amaro freitas: rasif

In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young pianist, the spirit of his hometown runs deep. Amaro’s heavily percussive approach to jazz, exemplified on Rasif, is as indebted to these Pernambuco traditions as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk.

Amaro Freitas is undoubtedly the future of Brazilian jazz, with only one album out to date, the second coming with high expectations, he's already become one of the most talked about instrumentalists in Brazil. The best way to fully appreciate his brilliance is to see him play live.

Following his critically acclaimed debut album Sangue Negro, the title of his sophomore release Rasif is a colloquial spelling of Amaro’s hometown. A love letter to his native northeast, Amaro explores its traditional rhythms through the jazz idiom, employing complex patterns.

Set to come out in the beginning of October, through Far Out Recordings, Rasif sees Amaro Freitas take a deserved step onto the world stage. On the next few weeks more tracks of this magnificent project will be available. Having already made a name for himself in Brazil, Amaro and his phenomenal band will embark on their first European tour later this year.

“I want to show the simplicity of music, to break the stigma that the piano is for a particular social class. Yes, it’s a difficult instrument, which many people do not have access to, but with it you can express everything.”