Product Code Database
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 Samba, contributing to Azymuth's distinctive sound.
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 and Synthesizer 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.
In the early 2000s, Conti joined the reformed line-up of the 1960s samba-canção band Os Ipanemas along with his son Thiago. Conti started collaborating with DJs on electronic dance music in the mid-2000s, including Jazzanova. 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. The album also features his Azymuth bandmates. Poison Fruit featured elements of samba, House music, Jungle music, EDM, techno, jazz and batucada.
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.
With Azymuth
As sideman
|
|
