The Brazilian trio Azymuth – keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami, bassist Alex Malheiros and drummer Ivan “Mamão” Conti – reached their peak of popularity in the mid-1980s. They played a self-branded style called “samba doido,” or “crazy samba,” which drew from the increasingly production-heavy and smooth-edged sound of radio-friendly jazz, soul and funk while still keeping with fusion’s synthtastic ultra-modern vibe. What separated the trio from the crowd was Conti, the man responsible for infusing traditional Brazilian rhythms within a sleek, muzak-like sound. It’s hard not to hear Azymuth’s music as easy listening or smooth jazz, but if there were ever a counterargument to these classifications, it would be grounded in the inventive rhythmic prowess of Conti.

It is clear why Azymuth’s music is so attractive to Otis Jackson Jr., the prolific producer known as Madlib. Under his Yesterday’s New Quintet moniker, Jackson has explored atmospheric, loungy concoctions of Rhodes-centric jazz and instrumental funk. Sparse rhythms lead vamping grooves and hypnotic, abstract soloing that, thanks to Jackson’s keen ear for mood and choice influences, sidesteps any notion of lounge-fusion or synthetic chamber jazz by keeping the music somewhere in the hazy realm of space dub and dedicated home studio experimentation. Whereas hearing most of Azymuth’s discography today may leave you cringing at the synthetic cheesiness of the sound, it was, in all respects, an exciting progression of fusion at the time of its release. Let’s hope it ages as well as Yesterday’s New Quintet’s 2001 release Angles Without Edges. Click here to keep reading and sample a track.

Source: Dusted