Description
Cult jazz-funk trio Azymuth's founding member and legendary drummer, also known for his collaboration with Madlib, returns with his first solo album in 20 years, blending traditional samba with jazz, electronic sounds, house, and techno.
Ivan 'Mamão' Conti is a legendary drummer in the Brazilian music scene who was a member of Rio's cult jazz-funk trio Azymuth, played a key role in the 'samba doido' (crazy samba) philosophy of blending traditional samba with jazz and spacey electronic sounds, conducted pioneering experiments with tape and delay in The Youngsters in the 1960s, and more recently worked with hip-hop heavyweight Madlib in Jackson Conti. This is his first solo album in over 20 years and his first release on vinyl since the 1984 masterpiece 'The Human Factor'.
This album contains 11 tracks covering roots-based electronic samba, trippy jazz, beats, and dance music. Alex Malheiros and Kiko Continentino participate on many of the tracks, giving it a finish that strongly evokes the deep lineage of Azymuth. Furthermore, with the help of London-based producer Daniel Maunick, he also boldly experiments with sounds that connect to modern house and techno. It unfolds a strange and wonderful Brazilian sound filled with the eccentric playfulness unique to an artist who has continued to innovate for over half a century.
A1. Aroeira
A2. Bacurau
A3. Poison Fruit
A4. Jemburi
B1. Encontro
B2. Que Legal
B3. Ecos Da Mata
B4. Tempestades
B5. Ilha Da Luz
From an artist in their seventies, you probably wouldn’t expect to hear an album like this. But Brazilian drumming legend Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti has been experimenting and innovating for the last half a century. As one third of cult Rio jazz-funk trio Azymuth, Mamão was at the root of the group’s ‘samba doido’ (crazy samba) philosophy, which warped the traditional samba compass with jazz influences and space age electronics. Even with his lesser known jovem guardua group The Youngsters, Mamão was experimenting with tapes and delays to create unique, ahead-of-its-time sounds, way back in the sixties. More recently Mamão recorded an album with hip-hop royalty Madlib under the shared moniker ‘Jackson Conti’. With his first album in over twenty years, and the first to be released on vinyl since his 1984 classic The Human Factor, Mamão shares his zany carioca character across eleven tracks of rootsy electronic samba and tripped out jazz, beats and dance music. Featuring Alex Malheiros and Kiko Continentino on a number of tracks, the Azymuth lifeblood runs deep, but venturing into the modern discotheque (as Mamão would call it), Poison Fruit also experiments with sounds more commonly associated with house and techno, with the help of London based producer Daniel Maunick (aka Dokta Venom). Take a bite of Mamão’s psychoactive Papaya and join the maestro on a weird and wonderful stroll through the Brazilian jungle. United by a love for the music of Mamão and Azymuth, the CD and digital edition also feature the previously released remixes and dubs from some of today’s most forward-thinking producers with a penchant for percussion, including IG Culture, the 22a crew, Max Graef and Glenn Astro.
