The name Djangada comes from the word Jangada, a fishing boat found in the north-east of Brazil, the home of Afro-Brazilian rhythms. It is from here that Djangada draws their inspiration, transforming the classic songs of Bahia's Dorival Caymmi and Gilberto Gil into punchy instrumental grooves. Paying homage to these greats, the trio brings the classic Bossa Nova piano trio sound associated with the 1960’s into a new, funkier era. Their sound is characterised by meticulously crafted arrangements that are interspersed with raw, powerful grooves and joyous improvisation.

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Sam Watts (piano) and Matheus Nova (bass) have been playing together for several years and have formed the backbone of many brazilian rhythm sections in Europe over the years including those of Marcelo Andrade, Celeste Caramanna, Adriano Adewale, Luiz Morais, Luna Cohen, and Cosmo Sound Collective amongst others. When they met Marcinho Pereira (drums) in 2020 they decided to finally break out and do their own thing, and these years of musical communication and interplay are the foundation of the band’s sound.

 

As with the name of the band, there is a strong connection to the sea in the band’s imagery (including the record label name Peixe Podre, or “Rotten Fish”) and for this reason Dorival Caymmi is the subject of the first album, ‘Vol.1 Caymmi’. Caymmi was one of the first Brazilian songwriters to achieve international fame, with the songs he wrote for Carmen Miranda having huge global success, including being featured in many hollywood films.

 

Caymmi himself was from Salvador in Bahia, and most of his music talks about the northeast of Brazil, which has a rich African cultural heritage and is the birthplace of many Brazilian rhythms, including the Samba de Roda, the precursor to the famous Sambas of Rio de Janeiro. He often talks about the sea in his music, and 2 of the tracks from the album (O Bem do Mar and Pescaria) are on the subject of fishing and fishermen, with the rest of the tracks on the theme of the cultural life of Salvador and Bahia in general.

 

Matheus was born in Bahia and through his personal connection the band is fortunate to collaborate with Salvador artist NOVA on their album artwork and design to create a visual identity for the band inspired by these same themes, once again updated and reimagined for today.

 

Djangada takes this classic sound of Bahia as a starting point and brings it into the 21st century with a funkier take on the traditional Brazilian rhythms of the originals. Their versions are closer to a jazz trio aesthetic - playing tightly rehearsed arrangements but always retaining the energetic party atmosphere of the original style. The end result is somewhere between afro-brazilian grooves and funky electric basslines, with a strong improvisational flair that keeps the band’s live shows exciting and entertaining.

 

The 3 members of the group are all established performers in their own right and between them they have performed at venues and festivals all over the world including: the Royal Albert Hall, the Jazz Cafe, Wigmore Hall, Ronnie Scott’s and the Montreal, London, Paris, Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, with Brazilian artists including Elza Soares, Alcione, Ed Motta and Filo Machado; and jazz stars such as Jean Toussaint, Jason Marsalis and Judi Jackson.