Airto Moreira - Free (1972)

Artista: Airto Moreira

Álbum: Free
Año: 1972
Género: Latin Jazz / Funk
Duración: 55:35
Nacionalidad: Brasil

Lista de Temas:
1. Return To Forever
2. Flora's Song
3. Free
4. Lucky Southern
5. Creek
6. So Tender (Bonus Track)
7. Jequie (Bonus Track)
8. Creek (Alternate Version)

Alineación:
- Airto Moreira / percusión, voces
- Hubert Laws / flauta
- Joe Farrell / saxo soprano, flauta, piccolo
- Chick Corea / piano
- Keith Jarrett / piano
- Nelson Ayres / piano
- Jay Berliner / guitarra
- George Benson / guitarra
- Ron Carter / bajo
- Stanley Clarke / bajo
- Flora Purim / voz
- Burt Collins, Melvyn Davis, Alan Rubin / trompeta, fliscorno
- Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Joe Wallace / trombón

Quizás uno de los mejores discos de Airto, donde más allá de su esposa Flora Purim, participan del álbum invitados especiales como Alan Rubin, Burt Collins, Chick Corea, Garnett Brown, George Benson, Hubert Laws, Jay Berliner, Joe Farrell, Joe Wallace, Keith Jarrett, Mel Davis, Nelson Ayres, Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke y Wayne Andre... o sea, tiene material de sobra para trabajar.
Lo cierto es algunos de las ideas musicales de éste album parecen directamente extraídos de los dos primeros trabajos de Return to Forever (ademá que el primer tema del disco se llama justamente "Return to Forever") parece algo absolutamente normal si tenemos en cuenta que una gran parte de los músicos que participaron en este registro salían directamente de aquellas grabaciones de los discos del grupo de Corea, como el propio Moreira, Clarke o Purim.

Other than a couple of obscure efforts for Buddah in 1970, this was percussionist Airto's debut as a leader, and this is still his most famous record. A brass section arranged by Don Sebesky is heard on two tracks, and such all-stars as keyboardist Chick Corea, flutist Hubert Laws, the reeds of Joe Farrell, and even pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist George Benson make worthwhile appearances. Flora Purim joins Airto in the one vocal piece ("Free"), and "Return to Forever" receives an early recording. The music combines together jazz, Brazilian music, and aspects of fusion and funk quite successfully.

Para acabar, este es un trabajo que deja a las claras la enorme influencia que tuvieron Airto Moreira y Flora Purim en la formación de Return to Forever y, por extensión, en el nuevo jazz que nacía a principios de los años 70s.
Y vamos con los comentarios de otros, empezamos con los de nuestros amigos:

Numerosas referencias a este gran percusionista brasilero hay a lo largo de este blog, sin embargo este es el primer disco de él que estamos compartiendo, a su vez Free fue el primer álbum que realizó bajo su propia autoría.
Airto fue gran precursor en el desarrollo del Jazz fusión, a esta altura de su carrera ya había tocado junto a Miles Davis, quien seguramente lo habrá marcado bastante para seguir dicho camino. Creo, a esta altura, innecesario ponerse a repasar la enorme trayectoria musical de Airto, el simple hecho de mencionar algunos de los músicos que participan en su disco debut de alguna manera ya da cuenta de la magnitud de la misma: Keith Jarrett, Ron Carter, George Benson, Chick Corea, Flora Purim, entre otros. Con Corea en estos años estaba participando de la mítica banda Return To Forever, de hecho así se llama el primer Track de este álbum. Flora era su flamante esposa, una voz de gran reconocimiento dentro del ambiente del Jazz-rock estadounidense, obviamente a ella es a quien está dirigida la canción titulada Flora's Song.
Free es simplemente Moreira en su máximo esplendor, donde predominantemente juega con la fusión del Jazz con los ritmos latinos, junto con bellas melodías que tienen como protagonistas al piano y a los vientos, pero no se queda acá, sino que también se arriesga y experimenta en sumar elementos de las culturas indígenas, el Rock y también una cuota de Jazz tradicional, así de versátil, polifacético y desprejuiciado es este disco.

El humo esta en el foco

Y algunos comentarios comentarios en inglés para no perder la costumbre:

Other than a couple of obscure efforts for Buddah in 1970, this was percussionist Airto's debut as a leader, and this is still his most famous record. A brass section arranged by Don Sebesky is heard on two tracks, and such all-stars as keyboardist Chick Corea, flutist Hubert Laws, the reeds of Joe Farrell, and even pianist Keith Jarrett and guitarist George Benson make worthwhile appearances. Flora Purim joins Airto in the one vocal piece ("Free"), and "Return to Forever" receives an early recording. The music combines together jazz, Brazilian music, and aspects of fusion and funk quite successfully.

