Album Notes

Azymuth return with ‘Brazilian Soul’ – an affirmation of why they’re still among the hottest and hippest cats on the Rio scene, even three decades after they made their first tentative steps into bossa nova society. ‘Brazilian Soul’ is a return to their blistering form of the early Eighties, when their releases would regularly trouble the Top 20s of the US and UK charts – this is a real masterpiece from the original masters.

The new album sees them borrowing from the musical vocabulary that has always been one of the most exciting narratives of Brazilian music, as well as indulging their enthusiasm for new sounds that still makes them heroes and inspirations to a generation of twenty-first century producers, from 4Hero to Masters At Work. They have linked up again with a truly great cast of celebrated Brazilian performers, some who were there at the genesis of Azymuth, and some who hitched a ride during the last thirty years – any history of Brazilian music that didn’t include names featured on the album like Roberto Menescal, Fabiola, Emilio Santiago and Marcio Lott wouldn’t be one to be trusted.

The celebratory mood throughout reflects the sheer vigour and energy that has gone into the making of this album – Far Out’s Joe Davis returned from Brazil this year raving about their zeal and excitement in the studio. The tracks on the album can be divided into three parts – the first have been informed by their early work in the Seventies, making some of the most popular bossas in Brazil (tracks here like ‘Depois De Carnival’ and a tribute to Rio’s king of swing, ‘Ed Lincoln’); the second inspired by their fertile period of the early Eighties (including ‘Retrovisor’ which is a reprise of the classic ‘Dear Limmertz’); and the last set coming from their collaborations with Joe Davis over the last few years. From shimmering bossas like ‘Os Romanticos De Don Juan’ (featuring Emilio Santiago) that hover around the coolest margins of easy listening, to the raw, funky disco energy of ‘O Lance’ and ‘Roda Piao’, this new album is a return to classic form for Azymuth.

Although their sound hails from the tropical funk scene which emerged in Rio in the mid-Seventies, their music is still as pertinent now as was then – their live shows demonstrate that the percussive furnace which drives their sound is still burning bright. The tour of Europe that will accompany the album in October and November is an unmissable chance to see their age-defyingly energetic performances in the flesh – see below for details of venues and dates.

Biography:
Jose Roberto Bertrami is the pianist and songwriter of Azymuth and it’s fair to say that he is recognised as one of the legends of Brazilian music, and is still one of its most influential keyboardists. He’s worked with and arranged many of Brazil’s finest artists, including Elis Regina, Erasmo Carlos, Jorge Ben, and Marcos Valle, as well as many of the greatest international jazz musicians, such as a whole album of arrangements for Sarah Vaughn’s 1976 ‘Brasileiro’.
Ivan Conti is Azymuth’s drummer and percussionist. Known to his friends as Mamao, he has a prodigious biography. From beginnings in Rio’s “Beco das Garrafas” bossa scene of the early 1960s with his group The Youngsters, he has played with the greatest Brazilian bands and artists, including Marcos Valle, Milton Nascimento and Elza Soares.
On bass and electric guitar is Alex Malheiros. Alex learnt his trade playing with the master of the Brazilian swing, Ed Lincoln, in the 60s at dance balls. Again he has performed and recorded with the greats of Brazilian music, and is a beautiful songwriter with his balance of harmony and groove.
Far Out’s Joe Davis first met Azymuth at the studio on a recording session for the Friends From Rio project in 1995 – they had been invited to play by Joe’s Brazilian producer. Joe might have been forgiven for being a little starstruck – Azymuth had been his musical heroes for 15 years. They met again soon afterwards, at a dinner party at the same producer’s house in San Corado on the very edge of one of Rio’s many favelas. The party quickly confirmed the Azymuth boys’ legendary appetites for debauchery and revelry – they had left their surprisingly reserved, professional demeanour in the studio the week before. In 1996 the resulting album ‘Carnival’ was released, to critical acclaim – a welcome return to the band’s creative best.
Since then Azymuth have recorded four new albums for Far Out. They’ve picked up new fans across Europe and US – they’ve started touring their legendarily and age-defyingly energetic live shows internationally again, and with remixes by some of the most exciting producers around (Roni Size, 4 Hero, Kenny Dope and Global Communication) they’ve become an important force once again on the underground jazz scene.