Far Out Recordings reissues two classic Brazilian fusion albums by Ana Mazzotti

DIGGIN' IN

Far Out Recordings reissues two classic Brazilian fusion albums by Ana Mazzotti

Recently, Far Out Recordings has reissued two obscure mid-seventies Brazilian jazz fusion recordings from multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ana Mazzotti, who fellow Brazilian musician icon Hermeto Pascoal dubbed a “super-musician.” These were unfortunately Mazzotti’s only two studio recordings, as she unfortunately passed away in her mid-thirties due to losing her battle with cancer.

Born in Caixas, in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul municipality prior to re-locating to Sao Paulo in her mid-twenties, Mazzotti learned to play both the accordion and piano at a very young age, and eventually led both her convent school’s choirs and her city’s premier chorus group. When rock-and-roll became a buzz in South America during the sixties, she became an earlier adapter of the sound and played in a number of rock bands, including the psychedelic group Desenvolvemento, and an all-female Beatles Tribute band. She later became exposed to jazz after meeting her would-be husband Romido Santos, who was a drummer, producer and music educator. Santos introduced her to jazz musicians like Chick Corea and Hermeto Pascoal, who later she would collaborate with.

After moving to Sao Paulo in 1974, Santos recorded Mazzotti’s debut album, which ended up being titled Ninguem Vai Me Segurar. The session featured Azymuth’s bassist Alex Malheiros and percussionist Ariovaldo Contestini, with Santos on both drums and production duties. The album was recorded at Estudio Haway around the same time Azymuth were working on their classic debut album. On the ten-track recording, you can certainly hear Azymuth’s influence, featuring a brilliant mix of electric jazz grooves, samba rhythms, hypnotic bossa melodies, and Brazilian funk. Highlights on the album include the jazz-dance masterpiece “Agora Ou Nunca Mais,” a cover of “Feel Like Making Love” (which was made famous by Roberta Flack), and the funky Brazilian gems “Roda Mundo” and “Eu Sou Mais Eu.”

Three years later, Mazzotti returned to the studio to re-visit her debut album, and re-record many of the vocal parts, add new horn arrangements, and lay down some new material. This 1977 self-titled release also featured new cover artwork and a new running order, all with the hopes of receiving more commercial success than the previous recording. Even with these efforts and new packaging, commercial appeal still unfortunately never happened. That being said, she was successful in providing a fresh new take on many of the songs that appeared on Ninguem Vai Me Segurar, while not losing her brilliant foundational signature sound.

Unfortunately due to both financial restraints, and the prejudice she faced as a female songwriter in a fundamentally sexist society, Mazzotti never received the praise that she ultimately deserved while she was alive. Thanks to Far Out Recordings, these two phenomenal albums, which make up a truly important chapter in Brazilian music, have been highlighted and made available again for new generations of vinyl collectors and music fans to enjoy. In time, hopefully this will help grow Ana Mazzotti’s legacy to the point where she will be more commonly known among the masses as one of the most innovative musicians to ever come out of Brazil.