World Fusion / Latin Jazz / Fusion / Eclectic Fusion / Avant-Garde Jazz • Brazil
“Contemporary Brazilian music; multidimensional and transformative,” that’s how Lelo Nazario defined the musical venture he started together with his brother Zé Eduardo in 1976, under the name Grupo Um. It was a time of military dictatorship and repression, Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil were in exile but there was also a rise in DIY spirit which spread simultaneously across Latin America. Lira Paulistana, an independent venue and record label, represented this spirit very well as it sought to disseminate the huge variety of music that emerged under the umbrella of Vanguardia Paulista, ranging from popular song to jazz, experimentation and punk. Grupo Um made its name with Lira Paulistana but its roots come from avant-garde jazz. Its leaders had been members of the great Hermeto Pascoal’s band and successfully added elements of free jazz, samba and electroacoustic experimentation to their music.
Luis Alvarado http://munster-records.com