Tutty Moreno has been a respected drummer in Brazil for three decades. He was born in Bahia, North Brazil and has been an important figure in Brazilian popular music from the days of bossa nova through to the jazz influenced fusion of the 70’s, 80’s and beyond. Like many other greats he started his career at the early age of 13, firstly playing the trumpet, then going on to playing the sax and finally, at 16 years old, as a drummer. He learnt his craft studying the likes of Edison Machado, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams and Jack DeJohnette. Over his 30 years as a musician his style developed and he has become a professional musician, who has made his mark on the world.
His career had its peak in the 70’s and he pretty much went from there. He has been involved with some of the most important Brazilian artists, such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Maria Bethania, Joyce and many others. He’s played alongside many jazz musicians, such as Walter Bookerm Jim Hall and Ernie Watts among others.
In the 70’s he lived and worked in London (he lived with Gilberto Gil who at that time was forced exile from Brazil), Los Angeles and New York, returning to his native Brazil in 1978. In the 80’s he formed the percussion section of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and from the 90’s onwards his career took an international turn as he toured and recorded in and out of Brazil.
In 1981 Tutty Moreno recorded ‘Magica’ which would become his debut album of authentic samba jazz. By this point in his career he was already well known in Brazil as a drummer; the title track itself starts with a drum solo. His wife, Joyce sang on two tracks and played guitar on another five. The year before the album was recorded Joyce had released her influential album ‘Feminina.’ ‘Magica’ can be looked upon as Tutty’s coming of age record which shows him mastering a whole genre at a relatively young age. The album was originally released under the name Tutty Moreno & Friends ‘Tocando Sentindo Suando (Playing Feeling Sweating.) It had been out in print for the majority of Far Out Recordings existence until finally they decided to release this celebrated work of art.
“This is a project made 25 years ago which means this is how our hearts and minds sounded back then. The sound may have changed a little but the heart is still the same.” Tutty Moreno
‘Samba Jazz & Outras Bossas’ was produced by both Tutty Moreno and Joyce and marked 30 years of them working together. Tutty’s dexterous percussive swing underpinned Joyce’s forays across Brazilian music, creating one of the most prolific musical partnerships in jazz & Brazilian music. They turned back to their samba-jazz roots to create an album that was influenced by the golden era of bossa nova and US jazz from the 60’s; Joyce sheds a little light on the album: “Samba jazz is a style that grew popular among Rio’s youth in the late ‘60s. It is a mix of bossa and jazz, and it’s the music that nurtured our generation. Samba jazz has always been the base for everything that myself and Tutty have done; if you check some older compositions of mine, such as 'Feminina', written in 1977, that's pure samba-jazz, and on this CD we have brought this vibe to the fore again.”
The album features a mix of five samba-jazz classics plus eight Joyce compositions, which at the time were brand new. Helio Alves, samba-jazz pianist, also appeared on the album alongside trumpeter Lula Galvão and bassist Jorge Helder, the album was magnificently arranged by Nailor Proveta.
From his base in Rio de Janeiro, Tutty still regularly records as one of Brazil’s finest percussionists. He is married to singer/songwriter Joyce, whose band he now plays in.
Discography
Samba Jazz & Outras Bossas – 2007 (Far Out Recordings)
Magica – 2006 – (Far Out Recordings)
