Acclaimed Brazilian songwriter Rogê headlines Ashkenaz in Berkeley
Already established in his homeland of Brazil as a star, samba-funk songwriter Rogê brings his current tour with Reno-based soul quartet the Sextones to the San Francisco Bay Area Saturday when they play Ashkenaz in Berkeley.
A talented guitarist and singer inspired by the music of Brazilian masters Baden Powell, Jorge Ben and Dorival Caymmi, Rogê (born Roger José Cury) established himself as a rising songwriter in Rio's nightlife district Lapa, becoming a fixture at the area's preeminent samba club Carioca da Gema during the late '90s. He recorded his debut album in 1998 and built a national following with his gruff, soulful vocals.
While he continued to build on his popularity in Brazil over the years that followed, releasing a live DVD entitled Baile do Brenguelê, five more solo albums and teaming with venerable sambista Arlindo Cruz on the album Na Veia that earned the pair a Latin Grammy nomination, Rogê struggled to score an international breakthrough. Even cowriting the theme song for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil failed to spread word of his remarkable talents beyond his native country's borders.
A desire to make that breakthrough coupled with the growing levels of violence and corruption in Brazil led Rogê to relocate to West Hollywood with his wife and two sons. There he continued to pursue his dreams, working with established songwriting great Seu Jorge -- best known in the U.S. for appearing in Wes Anderson's 2004 movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and the solo samba covers of David Bowie's classing songs that provided the film's soundtrack. Their gorgeous collaborative album Night Dreamer came out in 2020 to wide acclaim, but they only managed to play a handful of tour dates to promote the album (including a stunning concert at the UC Theatre in Berkeley) before the pandemic shut it down.
Rogê used the downtime to write songs for his next album. In the summer of 2021, a fortuitous meeting connected him with guitarist and producer Thomas Brenneck, a member of the Dap Kings, El Michels Affair, the Menahan Street Band and Budos Band who also worked with such luminaries as Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and the late Amy Winehouse.
Brenneck invited the songwriter to record his next album to launch his new Diamond West label, recording in Los Angeles studios with local session players and later adding strings recorded in Rio with arrangements by Brazilian legend Arthur Verocai. Curyman was issued to wide acclaim in the spring of 2023.
Rogê played two shows at the Chapel in the Mission District that year, opening for Brazilian psych greats Os Mutantes with a solo acoustic set in the spring and returning in the fall to dazzle a crowd for an intimate show at the venue's upstairs mezzanine. wowing the audience with his intense performance that paired him with a percussionist. Last year was a busy one for the songwriter as Diamond West put out a collaborative EP that paired the singer with the Menahan Street Band before releasing his breezy second album for the imprint, appropriately titled Curyman II, which received another round of glowing reviews that hailed Rogê for his one-man revival of samba's golden age.
For this Saturday night show at Ashkenaz in Berkeley, Rogê will be joined by Reno-based soul and funk crew the Sextones. Contemporaries who spent nearly a decade working as the Mark Sexton Band before changing their name in late 2015. Sexton and bassist Alexander Korostinsky are also behind the more psychedelic-leaning library music/Ethiopian jazz instrumental collective Whatitdo Archive Group, which has produced a pair of albums and several 45s. The Sextones build their retro-R&B sound around the sweet falsetto vocals and songwriting chops of guitarist Sexton, with their effort Love Can't Be Borrowed recorded and produced by Monophonics keyboard player Kelly Finnigan at his San Rafael studio. The album was released in 2023 through Italian soul imprint Record Kicks, with an instrumental version coming out last summer.
Rogê with the Sextones
Saturday, Feb. 22, 8 p.m. $15-$20
Ashkenaz