SPACE SHIFT

Luciano Nakata Albuquerque—a/k/a Tim Maia’s heir apparent Curumin—has run a
band since age eight. Still, the new world that the Brazilian-Japanese
artist represents most fully came to fruition in this hemisphere on historic
November 4, when he dropped his essential second disc, Japan Pop Show. The São Paulo native is perhaps the foremost visionary of samba-hop as an artist, but as a person, he even more importantly embodies the rise and flowering of a global generation fearlessly exploding restrictive divisions. This shift is reflected in his facility with everything from Chief Xcel’s
patronage to the trippy space rock of “Mistério Stereo,” making him the
perfect multifaceted act to represent the melting pot and the Mountaintop in this lineup. With CéU, Bebel Gilberto, José González, Otto, and João Parahyba (of Trio Mocotó) at Red Hot + Rio 2: The Next Generation of Samba Soul.

Dec. 4-5, 8 p.m., 2008