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Rating: Good |
The 1980 release of Outubro marked the beginning of a highly productive period for jazz-funk trio Azymuth on the renowned New York label Milestone Records. A swift follow-up to Light As A Feather, it features seven well-crafted originals, along with two superb covers—including the title track, originally written by MPB vocalist Milton Nascimento, and a reworking of Chick Corea's "500 Miles High." The latter is much darker than the original: a deep and brooding affair where Alex Malheiros's heavy bassline contrasts with Bertrami's melodic lines that soar above it.
This ability to breathe new life into earlier compositions became a trademark of Azymuth's Milestone era, after they directly referenced Corea on the aforementioned Light as a Feather with a version of the classic title tune written by Stanley Clarke, and returned to Nascimento with a cover of “Nothing Will Be As it Was” on 1982's Telecommunication. It seems entirely fitting, then, that their own catalog should get the reissue treatment from Far Out Recordings.
Tracks like “Dear Limmertz” remain vital today, and Azymuth’s influence on wider music culture is rightly recognised: this track alone has been sampled by left-wing beat wizard Daedelus and Slovenian rap artist Gramatik, not to mention the countless credits amassed from other recordings sampled by will.i.am, Theo Parrish, and Brainfeeder head honcho Flying Lotus.
The music also has other implications, considering the recent reconciliation of hip-hop and jazz—led by the likes of Kamasi Washington, Christian Scott, and Butcher Brown—which has created a strong and ambitious audience with a broader and more fluid musical palette. There's certainly room for this new generation of listeners to be captivated and enlivened by the work of this prodigiously productive trio.
Outubro have secured Azymuth's legacy, and their blend of high-tempo samba, ferocious grooves, and exemplary musicianship is well captured on this nine-track exploration: an important and essential release that's definitely worth revisiting.
= Full Album Play List =
= Track List =
