Azymuth is a Brazilian band, initially put together by José Roberto Bertrami, Alex Malheiros and Ivan Conti, three accomplished and well-known session musicians, who had played on numerous recordings with famous Brazilian artists.
Formed in 1973, in the city of Rio, the group has many musical influences, from Samba to Funk, and their trademark is their mainly instrumental songs. Their biggest Brazilian hits are Linha do Horizonte, Melô da Cuíca and Voo sobre o Horizonte, whilst their biggest international success is the song Jazz Carnival.
The group’s international career began in the USA, whilst Jazz Carnival reached 19th position in the British charts, in January 1980, selling 250 thousand copies in Europe, opening the doors to international tours.
After one or two band members had left, and new ones had joined, and with the arrival of a new musical genre – Acid Jazz – the group signed a contract with Far Out Recordings, entering a new phase of their career, releasing albums such as Carnival, Woodland Warrior, Pieces of Ipanema, Before we Forget and Partido Novo.
The band released the album Butterfly in 2008, universally acclaimed by the critics. These days Azymuth are having plenty of success in England and the rest of Europe, in particular on the Electronica scene, with mainstream DJs remixing their songs.
The current line-up is Fernando Moraes – Keyboards; Alex Malheiros, Bass; Ivan Conti, Drums, and there are new tracks on the way, as the band have recently wrapped up recording on their latest album. Although the disc is as yet unnamed, it is due to come out this year, sometime during the autumn.
Anyone interested in this incredible band is encouraged to check out their most recent release – a remaster of their epic LP Outubro, from 1980, which is on sale on CD, as well as digitally (https://azymuth.bandcamp.com/album/outubro).
To see a Teaser of the new album, click here.
For further information: http://www.faroutrecordings.com/
