, they love Brazilian music. Everywhere where I go, Europe, United States, everybody loves Brazilian music.

9:42I respect a lot. Brazilian music has something that, no, we can't find another place, I think, in my opinion. I'm suspect to say that again, but I think that before. Brazilian music has the perfect balance with sophisticated harmony, melody, and rhythm. Because when you go to Africa, the rhythm of Africa is very sophisticated, but they don't have too much sophisticated harmony and melody. When you go to Cuba, it has a very strong two rhythm session, but harmonic is not too sophisticated. Brazil has the both. It has harmonic, very sophisticated, melodies, very sophisticated, rhythm, very sophisticated, and you have everything and it's popular.

10:37Because when you go to United States, we have the jazz, but the jazz is not popular. and very sophisticated harmony but not popular and rhythm it's not sophisticated like Brazilian music so when you think like that that makes Brazilian unique kind of music because it has everything harmonic, melodic and rhythm and popular too you know so that's why I think and everybody loves Brazilian music the jazz musicians. You know, Brazilian music, everybody respects a lot of Brazilian music. So that makes me feel very proud. And I feel very, not pressure, but it's a very responsibility. It's a big responsibility when you're around the world representing Brazilian music.

11:37So I know that it's a challenger. I have to prepare. I'm prepared every day to be there, you know, representing in a good vibe, a good style. Finally, I just want to ask, give me one song that you love in Curie Man 2. Like one, we mentioned already, Rio de Janeiro a Janeiro. Of course, 100 % samba is amazing. But is there another song that you feel is very special and people should go and listen to it? I really, the first song that came to my mind, A Lenda da Baete é de Malagôs. A Rodeada de Ariadão. A Rodeada de Aria. A Lenda da Baete é de Malagôs. A Lenda da Baete é de Malagôs. A Lenda da Baete é de Malagôs.

12:19That's why I tell you, that's the song from Praeiras. Praeiras is one of the best, for me is the best album, everything there. Nobody knows where, Kaimi, Kaimi for me is a god of the songs. He came before the Bossa Nova, and his idol, his idol, Jobim, his idol is Caymmi. Padre Pau, his idol. Caymmi is from Isola. And nobody knows, when he came to Praeras, nobody understands why, how is the font, you know? Because sometimes you see some artists, and you see, oh, this guy is great, but he's, the guys came before, you know? you know understand Caymmi is a cornstone you know the cornstone the bass you know for everything and this song is from there and I love the arrangement that we made together and I really like it if people have the opportunity to listen Além da Tabaitea I'm proud of that too Roger what a pleasure muito obrigado thanks for talking to us

13:52Thank you very much, Roger. His album, Kourimant, too, is out now. The show was edited by Elliot Greenfield, and I am Fernando Augusto Pacheco.