The prodigious young pianist is pioneering a new sound for Brazilian jazz music.
Completely absorbed by the piano since the age of 12, Amaro Freitas did not own one during his teens. Days and nights would be spent playing an imaginary keyboard in his bedroom until finally a local restaurant allowed him to practice before opening time. By the age of 22 he was one of the most sought-after musicians in Recife and resident pianist at the legendary jazz bar Mingus.
As much indebted to the Afro-Brazilian traditions of his home state as it is to the music of Coltrane, Parker and Monk, Freitas’s heavily percussive jazz sound is both a revelation and a revolution. His most recent album, 2021’s Sankofa, uses the spiritual, carnival and philosophical history of his homeland to push forward into new jazz territory.
Delve deep into the creative universe of this maverick pianist as his trio present an upbeat combination of technical mastery and the traditional carnival and dance rhythms of Brazil.