Scott Yanow

Free album for sale by Airto Moreira was released Mar 07, 2006 on the Epic label. Personnel includes: Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, Joe Farrell, Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Ron Carter, Hubert Laws, George Benson. Free CD music contains a single disc with 8 songs.
Jazz percussionist Airto Moreira's breakthrough 1972 album FREE included an incredible all-star jazz line-up, highlighted by Chick Corea, George Benson, Stanley Clarke, and Keith Jarrett.
Airto Moreira's first album for Creed Taylor's nascent jazz-fusion label CTI contributed magnificently to Taylor's modus operandi--expanding the boundaries of jazz to include elements of indigenous cultures, rock, and even classical modes. FREE is Airto in full, unencumbered flight.
His version of Chick Corea's own genre-defining classic "Return to Forever" sets the listener adrift in a choppy sea of vocal atmospheres, crests of electric piano, and Airto's simmering squall lines of percussion. The title track conjures the Brazilian rainforest with a thick underbrush of rhythm, tribal howls, and chatter. Airto and his cohorts play a wonderful array of ceremonial woodblocks, wood flutes, and other natural Brazilian noisemakers. Accompanying the percussionist are such stellar figures as Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, and George Benson.

CD Universe

The longevity of Brazil’s Airto Moreira stands taller than the highest mountains in this world. As one of the worlds most renowned percussionist and composers, Airto and his wife Flora Purim left gem after gem in the resolve of hundreds of albums since the late 60’s. Airto Moreira was known for blending jazz and Brazilian sounds in a way nobody had heard ever approached before. He drew immediate attention from the masters; masters like Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Keith Jarrett and so many other leading innovators in the jazz movement of the 60’s and 70’s. Airto was touching everything and in 1970 he started his own solo career with the release of Natural Feelings on the New York based imprint Buddah Records.
Brazil’s Hermeto Pascoal is one of the most mythical, enigmatic, creative and technical musicians from the continent and his presence with Airto on his first album really pushes the boundaries on the record. Airto’s wife Flora Purim adds breath taking vocal work that defines the quality and experimental nature of the music in the most captivating way. American bassist and composer Ron Carter would supply all stand up bass work and cement himself into another album of almost a 1000 he has made an impact on. Recorded at A&R Recording Studios, New York, Natural Feelings is like no other album. Airto would release another long player with Buddah Records in 1971 with Seeds On The Ground. Hermeto Pascoal, Flora Purim and Ron Carter came back while the rotating cast of Airto’s circles makes brief stops for this musical trip of ecstasy in this second full length. Hermeto Pascoal’s personality and aura dominates this record like the last and his sonic variety of instrumentation lends sounds that you can only find on these types of albums.
When it came to working with a good label in the 70’s, there was no better move for an evolving musician in the fusion scene than Creed Taylor’s CTI Records and Impulse! imprints. Airto made this jump between the release of his second full length and what would serve as his first CTI debut, Free. Creed Taylor took Airto and his expanded ensemble of musicians into the illustrious and already at the time historical Van Gelder Studios for a set of sessions in April and May of 1972. With 5 songs picked for the final selection, this is the first time extraordinary piano talents of Keith Jarrett had graced an Airto solo LP along with guitarist George Benson and many other notables of the era. The famous composer Don Sebesky created the brass section parts for this record, molding a completely new atmosphere than the previous two solo records Airto had put out. Sebesky had worked with many artists in the 60’s and 70’s who were doing very heavy things with jazz and his 1968 Verve release Distant Galaxy is a representation of the raw and powerful vision that he brings to Airto’s Free. Chicago sax player Joe Farrell also makes an appearance and shines bright on every number. It’s hard to sum up every part, but if you love highly detailed and colorful music, this is an album you have to check out.Last year, the fine people at CTI prepared a reissue of the original LP of Free for re-examination in the world and Sound Colour Vibration was really glad to pick up a copy of this superb reissue. The packaging is an exact replica of the original 1972 LP and the sound is polished really well, really pushing up the natural feel of Airto’s drumming and the beautiful keyboard work from Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett. The album starts off with the number ‘Return to Forever’ which the band of the same name Chick Corea and Airto became very famous for. This version however is slightly different in feel than the version released with their group Return to Forever and has a charging momentum that really lets everyone cut loose. Chick Corea shows why he was one of the most sought after keyboard players in this era in this number, pushing through a cycle of notes untouched of at the time. The song that is a must hear for any fan of jazz and South American music is the piece ‘Flora’s Song’. Keith Jarrett takes over piano duties on this number with the famous New York session guitarist Jay Berliner adding in on the session. Everyone Airto brought in for these 1972 sessions at the Van Gelder Studios were top class musicians and the results are as timeless as any jazz and world influenced record from any period.
Free was a record that came right in time with the prestigious CTI records expanding so rapidly in the early 70’s. It was an album that give way to an expansion and further public exposure of Brazilian’s take on jazz. There is also an emergence of new experimental realities and a shading of the pop sensibilities that had at times resonated in the traditions of Airto’s music. Creed Taylor and his CTI label released timeless album after album and Free is a much needed reissue in this prolific catalog. Don’t miss out on grabbing a copy before prints of this 2011 run fall back into obscurity like all of those that have come before them. This is the kind of record that once you buy it, it doesn’t tend to leave your collection.

Erik Otis

Listo, espero que les guste el disco.