It’s been a while since I've left a show disappointed, and this time I was even a little bit aggravated. But it wasn't the talent on-stage that caused this reaction.
Nectar Lounge was packed to maximum capacity on Saturday for what I thought would be a night full of incredible music; and it was. I just wish the crowd realized it. Curumin, the performing name of Luciano Nakata Albuquerque, headlined the show, and I prepped myself in advance. I scoured the net for articles about this talented Brazillian singer/songwriter/drummer, including numerous reviews of his most recent album Japan Pop Show. After listening to Curumin’s samba funk that had earned him so much praise, I was ready to have fun.
But it soon became apparent that the crowd was more pumped to see and support Project Lionheart, a local hip-hop group that opened for Curumin. No doubt this group has amazing skills and an infectious enthusiasm. Heck, I would certainly see them again in a heartbeat. They have a little bit of everything, mixing elements of reggae, rock and funk into their hip-hop set. The flannel wearing Caleb Cunningham was a dynamic MC that fueled his rhymes with messages of love and hope. Cunningham also brought up other MCs to perform with him including the beat-boxing Blake Lewis, a local favorite as well as an American Idol runner-up.
Project Lionheart was able to keep the mob entertained, but when it was Curumin's time on-stage, the audience seemed to be less focused. The crowd thickened while Curumin and his two bandmates set up their equipment, a process that was slowed by the apparent language barrier between the band and Nectar's soundman. While waiting for them to start, I heard several comments from those around me, like, "Who is Curumin anyway?" and "Man, lets move on to the next bar." I tried not to let that ruin my mood.
Finally, a little after midnight, Curumin took the stage to some hesitant cheers from the audience. The very petite Albuquerque gushed, "Seattle is a sweet city" in his thick Portuguese accent. Curumin's skills at the drum kit are stellar, most likely due to the fact that he's been playing since he was a wee little boy. His voice has a slightly sharp nasal quality, which sounded crystal clear over his complex drum cadences and funky samba music. The overall sound was delicate and sensual. Many reviews I’ve read describe Curumin as a hip-hop artist. Listening to him live, however, l believe his music is more heavily influenced by 70s funk and soul with a hip-hop sample thrown in every now and then. And apparently this didn't appeal to much of the audience who were constantly pushing me, yelling to each other over the music, and/or making out.
I'm not sure why Nectar pitted the (locally) popular and more charismatic Project Lionheart against the much more mellow, Curumin. Maybe Project Lionheart was able to bring in the crowds, but the two bands should not have shared the same billing. Nectar should have had a more appropriate lineup in order to complement Curumin's world music talents. Because of this oversight, those of us in the crowd who had come for Curumin couldn't truly enjoy the very talented group due to a very fickle and young Seattle hip-hop crowd that only seemed interested in what Project Lionheart had to offer.
