Amaro Freitas’ third album, Sankofa, out now

07 September 2021

Hailing from Brazil, Amaro Freitas is one of the finest pianists of contemporary jazz. A virtuosic pianist, Freitas released recently Sankofa, a sublime album of intricate compositions, named after a word and symbol used in the Akan language of Ghana usually depicted as a bird with its head turned backwards. Freitas comments:

“The symbol of the mystical bird, which flies with its head back, teaches us the possibility of going back to our roots, in order to realize our potential to move forward. With this album I want to bring a memory of who we are and pay homage to neighborhoods, names, characters, places, words and symbols that come from our ancestors. I want to celebrate where we come from.”

Speaking about what sparked the album, he explains:

“I worked to try to understand my ancestors, my place, my history, as a black man. Brazil didn’t tell us the truth about Brazil. The history of black people before slavery is rich with ancient philosophies. By understanding the history and the strength of our people, one can start to understand where our desires, dreams and wishes come from.”

‘Baquaqua’ is one of the magnificent tracks from Sankofa. It refers to the story of Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua, the West African man who was kidnapped and transported to Brazil as a slave in 1844 but escaped to New York in 1847, later learning to read and write. Listen to it below.

Sankofa is out now through Far Out Recordings

Portico Quartet detail new album, Monument, and share first single ‘Impressions’

04 September 2021

Portico Quartet are on a roll this year. Following the release of Terrain back in May, the outfit of Duncan Bellamy and Jack Wyllie have announced the release of a new album titled Monument. Both albums were recorded at the same sessions but whereas Terrain reflects a darker time as the pandemic swept the globe, the upcoming album looks ahead in an optimistic way. Speaking about Monument, Wyllie comments:

“It’s possibly our most direct album to date. It’s melodic, structured and there’s an economy to it that is very efficient. There’s not much searching or wastage within the music itself, it is all finalised ideas, precisely sculpted and presented as a polished artefact.”

Bellamy continues:

“Monument sits somewhere between our albums Portico Quartet and Art in the Age of Automation. It has perhaps a more overtly electronic edge to its sound – there are more synthesisers and electronic elements than we have used before and the music is often streamlined and rhythmic”.

Monument will see the light of day on November 12th through Gondwana Records and ahead of it, they’ve shared the first stunning and shimmering single, ‘Impressions’. Take a listen below.

Mansur Brown’s second album, Heiwa, out today

03 September 2021

Today sees the release of Heiwa, the second album from producer and multi-instrumentalist Mansur Brown. His collaborative work in projects like TriForce, and his contribution to Yussef Kamaal’s acclaimed 2016 album Black Focus thrust him into the ranks of the most talented young musicians on the thriving London jazz scene. Released on his own record label, Amai Records, Heiwa follows his 2018 debut album Shiroi and the Tesuto EP released last year.

Heiwa, which translates from Japanese as ‘Peace’, is a record about “the journey of life and all the emotions that are faced throughout life in the quest to attain true peace of mind and happiness within”, as the accompanying blurb describes. It adds that “Mansur’s sound rolls out across Heiwa like an expansive film score backdrop to the conflict between city and nature and the cycle of life.”

‘Flight’ was the last single to emerge ahead of today’s release. Speaking about it, Brown comments:

“‘Flight’ is a song about the importance of celebration and gratitude as I believe its important to take time out to appreciate the journey of overcoming obstacles and being grateful for the beautiful things that we have in life and things are absent are to be improved upon and developed over time.”

Listen to ‘Flight’ below and head over to his bandcamp straight after to grab Heiwa.

Charbonneau / Amato tease upcoming album with first single ‘Light Memoir’

03 September 2021

Montreal accomplished musicians Mathieu Charbonneau and Pietro Amato have worked together on a plethora of bands and projects for many years, including The Luyas, Bell Orchestre, Amon Tobin and Plants and Animals amongst others. Synth Works Vol.1, released in 2018, marked their first album as a duo. Three years on, Charbonneau / Amato are gearing up to release its follow-up, Synth Works Vol. 2, later this year. Whilst we still have to wait for further details to emerge, we can already hear the album’s first single, ‘Light Memoir’, out now through Forward Music Group’s experimental sublabel Backward Music. ‘Light Memoir’ is beautiful, soothing and wholly absorbing. The track comes paired with an accompanying video and you can watch it below.

Le Guess Who? festival unveils details of second edition of Hidden Musics

02 September 2021

This November, Le Guess Who? festival will enrich further still the diversity already brought in from stellar guest curators and a line-up boasting an abundance of incredible artists with the return of Hidden Musics. First unveiled in 2019, Hidden Musics is an ambitious program that pays special attention to musical traditions and artists from secluded regions of the world, giving audiences a unique chance to experience rare performances. Perfectly tailored for the festival, the program sprouted from a collaboration between Le Guess Who?, Grammy-award winning music producer, activist and author Ian Brennan, and Ljubljana based American musician, record producer and Glitterbeat Records founder Chris Eckman.

Tuareg guitar band Etran de L’Aïr, an Agadez based family collective who represent the multi-ethnicities of Niger, is one of the bands performing as part of Hidden Musics. Tunisian-Belgian singer, dancer, poet and actress Ghalia Benali will also bring her golden voice and charismatic stage presence to a Le Guess Who? stage in Utrecht, presenting Hadret Ishq, an anthology of the repertoire of Sufi poets, both ancient and contemporary.
Also appearing on Hidden Musics is celebrated Hungarian singer Monika Lakatos of Olah Romani descent and Egyptian ensemble Mazaher who are inspired by the Zar music of Egypt, a healing ritual of music and dance led by women, that is on the verge of extinction.
Russian label Ored Recordings, an ethnographic record label that has been documenting and recording artists native to the North Caucasus, will partake in this year’s Hidden Musics edition, presenting performances from Jrpjej and Zaur Nagoy.

For a taster of what to expect, take a look at the trailer below.

Le Guess Who? will take place 11-14 November in idyllic venues scattered around Utrecht. Tickets and other info can be found on leguesswho.com.