»a complex amalgam of influences that extends from his deeply rooted foundation of jazz, rock and funk to the furthest reaches of the Broadway musical and European classical idioms« Straight no Chaser

Since His emergence on the scene at the end of the 80’s, Ed Motta’s career has advanced in a series of quantum leaps, rather than a succession of carefully metered steps. His style is a complex amalgam of influences that extends from his deeply rooted foundation of jazz, rock and funk to the furthest reaches of the Broadway musical and European classical idioms.
Even at the tender age of 16, his 1988 debut album ‘Conexão Japeri’ showed fertile signs of what would become one of the most powerful and unique talents of his generation. The release of his brilliant 1992 Lp ‘Entre e Ouça’ signaled the first of many radical shifts for Ed, as his taste for rich harmonies and sophisticated arrangements began to take shape. By 1997, Ed was blending his masterful jazz and soul chops with elements of commercial pop music, creating a kind of ‘Pop prêt-a-porter’ hybrid. Cut to 2001, and the release of his eclectic masterpiece ‘Dwitza’, to find Ed boldly fusing the defiant sounds of the Strata-East and Black Jazz labels with the cinematic alchemy of Ennio Morricone, and in the process, managing to reference such diverse personal
touchstones as Horace Silver, Donny Hathaway, Steely Dan and the Mizell Brothers.

Ed’s aesthetic reach is constantly expanding, allowing him to work across a broad range of mediums. He is a highly-regarded critic, with columns on comic books, rare vinyl, film and gastronomy appearing regularly in Brazil’s top culture magazine’s. He has, along with his wife (noted comic book artist Edna Lopes) created a visual language to complement his musical output, concepting and directing the artwork on each of his last 5 albums. Most recently, Ed has collaborated with director Charles Moeller and lyricist Claudio Botelho on the Stephen Sondheim-influenced musical ‘7 o Musical’, which has
already garnered numerous awards and accolades, and is preparing to move into its second season throughout Brazil.

The only thing more striking than the dizzying array of styles and influences in Ed’s work is the prodigious battery of skills and techniques he holds at his command. His gifts as composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist are extensions of the man, and the voracious appetite for knowledge and experience that has made him not only a musical force, but also a world-class gourmand and oenophile. There is an ebullient joy in Ed’s voice, an irrepressible syllabic euphoria woven through the scats, moans and complex harmonies that define his work. Ed’s voice is not soulful; it is SOUL.

As Ed approaches the 20th anniversary of his arrival and the release of his 9th album, his evolution continues unabated. HIs highly-regarded ‘Poptical’ and ‘Aystelum’
projects (the latter was nominated for a Latin Grammy in 2006) helped Ed move further toward establishing an aesthetic that can only be accurately described as ‘Motta-esque’. Now, in this 9th Chapter of his creative autobiography, Ed strips away any hint of artifice or extraneous ornamentation to deliver an album which is as pure and direct as it is hauntingly emotive. In marking this important milestone, It is clear that, as impressive as
his first 2 decades have been, Ed’s story has only just begun. We’ve got some giant steps to look forward to.

www.edmotta.com

Karl Injex, Straight No Chaser