Azymuth - Flame / Spectrum (1999)

Hace tiempo habíamos traído varios de los discos de estos talentosos brasileros. Convengamos que el estilo de la banda no es el que màs me gusta, pero no debemos dejar de reconocer a grandes músicos que desarrollaron un estilo muy personal y prácticamente único. Volvemos con Azymuth en el blog cabezón, con varios de los discos que nos habían quedado pendientes.

Artista: Azymuth

Álbum: Flame / Spectrum
Año: 1999
Género: World Fusion / Funk / Soul / Latin Jazz
Duración: 72:07
Nacionalidad: Brasil

Lista de Temas:
01. The Prisoner
02. Tamal Vista Boulevard
03. Rapa Poeira
04. The Textile Factory (Fabrica De Tecidos) [Vocals – Flora Purim]
05. Flame (O Amor E Chama) [Trumpet – Marcio Montarroyos]
06. Right On
07. What's Going On
08. Song Of The Jet (Samba Do Aviao)
09. Universal Prisoner [Flugelhorn – Paulinho Olivera]
10. Candomble
11. All That Carnival [Flugelhorn – Paulinho Olivera]
12. The Island (Comecar De Novo)
13. Areias
14. Turma Do Samba

Alineación:
- Jurgeh Seelfelder / Soprano, Tenorsax
- Ivan Сonti / Derums, Percussion
- Alexandre Malheiros / Electric Bass
- José Roberto Bertrami / Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals, Organ

Gracias a su original mezcla, que combinada el jazz a la música brasileña tradicional y la fusión del funk, los Azymuth han alcanzado el estatus de leyenda entre los aficionados de la buena música de todo el mundo, así que no los vamos a olvidar aquí, en nuestro espacio. Aquí dejamos ahora un disco doble, o más sbien sería la unión de dos discos, mientras prometemos traer varios discos más para quienes gusten de su estilo. Como siempre, la mejor música vive en el blog cabezón.

Though they called what they did samba doido ("crazy samba"), Azymuth was solidly rooted in the rich melodicism and all-encompassing groove that are the twin-essences of their Brazilian homeland's long and storied musical tradition. The trio's bare-bones, albeit ultra-modern, instrumentation and almost extrasensory tightness at times suggested a Brazilian Booker T. & the MGs. But it was the sensuous way in which Azymuth blended a wide range of jazz, pop, classical, dance, and indigenous music that set them apart. This disc combines two of Azymuth's strongest Milestone albums, Flame and Spectrum from 1984 and '85, respectively. Led by virtuoso keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami, the group welcomes a starry array of guests (including the soaring vocalist Flora Purim), rendering a typically prismatic batch of originals, plus gems by some of Brazil's outstanding composers, as well as their unique take on Marvin Gaye's epochal "What's Going On."

Fantasy Records

From 1980 to ’88 their catalog had grown to include Telecommunication, Cascades, Rapid Transit, Then Flame, Spectrum, Tightrope Walker, Crazy Rhythm and Caricao – albums that gave Azymuth the international attention they had been mining and a reputation as auteur of a new sound; Samba Doido or Crazy Samba. They also released their own solo albums and played with many of the American headliners they had previously spent years trying to catch up to. George Duke served up Brazilian Love Affair in 1980 and Azymuth’s Last Summer in Rio, released two years later, plays very much like the morning after. There began to exist an audible cultural exchange that allowed once colloquial rhythms and sensibilities to provide Azymuth with the tools to reshape the musical landscape that existed around it, placing the final brick in the edifice that had long been building itself high enough to place the band and their country at the top of a short list of internationally renowned musical movements; Brazil an obvious force to be reckoned with.
Dissolving in the ’90s against the decidedly cold shoulder of a Brazilian community that had grown tired of an increasingly inaccessible sound, the band went through a few failed iterations only to reform as acid jazz and house beseeched the gods of booty shake to pass the baton. Azymuth’s music enjoyed a renaissance courtesy of artists like Roni Size, Jazzanova, Kenny Dope, and 4Hero – an occurrence that did as much to get the band back on the floor as it did partygoers at the height of the Y2K frenzy. The group returned in 2004 with Brazilian Soul and followed with Pure in 2006. Ivan Conti also collaborated in 2008 on a side project with the ever-prolific Madlib, recording Sujinho under the moniker of Jackson Conti while Azymuth worked collectively to release Butterfly, followed by 2011’s Aurora; a celebration of their fourth decade together with a merciless return to their celebrated samba funk sound. While the group tours and remains active in support of the sound that set them apart, the sounds, cultures, and eras that it has united remain an overwhelming testament to their staying power as innovators at a time when that kind of magic is harder and harder to come by. Their sheer knack for survival begs the question; as they have resurrected samba, soul, and ultimately themselves, which movement will they play next?

Karas Lamb