Rio Runs Through It

Brazilian-born musician Kleber Jorge found himself in a delicious dilemma last year. Should he continue the nonstop pursuit of his career? Or take some time off to join the Sergio Mendes band?

The guitarist, singer and songwriter, just back from a concert engagement with Mendes in Manila, said it really wasn’t much of a decision. Speaking by phone from his L.A. home, Jorge admits that dividing his time between Mendes’ group and his own has bothered him only slightly.

“When he first asked me to join, I was thinking that I already have my own thing happening. I thought, ‘Will I have time to be involved with Sergio’s band too?’ ”

But the chance to work with one of the best-known performers on the international music scene was too good to pass up.

“I see it as a learning experience for me,” said Jorge, 37, who appears tonight at Spaghettini in Seal Beach. “It’s also a real pleasure for me to work with Sergio. I’ve really admired him for years, since the days when I was living in Brazil. He’s a musician, but he’s a businessman too, and a producer. He does everything well. And the music always sounds great.

“Another good thing is that he doesn’t tour all the time. So it really doesn’t bother my career that much. I could do his gig and still be in town enough to do my own thing.”

Mendes learned of the vocalist-guitarist from musicians in his band who had worked with Jorge. Mendes needed someone to sing backup vocals for a recording and Jorge was recommended.

“After that session, he invited me to his house, asked me to sing some of my songs for him. ‘You never know when you’re going to find a new song,’ he told me.”

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When Mendes needed an electric guitarist for his touring band, he asked Jorge if he could take the role. The Manila concerts were Jorge’s first appearance with the band.

“We did two shows in a large hotel ballroom over Valentine’s Day. In the Philippines, Valentine’s Day is as big as New Year’s Eve here or in Brazil. The concert was full, the traffic was jammed. The whole city was celebrating. . . . People there love Latin music, especially Brazilian music. Sergio has been there many times and is quite well-known there. His songs play on the radio for years.”

Jorge was born in Rio de Janeiro and was steered into music by his father, a bass player and singer.

“He was the first to teach me music theory and wanted me to go to school to study,” he said. “He wanted me to be the kind of educated musician who could read music and could play in a big orchestra.”

To that end, Jorge studied classical music and the cello throughout his teenage years. But, like his father, he also picked up the guitar. And the vast world of Brazilian music that filtered through his classical studies had a major impact on him.

“My influences come from a broad mixture--Djvan, Joao Bosco, all types of Brazilian pop music. These are the people I grew up listening to.”

But after giving up the cello at age 20, Jorge found himself a bit shy about his guitar skills. The prospect of further study in the United States began to beckon.

“I had in mind coming to L.A. and going to the Musicians Institute and learning another kind of music. But once I got here, I couldn’t afford it. I didn’t know how hard a struggle it was going to be here. But finally I got a private teacher and started playing some shows.”

Jorge leads his band, which includes pianist and fellow Mendes member Bill Brendle, in gigs at a number of L.A. venues. They had made frequent appearances at the now-defunct Mucho Gusto in Costa Mesa.

At Spaghettini, Jorge’s quartet will concentrate on his original material but will also play songs by Ivan Lins, Caetano Veloso and other Brazilian contemporaries.

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Jorge has one self-produced album out that gives a good accounting of his music, tunes that look to the samba tradition of his hometown for their roots and the modern music of Brazil for their design. He has just finished recording a second album, which he plans to shop to various labels. He also has in mind a return to his homeland.

“One of the things I want to do this year is a series of concerts in Brazil, in Sao Paulo and Bahia. There’s nothing specific planned yet. I still have connections there, but I would bring my own band with me, musicians from [L.A.]. It is one of my dreams.”

* Kleber Jorge appears tonight at Spaghettini, 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach. 7 p.m. No cover. (310) 596-6573.