Azymuth started their individual careers in the 1960s in the emergent bossa nova and jazz scene of Rio, living in the same bohemian block in Copacabana and playing in small bars as session musicians. Keys player and bandleader Bertrami had noticed how great Ivan Conti 'Mamao' was as a drummer, and how fantastic Alex Malheiros was with his new electric bass, and invited them to record with him: their first piece of work together was under the name Group Projeto 3 in 1968.
The second album ‘Agua Nao Come Mosca’ was an even bigger success. It was also released in the USA and Japan on Atlantic Records, bringing international attention. This LP led to a deal with the American jazz label Milestone Records. In 1979 their first Milestone release, Light As A Feather became one of the best-selling LPs of the year. It featured the worldwide disco/fusion hit single Jazz Carnival, which sold more than half a million copies internationally, and stayed in the UK Top 20 for eight weeks. Azymuth went on to record a string of albums on Milestone in the mid-80s, including the cult classic Outubro which Far Out Recordings will reissue in June 2016. Over this period of time Azymuth established themselves as one the world’s great jazz bands, playing in the Monterrey and Montreux jazz festivals and venues around the globe, and working with legendary musicians from Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, George Duke and Stevie Wonder.
Always pushing forward, the band's latest album Fênix was released in 2016 to critical acclaim, with Bertrami’s replacement on keys and piano Kiko Continentino, an incredibly skilled pianist, composer and arranger who, having worked with Brazilian legends such as Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil, is a musician certainly worthy of taking to both the studio and stage alongside Azymuth’s esteemed original members.