Acclaimed Brazilian composer and pianist Amaro Frietas is set to release his new album ‘Y’Y’ (pronounced eey-eh, eey-eh) on the 1st March via Psychic Hotline, and features collaborations with Shabaka Hutchings, Hamid Drake, Jeff Parker, Aniel Someilan and Brandee younger.

In 2020 the pianist, who hails from the Northeastern Brazilian coastal city of Recife, was drawn to Manaus, located in the Amazon basin, some 4600 kilometres to the west. His experience in that lush wilderness led him into a new realm of musical creation, one rooted in magic and possibility and tempered by a sense of stewardship for the earth’s bounties and a connection to the Sateré Mawé indigenous community. Crucial to the experience for Freitas was the maintenance of a true exchange of knowledge.

A “homage to the forest, especially the Amazon Forest, and the rivers of Northern Brazil,” explains Freitas, ‘Y’Y’ is “a call to live, feel, respect, and care for nature, recognising it as our ancestor.” In addition to serving as a call to nature, ‘Y’Y’ expresses lessons Freitas learned in the Amazon about the incandescent power of enchanted spirits who intervene on behalf of the community in times of struggle. He continues, “it is also a warning about the need to be aware of the impact we cause, based on the concepts of civilization and modernity that keep us away from this connection, and its importance for the balance of life on the planet.”

Current single ‘Encantados’, celebrates the African diaspora and reinforces how traditions are part of our DNA, whether in the way we play and connect with our roots, or how we understand sound as a powerful ancestor. Featuring Hutchings on flute, Drake on drums, and Someillan on acoustic bass, ‘Encantados’ references the idea of enchantment while invoking enchanted beings. According to Freitas, this “was something very important in this process,” and rather than attaching any one specific meaning to the work as a whole, Freitas ultimately wants listeners “to feel touched by the spirits, the enchanted spirits of the forest.”