CheekyChicago

River North has scored a new after-work destination for the music lover. SushiSamba, the Brazilian-Peruvian-Japanese restaurant known for its chic scene, has kicked off an ongoing Wednesday night music event called Café Com Leite, featuring music in both the main dining room and the enclosed rooftop garden.

SushiSamba’s Paris-based musical director, Jonathan Choul (aka Tchiky Al Dente – and “Tchiky” is pronounced “cheeky”!) was on hand for the launch on Wednesday night. Part Brazilian and part French himself, Jonathan’s a great fit for SushiSamba based on background alone (he even has a Japanese-speaking younger step-brother). But more importantly, Jonathan possesses an impressive level of musical experience and knowledge. He began DJ-ing house music at age 15 and developed a deep appreciation for baile funk and other forms of Brazilian music. His company Clek Clek Boom has launched successful acts worldwide, and he serves as Musical Director for the club Favela Chic in Paris.

Jonathan also appreciates Chicago’s clubs and the city’s role in the history of house music. He has teamed up with legendary Gramaphone Records to help recruit local talent for Café Com Leite. Exceptionally friendly and passionate about his work, Jonathan spoke with me outside the restaurant about music and his vision for SushiSamba.

Cheeky: Tell us about how Café Com Liete came about. This was your idea.

JC: This is just the beginning. SushiSamba is about three cultures. It’s the Brazilian, the Peruvian and the Japanese. But there is another one that we always forget. When you’re in Brazil, you don’t just listen to Brazilian music. So what I want to do with Café Com Liete is – it’s really interesting. You’ve got this bossa nova band, but I want to do meetings with other styles of music. In this location we have the opportunity. We’ve got the rooftop. And I want to attract people and match the Brazilian music with other events, with local events, that have nothing to do with Japanese-Brazilian. [I want to] make, can I say, a meeting point of culture. That’s how I see it.

Cheeky: So, a melding of all kinds of world music.

JC: Yes, but I really want to work with the locals. So I’m in contact with Gramophone, for example. We’re speaking about doing something upstairs. I want to do many different aspects of culture, downstairs and upstairs. The two places are really different. I want to do a band, and I want some artists to play upstairs.

What I want is a musical quality. I want to keep the Japanese, the Brazilian and the Peruvian and culture, but I’m looking for musical quality – I’m not closed. I’m interested in different cultures. You get more diversity. You learn more. It’s like my family – the Brazilian, the French and now the Japanese.

Cheeky: Do you have a favorite style to play right now?

JC: You know, I will answer . . . Duke Ellington said there are just two styles of music. There is the good music, and there is the bad music. So what is my favorite? I would say it depends on the moment, and I don’t have any favorite style. Brazilian music is not better than African or pop, you know. In any style of music you find great stuff.

Cheeky: Chicago is a big DJ town. Is this going to create a new opportunity for local DJ’s?

JC: I don’t know, I hope so. I’d be really happy. It’s a restaurant, so it’s a new approach. I really want to use the big space downstairs and the small place upstairs. We can experiment. People can eat downstairs and be crazy upstairs.

On that note, Jonathan and I went upstairs to check out the rooftop, where DJ Adrien Creuse (a.k.a. The Boo) was spinning for a lively house. Guests gathered on sofas in bamboo-decorated areas and met by the bar, enjoying the city view through greenhouse-like windows. Jonathan told me about his plans to show pieces of Brazilian cinema on the flat screens around the room. He gave me a briefer on Brazilian art and politics, stopping now and then to excitedly point out tracks The Boo played.

Given Jonathan’s genuine enthusiasm, and his proven track record in the club music scene, it’s certainly worth keeping an eye out for the line-up at this new event.