Amaro Freitas is the rising star of Brazilian and international jazz for ‘an approach to the keyboard that is so unique as to be sustaining’ (Downbeat), creating music that is a mind-blowing exploration of the Brazilian rhythmic and musical tradition projected towards horizons of lightning-fast jazz experimentation. Amaro’s strongly jazz-like approach is as indebted to the traditions of Pernambuco as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk. As if seeking the ideal synthesis between Dollar Brand/Abdullah Ibrahim and that Chick Corea whom Freitas points to as his main model and master. The new album ‘Y’Y’, released on Psychic Hotline Records, is intended to be Amaro Freitas’ homage to the Amazon rainforest and the rivers of northern Brazil, or as he himself puts it: “an invitation to live, feel, respect and take care of nature, recognising it as our ancestor”.
