Ivan Conti Explained

Ivan Conti
Birth Name:Ivan Miguel Conti Maranhão
Alias:Mamão
Birth Date:1946 8, df=y
Birth Place:Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Ivan Miguel Conti Maranhão (16 August 1946 – 17 April 2023), also known as Mamão, was a Brazilian drummer, percussionist and composer. He gained prominence as a member of the influential jazz-funk band Azymuth, which he co-founded in 1972.

Conti's career began with performances in bossa nova and rock bands, leading to a role as a session drummer for Odeon Records. As a session musician, he collaborated with artists such as Gal Costa, Roberto Carlos and Jorge Ben. Azymuth gained international recognition in the 1970s and signed with Milestone Records in 1979 with whom they recorded a number of albums. Conti also explored solo ventures and electronic dance music collaborations throughout his career. Known for his unique drumming style, he blended jazz-funk with Brazilian rhythms, contributing to Azymuth's distinctive sound.

Life and career

Conti was born in 1946 in Estácio, Rio de Janeiro.[1] In an interview, Conti said he initially played guitar before switching to drums.[2] As a child, Conti destroyed a papaya tree which led to his nickname Mamão (meaning papaya in Portuguese).[3] Early in his career, he performed in the bossa nova band Os Dissonantes and rock group The Youngsters. During this time, he was hired by Odeon Records as a drummer, which gave Conti his first exposure to professional recording.[4] While Conti was playing in the Youngsters, he met the keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami, who at the time was working with Robertinho Silva and Flora Purim, in a Rio club.[5] In 1972, Bertrami and Conti met bassist Alex Malheiros when he was performing at a bowling alley and soon after formed Azymuth.

Azymuth's first recording was a soundtrack for the 1973 film O Fabuloso Fittipaldi. Conti continued working as a session musician, performing with musicians such as Eumir Deodato, Milton Nascimento, Roberto Carlos, Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia, Raul Seixas, Jorge Ben, Paulinho da Viola, Erasmo Carlos and Chico Buarque. With Azymuth, Conti also performed with Clara Nunes, Belchior, Elis Regina and Tim Maia. In 1977, Azymuth gave a successful performance at Montreux Jazz Festival that led to a US tour the following year and a contract with Milestone Records in 1979. The band recorded a number of albums for Milestone, and, in 1984, Conti released a solo album on the label called The Human Factor. The album made use of electronic drums and synthesisers and was a combination of Brazilian music, popular jazz and funk similar to his work with Azymuth.In 1988, Bertrami left Azymuth, and Conti and Malheiros continued the band alongside Jota Moraes on keyboard. The band eventually departed Milestone and began releasing records on the British record label Far Out Recordings. Bertrami occasionally performed with Azymuth during the 1990s, though by this time the peak of the band's popularity had passed. Conti continued to perform with Azymuth following Bertrami's death in 2012 with Kiko Continentino taking on the role of keyboardist.[6]

In the early 2000s, Conti joined the reformed line-up of the 1960s samba-canção band Os Ipanemas along with his son Thiago.[7] Conti started collaborating with DJs on electronic dance music in the mid-2000s, including Jazzanova.[8] With hip-hop producer Madlib, Conti released the album Sujinho in 2008 under the name Jackson Conti. In 2019, Conti released Poison Fruit, his first solo album in 22 years. In an interview, Conti explained that he recorded the album almost entirely alone with the exception of some assistance from his son.[9] The album also features his Azymuth bandmates.[10] Poison Fruit featured elements of samba, house, jungle, EDM, techno, jazz and batucada.[11]

Conti died on 17 April 2023. Following his death, musicians such as Nascimento, Marcelo D2 and Emicida published messages of condolence. At the time of his death, he was working on a new album.

Playing style

Conti is often regarded one of the greatest drummers in Brazilian music.[12] He said that his drumming influences included Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Joe Morello, Steve Gadd and Billy Cobham, as well as fellow Brazilians Milton Nascimento, Wilson das Neves, Robertinho Silva and Hélcio Milito. With Azymuth, Conti developed a style called samba doido (crazy samba in English), which is a mixture of jazz-funk and the rhythms of Brazilian music and was influenced by the work of Krupa, Bill Evans and Scott LaFaro.[13] Conti's Latin percussion and rhythms played a large part in defining Azymuth's unique sound. His skill and innovative approach to percussion has been compared to Tony Allen amongst others.

