You’ve got great taste.
Sign in to follow your favorite artists, save events, & more.
Sign In
Amaro Freitas
North Sea Jazz Festival 2024
Rotterdam Ahoy
Ahoyweg 10
Jul 12, 2024
2:30 PM GMT+2
I Was There
Leave a Review
See who else played at North Sea Jazz Festival 2024
Find a place to stay
Event Lineup
Upcoming concerts from similar artists
What fans are saying
August 9th 2024
It was my first visit to this venue in such a beautiful setting. Free and easy parking.. Gracious promotion and staffing Thank you so much to Sid the Cat. Sound quality was excellent. The music was extraordinary. Amaro Freitas is one of the greatest living jazz pianists and deserving of a wider audience.
Los Angeles, CA@Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
Easily follow all your favorite artists by syncing your music
Sync Music
Share Event
About the venue
Follow Venue
Amaro Freitas Biography
“Amaro Freitas is writing a very important chapter of instrumental music produced in Brazil. Lots of hope and challenging, progressive art. Great respect.” Ed Motta
“In terms of both composition and improvisation, this is a totally gripping, vibrant and original synthesis of jazz and Brazilian music.” The Wire
“Breathtaking stuff” Evening Standard
"The rhythmic complexity of Amaro Freitas’ trio is dizzying." Downbeat
“This is not samba-jazz; this is something much more interesting.” Stereogum
“Mixing carnival rhythms with John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk-esque roots.” The Vinyl Factory
In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young 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.
As with many of the greats before him, Amaro began playing piano in church aged 12, under the instruction of his father, leader of the church band. As his natural talents became obvious, the young prodigy quickly outgrew his father’s instruction. He won a place at the prestigious Conservatório Pernambucano de Música but had to drop out as his family could not spare the money for the bus fare. Undeterred, Amaro gigged in bands at weddings and worked in a call centre to fund his tuition. The transformative moment came at age 15 when Amaro stumbled across a DVD of Chick Corea concert, “he completely blew my mind, I’d never seen anything like it but I knew that’s what I wanted to do with a piano”.
Despite not actually owning a piano, Amaro devoted himself to studying day and night – he would practice on imaginary keys in his bedroom, until eventually striking a deal with a local restaurant to practice before opening hours. By the age of 22 Amaro was one of the most sought-after musicians in Recife and resident pianist at the legendary jazz bar Mingus. It was during this time he met and begun collaborating with bassist Jean Elton and the pair went in search of a drummer. “We kept hearing about this crazy kid who was playing in 7/8 or 6/4, we knew we had to meet him”. Hugo Medeiros joined, and the Amaro Freitas Trio was born.
Read More“In terms of both composition and improvisation, this is a totally gripping, vibrant and original synthesis of jazz and Brazilian music.” The Wire
“Breathtaking stuff” Evening Standard
"The rhythmic complexity of Amaro Freitas’ trio is dizzying." Downbeat
“This is not samba-jazz; this is something much more interesting.” Stereogum
“Mixing carnival rhythms with John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk-esque roots.” The Vinyl Factory
In the sweltering North-Eastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco lies the coastal city of Recife, where Amaro Freitas is pioneering the new sound of Brazilian jazz. For the prodigious young 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.
As with many of the greats before him, Amaro began playing piano in church aged 12, under the instruction of his father, leader of the church band. As his natural talents became obvious, the young prodigy quickly outgrew his father’s instruction. He won a place at the prestigious Conservatório Pernambucano de Música but had to drop out as his family could not spare the money for the bus fare. Undeterred, Amaro gigged in bands at weddings and worked in a call centre to fund his tuition. The transformative moment came at age 15 when Amaro stumbled across a DVD of Chick Corea concert, “he completely blew my mind, I’d never seen anything like it but I knew that’s what I wanted to do with a piano”.
Despite not actually owning a piano, Amaro devoted himself to studying day and night – he would practice on imaginary keys in his bedroom, until eventually striking a deal with a local restaurant to practice before opening hours. By the age of 22 Amaro was one of the most sought-after musicians in Recife and resident pianist at the legendary jazz bar Mingus. It was during this time he met and begun collaborating with bassist Jean Elton and the pair went in search of a drummer. “We kept hearing about this crazy kid who was playing in 7/8 or 6/4, we knew we had to meet him”. Hugo Medeiros joined, and the Amaro Freitas Trio was born.
Brazilian Music
Jazz
Follow artist