Biography
Formed in the opening years of the 1970s, Azymuth emerged as a widely celebrated and deeply influential Brazilian jazz-funk ensemble, distinct from the British outfit known as Azimuth. Their airy synthesis of electric jazz, pop, MPB, samba, tropical disco, and electronic elements has shaped the work of three successive waves of musicians, selectors, and beat-makers. José Roberto Bertrami on acoustic piano and keyboards, Alex Malheiros on bass, and Ivan Conti on drums comprised the founding lineup; they coined the term “samba doido” to describe their approach. While the sonic result was measured rather than chaotic, the group’s astute, high-energy marriage of Brazilian grooves, jazz, and funk, occasionally punctuated by acoustic passages, built a substantial audience throughout the 1980s. Beyond a substantial discography exceeding two dozen LPs, the trio has been reworked by an array of contemporary selectors and producers such as Theo Parrish, 4Hero, Kirk Degiorgio, Ashley Beedle, and Jazzanova. Following Bertrami’s passing in 2012, keyboardist and composer Kiko Continentino joined the ranks.
Their debut long-player for Som Livre yielded the successful singles “Manha” and “Faca de Conta,” establishing a fully realized aesthetic marked by concise arrangements, tactile atmospheres, propulsive grooves, and delicate, interlocking melodies alongside an affinity for technology. Light as a Feather, issued in 1979 on the American Milestone imprint, supplied the jazz-disco hybrid “Jazz Carnival.” Subsequent 1980s releases encompassed Outubro, Telecommunication, and Rapid Transit. The band attained international stature among jazz ensembles, its sound—akin to that of Weather Report—crossing over to club DJs. A split occurred in 1990, followed by a 1995 reunion and a contract with the U.K.’s Far Out label; Carnival appeared the next year. Azymuth has remained with Far Out ever since, issuing further notable titles such as 2002’s Partido Novo, 2008’s Butterfly, and 2016’s Fenix. They have also collaborated with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on 2020’s Azymuth JID004, part of the duo’s Jazz Is Dead series.
Prior to the group’s formation, each member pursued separate paths in Rio’s burgeoning bossa nova and jazz circles during the 1960s, residing on the same bohemian stretch in Copacabana and working as session players in modest venues. Bertrami was struck by Conti’s drumming and Malheiros’s fluid, funk-inflected electric bass, prompting an invitation to record together. Their earliest joint effort appeared under the name Group Projeto 3 in 1968. They solidified their rapport performing in the Canecão showroom in the early 1970s, operating as Grupo Seleção for nightclub dates and session work. Marcos Valle enlisted them for a soundtrack LP honoring Formula 1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi titled “O Fabuloso Fittipaldi.” After achieving domestic success, the trio sought and received permission from Valle to adopt the title of one of his compositions, “Azimuth,” as their own. Early-1970s recordings made at Bertrami’s apartment formed the core of a cottage industry of forward-looking music later compiled on two collections of unreleased demos. An initial EP for Polydor proved sufficiently compelling that Rio telenovela producers licensed the material. The ensuing self-titled Som Livre album generated three hit singles—“Linha de Horizonte,” also featured in a telenovela, “Manha,” now a London club staple, and “Faca de Conta”—and crystallized Azymuth’s signature sound.
Their second album, 1977’s Águia Não Come Mosca, achieved international reach, appearing concurrently in Brazil, the United States, and Japan via Atlantic and securing a multi-album Milestone contract. The 1979 Milestone debut Light as a Feather ranked among Brazil’s top-selling releases that year, charting in the U.S. as well, and contained the worldwide disco-fusion success “Jazz Carnival,” which moved more than 500,000 copies globally and spent eight weeks inside the U.K. Top 20. Outubro followed in 1980, accompanied by appearances at jazz festivals worldwide. After Telecommunication in 1981, Azymuth became the first ensemble to present electronic instrumentation at São Paulo’s Teatro Municipal; the album reached the Top Ten on the Top 200. Extensive touring and recording over the next four years produced Cascades, Rapid Transit, Flame, and Spectrum. In 1986 the group graced the covers of Down Beat, Modern Drummer, and Guitar Player. Bertrami exited after 1989’s Carioca; Jota Moraes assumed keyboard duties until the original members reconvened in 1995, releasing Carnival the following year on Far Out and the retrospective 21 Años on Warner Brazil. By 1998 the band recorded exclusively for Far Out, undertaking worldwide tours and large-scale dance events across Europe and Asia. Their increasingly technology-forward productions retained core identity and resonated strongly with DJs. Woodland Warrior earned strong notices in 1998, while Pieces of Ipanema the next year received remixes from prominent selectors. Before We Forget opened the new century, followed by the widely praised Partido Novo in 2003 and Brazilian Soul in 2004, a period that saw Brazilian radio restore regular airplay and hundreds of thousands of clubgoers worldwide embrace the catalog. Butterfly in 2008 became their strongest seller of the decade after Brazilian Soul. Aurora in 2011 marked the final recording with Bertrami, who died the subsequent year. After a period of consideration and continued playing, Malheiros and Conti brought in pianist, composer, and arranger Kiko Continentino, a veteran of Milton Nascimento’s and Gilberto Gil’s ensembles. Fenix, the 2016 debut with Continentino, received international acclaim and prompted a world tour. Early 2019 brought Far Out’s release of Demos 1973-75, Vols. 1 & 2; critics from mainstream and niche outlets alike hailed the raw yet inventive and technically assured tracks, with some observers noting the embryonic presence of EDM elements. The set sold out its first pressing within weeks. Around the same time, Malheiros, Conti, and Continentino performed in Los Angeles and tracked Azymuth JID004 with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at Linear Labs Studio; the album appeared in 2020, shortly after the third installment in the Jazz Is Dead series, which featured Marcos Valle. Co-founder Ivan Conti passed away on April 17, 2023, at age 76.
