In the North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas began pioneering a new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious pianist, the spirit of his hometown runs deep. From the Afro-Brazilian maracatu born on the sugar plantations of slavery, to the high intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, Amaro’s heavily percussive approach to jazz is as indebted to these Pernambuco traditions as it is to Coltrane, Parker and Monk.

His self-released debut album Sangue Negro (2016) traversed minimalism, bebop, afrojazz, samba, and frevo. As well as rave reviews in Brazilian press, the album caught the attention of fellow Brazilian icon Ed Motta who began telling the world. Soon after, UK label Far Out Recordings signed the Amaro Freitas Trio and Recife (2018) arrived on a wave of critical acclaim. International tours & more albums followed, and soon he will arrive at our home St James the Great. This is an artist we’ve been trying to snag for many years, get tickets while you can.

Rodrigo Braz - Drums

Sidiel Vieira - Double Bass

Amaro Freitas - Piano

An event at St James the Great is expensive and tickets are priced to help us cover costs. If you would like to come and cannot afford it, please get in touch with us - churchofsoundinfo@gmail.com.

St James the Great is an accessible venue & we provide tickets to companions upon request. If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch via the same email.

Description supplied by the event organiser.