Amaro Freitas

Amaro Freitas is a Brazilian jazz pianist and composer whose sound is rooted in the folk and ceremonial rhythms and harmonies from his country's northern region. His 2016 debut, Sangue Negro, showcased a percussive approach to the instrument that prized the Afro-Brazilian maracatu rhythm alongside the high-intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, the bop innovations of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, and the modal sounds of John Coltrane. 2018's Rasif wed baiao and a particularly Brazilian strain of post-bop that swung so hard, it sounded like dance music. 2021's Sankofa showcased a yet more expansive aspect of his compositional style as he revisioned Brazil's historic folk styles and rhythms through the refracted lens of modern jazz. 2024's Y'Y offered solo pieces and select collaborations (Hamid Drake, Brandee Younger, Shabaka Hutchings, Jeff Parker) in compositions inspired by the pianist/composer's 4,600-km journey to Manaus, capital city of Amazonas.