AMARO FREITAS TRIO / GORAN KAJFEŠ SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA
AMARO FREITAS TRIO
Amaro Freitas - piano
Jean Elton - double bass
Hugo Medeiros - drums, percussion
www.amarofreitas.com
From the slums of Recife in Brazil’s North-East to international jazz icon, Amaro Freitas has worked tirelessly to become the artist he is today - one of the great representatives of the new generations of jazz pianists, who has received accolades from the likes of Herbie Hancock. Influenced by his closest cultural substrate – maracatú, frevo, baião, the music of Hermeto Pascoal and Gismonti, – and by names such as Parker, Monk, Coltrane and Chick Corea, Amaro Freitas forged his own style. Ready to challenge the traditional structures of jazz, Amaro Freitas has a sound that will let you discover the piano in a new way. Gaining international attention for “an approach to the keyboard so unique that it’s startling” (Downbeat), his debut and sophomore albums Sangue Negro (2016) and Rasif (2018) arrived on a wave of instant acclaim. In recent years he has collaborated with, among others, Christian Scott, Lenine and Milton Nascimento. His new album Sankofa - a spiritual quest into the forgotten stories, ancient philosophies and inspirational figures of Black Brazil - is his most stunning and sincere work to date. As on the album, Amaro will be joined on stage by his unbelievably talented rhythm section: Hugo Medeiros on drums and Jean Elton on bass, with whom he had performed at important clubs and festivals in Europe and the USA.
GORAN KAJFEŠ SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA
Goran Kajfes - trumpet
Jonas Kullhammar - tenor saxophone, flute
Per ”Ruskträsk” Johansson - baritone + sopranino saxophone, flute
Jesper Nordenström - piano, organ, synth
Reine Fiske - guitar
Johan Berthling - bass
Johan Holmegard - drums
www.gorankajfes.com
The Swedish trumpeter, composer, arranger and producer with Croatian roots, Goran Kajfeš, has created excitement and joy with his Subtropic Arkestra, possibly the best of those many bands who meld Afrobeat, Ethio-jazz and big band funk. Although they repeatedly cross over from genre to genre, it is imminently clear that jazz, in all its strange forms, make out the base for their music. Which is not surprising since the band is made up of some Sweden’s best jazz musicians, such as Jonas Kullhammar, Johan Berthling and Per ‘Ruskträsk’ Johansson, among others. In recent years, the eclectic jazz collective has both won a Grammy and been praised internationally by audiences as well as press, for example in Uncut, Mojo, Wire, The Guardian, New York Times and Jazz Journal for their “The Reason Why” trilogy. The band enters the most diverse cultural landscapes: we meet Armenian folk dance, Turkish psych funk, happy Brazilian music, Swedish experimental rock from the 70s, Nigerian afrobeat, we get a sweep in Ethiopia, American indie rock, cosmic jazz à la Sun Ra and much, much more! No matter where the musical journey starts, the music is presented with an unlikely energy and sensual freshness that makes this band something special. Subtropic Arkestra is the ultimate proof that music makes life worth living.