moyses dos santos: maria
Francisco Espregueira
For years, Moyses dos Santos has been a familiar name behind some of the biggest voices in soul, jazz and pop, lending his bass playing to artists such as Nile Rodgers, Janelle Monáe, Gregory Porter and Omar. Now, through Far Out Recordings, he steps into the spotlight with Maria, a debut album that feels both deeply personal and remarkably expansive. Named after his mother, the record finds the London-based musician reconnecting with the sounds of North-Eastern Brazil, drawing inspiration from the rhythms, traditions and musical memories that shaped him long before his international career took off.
Sonically, Maria is an absolute trip. It perfectly blends the raw soul of his early church band days with traditional street rhythms. You will hear rolling batucadas, breezy sambas, and upbeat frevos. He then filters all of this through a slick, contemporary jazz and funk lens. Drawing heavy inspiration from bass legends like Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke, the grooves are seriously infectious. He also brought some heavy hitters along for the ride. Grammy-nominated trumpet star Theo Croker blesses the astral-jazz cut "Brazilian Spirit." Meanwhile, the iconic Brazilian maestro Arthur Verocai weaves his signature strings around Lynda Dawn’s divine vocals on the lush track "Saudade." It is a stunning, warm debut that brings cosmopolitan dancefloor energy straight to your headphones. One of the releases of the year - available on vinyl.