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Matthew Ruddick

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Author of Funny Valentine, an acclaimed new biography of the jazz trumpet player and singer, Chet Baker.
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Friday, 25 November 2016 16:47

Azymuth, 19th November, The Hideaway Jazz Café, London

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Azymuth roll back the years at the EFG London Jazz Festival.

For the muso Azymuth needs no introduction. They have been the staple diet of the Latin, Samba and Jazz Funk scene since the early 70s, along with the likes of Paz and Incognito. One of their most recognised anthems is Jazz Carnival which featured the late, great keyboard virtuoso José Roberto Bertram (taken from the 1979 album, Light as a Feather). 

A deluge of memories came flooding back to me as I idled in the venue. Memories of Tucker boots, denim tube jeans, Gabuchi cardigans and Paco Rabanne aftershave. Luckily no one in the audience was dressed in this retro attire! We have moved on somewhat wearing sensible shoes and have a tendency to avoid noisy venues. I remember the jazz funk anthems were first played in the UK by Robbie Vincent, Greg Edwards and Gordon Mac, all of whom are still going strong today.  

Azymuth are frequent visitors to the UK, although since I last saw them at Fabric nightclub, a new keyboard player had joined the band - Daniel Maunick, the son of legendary Bluey Maunick and founder of Brit-Funk collective Incognito. 

This leg of the European tour was designed to coincide with the EFG London Jazz Festival, but it was also in preparation for the launch of their new album, Fênix. The new album is due for release in December 2016; however, limited copies were available during the tour. I managed to speak to record label owner Joe Davis of Far Our Recordings. Joe informed me that only 300 vinyl pressings were available and I was fortunate to not only purchase copy 247/300. He's a hard man to bargain with and there were no discounts. Well if you don't ask you'll never know!

The venue filled very quickly and was sold out. I manage to catch a quick hello with the band. No one seemed to recognise them as they maintained a low profile.   

I was fortunate to be seated at a front table next to the stage and merchandise. Although a bit cosy, I much prefer the intimacy of these performances. You would not get the same feeling from the O2, unless you love X Factor – and I categorically do not! We were spoilt with the 'living room' experience'; and I was fortuitous to bump into muso Nick Hosier from Stomp Radio. 

The warm-up music created a great atmosphere and incidentally featured music from other artists who had played at the Hideaway in the past few weeks. The nostalgia was setting in and I was locked in for the ride.

That band steadily made their way to the stage as the crowd whistled and clapped, then moved straight into the music with no introductions. Two songs in Ivan explained the band had been together for 42 years to which more whistles and whoops were projected from the crowd.

The sets included favourites Faca De Conta and Dear Limitz with Daniel on the keyboards and vocoder. His performance was animated as the band mouthed the notes almost getting lost in the moment. The bass line to Dear Limitz was unforgettable and brought back the good memories of the naughty 90s.   

Ivan Conti delivered many improvised drum solos and I can only assume by the way they all smirked at each other, these were not as per the sound check. You would not see this at a large venue. Ivan also dedicated songs to the late grate José Roberto Bertrami as Daniel played the keyboards twiddling the knobs like a mad scientist creating something new. Almost akin to Dr. Frankenstein, with facial expressions to match. 

As I gazed around the venue, the heads of the audience were nodding like Newton Cradles - all in sync. This was an eerie moment, as everyone seemed mesmerised. 

The sound engineers did a fantastic job and there were no technical issues. I had played here earlier this year and can attest to the great support. 

With one European gig to go, Azymuth played as if it was their last, not holding back and full of energy that radiated into the audience. 

Ivan encouraged the audience to sing melodic choruses with passion and we all reciprocated. The chanting mantras seemed way too short and full of warmth. This is a moment I will not forget. 

I managed to meet Joe Davis (Owner) and Josh Tautz (Label Manager) for Far Out Recordings, they are a great bunch of guys. The band was fantastic and signed the album to seal my memory. 

 

Band: Alex Calheiros -  Squire Pro Jazz Bass Guitar, Ivan Conti -  Gretch Drums, Daniel Maunick - Suitecase Rhodes and Korg Kronos Keyboard

 

Review: Fernando Rose 

 

 

Read 2339 times Last modified on Monday, 25 September 2017 08:43

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