Disco jazz funk with a Brazilian twist is the name of the game skilfully conveyed
Named in honour of his mother, Maria reconnects with the Brazilian musical traditions that shaped Dos Santos long before his move to London.
The spark for the project arrived while touring with Brazilian jazz-funk legends Azymuth in 2022. Encouraged by the drummer Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti who died in 2023, Dos Santos began to reconsider how much of his musical identity had been left behind in the pursuit of an international career. The result is an album that places the rhythms and colours of Northeastern Brazil at the heart of a contemporary UK jazz setting.
Maria draws on samba, baião and traditional batucada rhythms while embracing the spirit of 1970s fusion. It even sounds quite disco in places and like jazz funk in flavour. Dos Santos’ electric bass work carries echoes of Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke and George Duke, yet the record never feels beholden to jazz-funk convention. Instead, it moves freely between Brazilian folk traditions, soul-jazz textures and contemporary groove-based improvisation.
Arranger Arthur Verocai contributes to ‘Saudade’, while hip US trumpeter Theo Croker is on fine form and adds plenty of personality to several tracks. He starts quoting Sonny Rollins tune ‘Pent-Up House’ at one stage [3:25 mark very briefly] on the stand out track the strings soaked ‘Saudade’ which works on every level. Singer Lynda Dawn – a North-West London artist known for her nostalgic blend of 1970s and 1980s funk, boogie, and gospel – also figures winningly light as a feather on ‘Saudade’. There’s carnival energy on ‘Boa Viagem’ – check a live version above – and on ‘Baiamba’ baião rhythm and more. Rating: ****
