he
Brazilian legend whose career spans over four decades hasn't lost an ounce
of his energy over the years - he still delivers a high-powered set as he
fronts his eight-piece band with his trademark Fender Telecaster, dark
shades and a cool attitude.
My first impression as I got to the club was that the band looked a bit
cramped on China Club's diminutive stage . I guess having eight musicians
on stage is a bit too much for that club - but then again, that venue has
been a mainstay for Brazilian performers who had been relegated to stages
in Newark in earlier occasions.
The stage's size, however, seemed not to disturb Benjor, who played his
funk-infused songs to a large but comfortable audience(the fact that it
was a holiday weekend when a lot of people were away seemed to contribute
to that) who danced and cheered to the non-stop selection of hits.
Among the highlights was Benjor's tribute to a fallen friend when he
performed the late Tim Maia's last hit, "Do Leme ao Pontal"(From Leme
to Pontal, references to places in Rio de Janeiro).
you wouldn't have known it was a tribute if you didn't know the song.,
for the band just started playing the song without any previous
announcement, as they did with every song on the set from the minute he
got on stage.
The fact that Benjor doesn't
communicate much with the audience didn't seem to matter to anyone.
Everybody simply sang along to "W/Brasil", "Fio Maravilha", "Salve
Simpatia" and "Taj Mahal"( a song that became notorious for Rod
Stewart's plagiarism case in the chorus of "I'm Sexy"), among others.
My favorite moment in the concert was when he reverted to his
samba-infused earlier songs, such as "Que Pena"(What a Pity), which
laments about the loss of a girlfriend, and "Mas Que Nada", a tune
that became bigger than its composer through its remakes by greats such as
Ella Fitzgerald, Joao Gilberto, Sergio Mendes and others.
The audience was composed mainly of Brazilians who shouted names of
songs they wanted to hear. I did notice a handful of American-looking
individuals who seemed to be enjoying the music quite a lot, but I did not
get a chance to talk to them during the show.
Yes, the great Jorge still got it - and here's hoping that he remains
that way for a long, long time
