Marca Passo
FARO251BLUEPre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: Far Out Recordings
Release Date: 6th June
The Godfathers of cosmic Brazilian MPB jazz funk, deep into their career and sadly one key member fewer with the passing of legendary drummer Ivan Conti BUT still absolutely the standard bearers of the genre.
Marking fifty years since their 1975 debut album Azimuth , their new album Marca
Passo proves that the band's alchemic brew of Brazilian jazz-funk and cosmic samba
soul remains as vital as ever, as the group honours the profound legacy of their
departed founders.
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Marca Passo is the first full- length release since the
passing of founding drummer Ivan "Mamao" Conti in 2023, following the earlier loss of
keyboardist Jose Roberto Bertrami in 2012. Alex Malheiros, the sole remaining
original member, sees his stewardship of the band's musical legacy as his spiritual
duty. He is joined by the equally devoted Kiko Continentino (Milton Nascimento,
Djavan) on keyboards, who has been with the group since 2016, and new recruit
Renato Massa (Marcos Valle, Ed Motta) on drums.
Yet since their earliest recorded music, Azymuth have always been far greater than
the sum of their parts. The "three-man orchestra's" unmistakable sound is rooted in
Brazil's MPB studio scene of the 1970s and early 1980s--a time when artists blended
traditional Brazilian rhythms with global jazz, rock, and emerging psychedelic and
progressive elements. Marca Passo continues this legacy, seamlessly fusing Brazilian
musical traditions with global infuences while showcasing the exceptional
musicianship that powers Azymuth's distinctive, multi-dimensional sound.
The album is produced by studio mastermind Daniel Maunick, responsible for
Azymuth's two previous studio albums, Fenix in 2016 and Aurora in 2011. Daniel's
credits also include albums by Marcos Valle, Sabrina Malheiros and Terry Callier.
Azymuth also invited Daniel's father, British jazz- funk royalty Jean Paul "Bluey"
Maunick, of Incognito, to play guitar on a new version of Azymuth's eighties classic
"Last Summer In Rio", in tribute to the song's composer, Jose Roberto Bertrami.
Equally, "Samba Pro Mamao" is a new composition dedicated to Azymuth's beloved
original drummer, Ivan "Mamao" Conti.