Awards

Discography

With Azymuth

With Jackson Conti

With Os Ipanemas

As sideman

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Morre o baterista Ivan Conti, o Mamão, da banda Azymuth, aos 76 anos . 8 May 2023 . . 18 April 2023 . pt-br . 24 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230424205945/https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/musica/noticia/2023/04/morre-o-baterista-ivan-conti-o-mamao-da-banda-azymuth-aos-76-anos.ghtml . live .
  2. Tolleson . Robin . October 1983 . Drums around the world . . 48 . 22 . Internet Archive.
  3. Web site: Fukushima . Gary . 26 June 2019 . Ivan Conti's Been Combining Jazz, Rock, Samba for Decades . 15 May 2023 . . en . 15 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230515235143/https://downbeat.com/news/detail/ivan-conti-azymuth-combining-jazz-rock-samba-decades . live .
  4. Web site: 18 April 2023 . Morre Ivan Conti, o Mamão, baterista da banda Azymuth, aos 76 anos . 9 May 2023 . Noize . 9 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509061246/https://noize.com.br/morre-ivan-conti-o-mamao-baterista-da-banda-azymuth-aos-76-anos/ . live .
  5. Book: The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music . 1989 . Viking . 0-670-80349-9 . Clarke . Donald . London . 56 . 59693135.
  6. Web site: Almeida . Marcello . 18 April 2023 . Ivan Conti, o Mamão, da banda Azymuth, morre aos 76 anos . 13 June 2023 . Teoria Cultural . pt . 13 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230613013430/https://www.teoriacultural.com.br/post/ivan-conti-o-mam%C3%A3o-da-banda-azymuth-morre-aos-76-anos . live .
  7. News: Hodgkinson . Will . 16 April 2008 . The boys from Ipanema . en-GB . The Guardian . 16 May 2023 . 0261-3077 . 16 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230516020158/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/17/worldmusic.brazil . live .
  8. Web site: Steel . Alastair . 18 April 2023 . Ivan "Mamao" Conti of Azymuth dies aged 76 . . 13 June 2023 . 22 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230422002235/https://planetradio.co.uk/jazz-fm/news/music-news/ivan-mamao-conti-of-azymuth-dies-aged-76/ . live .
  9. Web site: Breznikar . Klemen . 7 December 2021 . Ivan Conti Mamão Interview Brazilian Drumming Legend . 12 June 2023 . It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine . en-US . 13 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230613004126/https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2021/12/ivan-conti-mamao-interview-brazilian-drumming-legend.html . live .
  10. Web site: Moura . Adailton . 17 December 2018 . Azymuth Drummer Ivan 'Mamão' Conti Announces Solo Album 'Poison Fruit' . 13 June 2023 . soundsandcolours.com . en-GB . 13 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230613004118/https://soundsandcolours.com/articles/brazil/azymuth-drummer-ivan-mamao-conti-announces-solo-debut-poison-fruit-43694/ . live .
  11. Web site: Slawecki . Chris M. . 3 July 2019 . Ivan Conti: Poison Fruit album review . 13 June 2023 . All About Jazz . en . 13 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230613004118/https://www.allaboutjazz.com/poison-fruit-ivan-conti-far-out-recordings-review-by-chris-m-slawecki/ . live .
  12. Web site: Lawson . Michael . Ivan Conti, legendary drummer with jazz-funk trio Azymuth, dies aged 76 . 16 May 2023 . Resident Advisor . en . 2 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230502163455/https://ra.co/news/78857 . live .
  13. Web site: Hinz . Sebastian . 19 April 2023 . On the death of Ivan Conti: A legend with the playfulness of a child . 16 June 2023 . HHV Mag . en-US . 16 June 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230616004336/https://www.hhv-mag.com/feature/zum-tod-von-ivan-conti-legende-mit-der-unbekuemmertheit-eines-kindes/?lang=en . live .
  14. Mattingly . Rick . December 1984 . On Track . Modern Drummer . 62 . 126 . Internet Archive.
  15. Web site: 18 April 2023 . Ivan Conti, baterista do grupo Azymuth, morre aos 76 anos . 9 May 2023 . Cruzeiro do Sul . pt-br . 9 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509060323/https://www.jornalcruzeiro.com.br/cultura/noticias/2023/04/713398-ivivan-conti-baterista-do-grupo-azymuth-morre-aos-76-anos.html . live .
  16. Web site: Slater . Russ . March 2019 . Wire Playlist: Ivan Conti . 9 May 2023 . The Wire . en . 9 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509052408/https://www.thewire.co.uk/audio/tracks/wire-playlist-ivan-conti . live .
  17. Book: Bogdanov . Vladimir . Woodstra . Chris . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas . All Music Guide to Jazz: The definitive guide to jazz music . 2002 . Backbeat Book . San Francisco, CA . 087930717X . 52–53 . 4 .
  18. Web site: Monroe . Jazz . 18 April 2023 . Azymuth Drummer Ivan "Mamão" Conti Dies at 76 . 16 May 2023 . Pitchfork . en-US . 13 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230513014516/https://pitchfork.com/news/azymuth-drummer-ivan-mamao-conti-dies-at-76/ . live .
  19. Web site: Young . Jon . 18 September 2008 . Jackson Conti, 'Sujinho' (Mochilla) . Spin . 9 May 2023 . 9 May 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230509051717/https://www.spin.com/2008/09/jackson-conti-sujinho-mochilla/ . live .
  20. Book: Cook, Richard . The Penguin guide to jazz on CD . 2004 . Penguin . Brian Morton . 0-14-101416-4 . 7 . London . 1188 . 56649064 . 9 May 2023 . 24 July 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230724030719/https://www.worldcat.org/title/56649064 . live .
  21. Web site: Ross . Annabel . June 2022 . Ron Trent presents WARM - What Do The Stars Say To You · Album Review . 12 June 2023 . Resident Advisor . en . 15 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221215171107/https://ra.co/reviews/34954 . live .

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