alex malheiros: tempos futuros
As one third of legendary trio Azymuth, Alex Malheiros has pioneered a unique fusion of space-funk, samba and jazz since the early seventies. His work, either for the Azymuth project or with other giants like Jorge Ben, Milton Nascimento, Marcos Valle (to name a few) is not only essential to music Brazilian music, but is even more influencing to the nu-jazz movement that picked up in the 90’s and is in constant evolution. His new album, Tempos Futuros, is released by Far Out Recordings and is deeply influenced by Malheiro’s surroundings. From Niterói, overlooking the Guanabara bay, the beaches, mountains and forests enveloping Rio de Janeiro, he designs a tropical spaceship of 12 tracks - inspired by terrestrial forms, reaches out, deep into the great unknown.
The long term collaborator and acclaimed Daniel Maunick produces the album, always capable of bringing a distinctive touch that can be heard in recent projects with other Brazilian masters like Marcos Valle or Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti. Tempos Futuros is a modern jazz funk album that blends Rio de Janeiro’s relaxations and London’s grit. It features a cast of extremely talented performers that join Alex Malheiros: his daughter, a Brazilian star in her own right, Sabrina Malheiros, percussion master Sidinho Moreira, saxophonist Sean Khan, drummer Massa, and keyboard player Dudu Viana. Featuring the late Azymuth keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertami on Fender Rhodes, the title track “Tempos Futuros” was originally recorded as a demo in 1995. On this finished version, Alex Malheiros used Bertami’s original keyboard take, explaining the posthumous release. Available on vinyl, Alex Malheiro’s album brings us warmth and groove.