Amaro Freitas

In the organizer's words:

From the slums of Recife in north-eastern Brazil to international jazz icon: Amaro Freitas has worked tirelessly to become the artist he is today. With his debut album Sangue Negro (2016), he gained international attention for "an approach to the keyboard so unique that it baffles" (Downbeat) and was immediately acclaimed by the press. After Rasif (2018) came 2021's impressive Sankofa - a spiritual search for the forgotten stories, ancient philosophies and inspiring personalities of black Brazil, which he seamlessly follows up with Y'Y (2024) to continue the saga.

Backed by Jean Elton (bass) and Hugo Medeiros (drums), who formed his trio from the beginning, Amaro employs intricate rhythms and beat variations as if reinterpreting the ancient designs of his ancestors, and each track is imbued with a message or a story that Amaro is eager to tell. These people, places and stories are Amaro's starting point. "I start from these theories, from these ideas, but then emotions flow into the notes, it's my interpretation of this knowledge that is translated into music." Amaro's influences include the Protestant church, his hometown of Recife, funk music, samba, maracatu and frevo. But like the sankofa bird, Amaro's music looks back, but is essentially contemporary music. "It is a continuation, it connects with the people of today and represents current events."

Like all of Amaro's albums, Sankofa took around two years to complete, with the trio spending eight hours a day, four days a week in the studio. "We value the creative process. We know that it takes time to reach a different place, and then it takes time to understand and translate that place. If we want to leave our comfort zone, the most important factors are time, dedication, discipline and wisdom. Months go by and the ideas start to fall into place. Time is the most important thing. Without it, we won't get where we want to go. I would also like to pass this message on to future generations: Let's slow down, let's give ourselves more time, let's do deeper things. Let's stop swimming on the surface, let's dive."