Amaro Freitas’s “Mar de Cirandeiras” ft. Jeff Parker
January 16, 2024 - By Psychic Hotline
Today, acclaimed Brazilian composer and pianist Amaro Frietas shares “Mar de Cirandeiras” (featuring guitarist Jeff Parker) from his upcoming album, Y’Y, out March 1st on Psychic Hotline. “Mar de Cirandeiras” is a tribute to the cirandeiras, especially Lia de Itamaracá, a living cultural heritage of Pernambuco. One of the most traditional dances in the state, the ciranda is a game in which people hold hands, moving in a light, festive and circular way. Only those who have already visited the island of Itamaracá or participated in a ciranda on the beach know how incredible the feeling of living this experience is. The song simply glows like the sun on the sea.
Listen to “Mar de Cirandeiras” (feat. Jeff Parker) by Amaro Freitas
For the track, Freitas plays both a Rhodes piano and acoustic piano, his voice, alongside guitarist Jeff Parker. The two musicians first met in Ireland at the Cork Jazz Festival in October of 2021. “[Freitas] was playing with his trio and I was struck by the complex rhythms and harmonies that he was playing,” says Parker. “He was playing in two different meters, a different one in each hand.” Parker went on to say, “I was flattered to be asked to record a track on his album. The melody for ‘Mar de Cirandeiras’ is so beautiful to play and it was easy to find a nice blend with his piano sounds. I really love the ethereal middle section with the major 7th chords moving in major thirds.”
Named one of Pitchfork’s Most Anticipated Albums of 2024, Y’Y (pronounced eey-eh, eey-eh) is “a call to live, feel, respect, and care for nature, recognizing it as our ancestor,” says Freitas. He continues, “it is also a warning about the need to be aware of the impact we cause, based on the concepts of civilization and modernity that keep us away from this connection, and its importance for the balance of life on the planet.” Y’Y speaks to the importance of the water, the river, and our environment and how the conservation of the Brazilian rainforest is an answer to the reality of our climate struggles.
Featuring additional contributions from Shabaka Hutchings, Hamid Drake, Aniel Somellian, Brandee Younger, Y’Y serves not only as an expression of connection to the earth and to the ancestors, but as proof of connections between the global Black avant-jazz community. This album is an artful conversation between those traditions, rooted in the unique sounds and rituals found in Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous cultures. With Y’Y, Freitas further codifies his fresh, “decolonized” interpretation of Brazilian jazz, one that may well shatter preconceived notions of what jazz can be.For those in the New York City area, Freitas will perform his first US show in support of Y’Y at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Tuesday, March 5th. Tickets are on sale now and available for purchase here.