Their debut long-player for Som Livre yielded the successful singles “Manha” and “Faca de Conta,” establishing a fully realized aesthetic marked by concise arrangements, tactile atmospheres, propulsive grooves, and delicate, interlocking melodies alongside an affinity for technology. Light as a Feather, issued in 1979 on the American Milestone imprint, supplied the jazz-disco hybrid “Jazz Carnival.” Subsequent 1980s releases encompassed Outubro, Telecommunication, and Rapid Transit. The band attained international stature among jazz ensembles, its sound—akin to that of Weather Report—crossing over to club DJs. A split occurred in 1990, followed by a 1995 reunion and a contract with the U.K.’s Far Out label; Carnival appeared the next year. Azymuth has remained with Far Out ever since, issuing further notable titles such as 2002’s Partido Novo, 2008’s Butterfly, and 2016’s Fenix. They have also collaborated with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on 2020’s Azymuth JID004, part of the duo’s Jazz Is Dead series.
Prior to the group’s formation, each member pursued separate paths in Rio’s burgeoning bossa nova and jazz circles during the 1960s, residing on the same bohemian stretch in Copacabana and working as session players in modest venues. Bertrami was struck by Conti’s drumming and Malheiros’s fluid, funk-inflected electric bass, prompting an invitation to record together. Their earliest joint effort appeared under the name Group Projeto 3 in 1968. They solidified their rapport performing in the Canecão showroom in the early 1970s, operating as Grupo Seleção for nightclub dates and session work. Marcos Valle enlisted them for a soundtrack LP honoring Formula 1 driver Emerson Fittipaldi titled “O Fabuloso Fittipaldi.” After achieving domestic success, the trio sought and received permission from Valle to adopt the title of one of his compositions, “Azimuth,” as their own. Early-1970s recordings made at Bertrami’s apartment formed the core of a cottage industry of forward-looking music later compiled on two collections of unreleased demos. An initial EP for Polydor proved sufficiently compelling that Rio telenovela producers licensed the material. The ensuing self-titled Som Livre album generated three hit singles—“Linha de Horizonte,” also featured in a telenovela, “Manha,” now a London club staple, and “Faca de Conta”—and crystallized Azymuth’s signature sound.
Their second album, 1977’s Águia Não Come Mosca, achieved international reach, appearing concurrently in Brazil, the United States, and Japan via Atlantic and securing a multi-album Milestone contract. The 1979 Milestone debut Light as a Feather ranked among Brazil’s top-selling releases that year, charting in the U.S. as well, and contained the worldwide disco-fusion success “Jazz Carnival,” which moved more than 500,000 copies globally and spent eight weeks inside the U.K. Top 20. Outubro followed in 1980, accompanied by appearances at jazz festivals worldwide. After Telecommunication in 1981, Azymuth became the first ensemble to present electronic instrumentation at São Paulo’s Teatro Municipal; the album reached the Top Ten on the Top 200. Extensive touring and recording over the next four years produced Cascades, Rapid Transit, Flame, and Spectrum. In 1986 the group graced the covers of Down Beat, Modern Drummer, and Guitar Player. Bertrami exited after 1989’s Carioca; Jota Moraes assumed keyboard duties until the original members reconvened in 1995, releasing Carnival the following year on Far Out and the retrospective 21 Años on Warner Brazil. By 1998 the band recorded exclusively for Far Out, undertaking worldwide tours and large-scale dance events across Europe and Asia. Their increasingly technology-forward productions retained core identity and resonated strongly with DJs. Woodland Warrior earned strong notices in 1998, while Pieces of Ipanema the next year received remixes from prominent selectors. Before We Forget opened the new century, followed by the widely praised Partido Novo in 2003 and Brazilian Soul in 2004, a period that saw Brazilian radio restore regular airplay and hundreds of thousands of clubgoers worldwide embrace the catalog. Butterfly in 2008 became their strongest seller of the decade after Brazilian Soul. Aurora in 2011 marked the final recording with Bertrami, who died the subsequent year. After a period of consideration and continued playing, Malheiros and Conti brought in pianist, composer, and arranger Kiko Continentino, a veteran of Milton Nascimento’s and Gilberto Gil’s ensembles. Fenix, the 2016 debut with Continentino, received international acclaim and prompted a world tour. Early 2019 brought Far Out’s release of Demos 1973-75, Vols. 1 & 2; critics from mainstream and niche outlets alike hailed the raw yet inventive and technically assured tracks, with some observers noting the embryonic presence of EDM elements. The set sold out its first pressing within weeks. Around the same time, Malheiros, Conti, and Continentino performed in Los Angeles and tracked Azymuth JID004 with Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad at Linear Labs Studio; the album appeared in 2020, shortly after the third installment in the Jazz Is Dead series, which featured Marcos Valle. Co-founder Ivan Conti passed away on April 17, 2023, at age 76.
Albums
