Ed Motta at Gretchen / Wednesday, 25.04.2018

“Music is the shorthand of emotion”, wrote Leo Tolstoy. How quickly and intensely the combination of melody, harmony, rhythm and a seemingly supernatural voice trigger our innermost feelings and desires, is demonstrated by the ten original songs on Ed Motta’s new album “Perpetual Gateways”. Produced in California by Kamau Kenyatta, the producer of Gregory Porter’s debut as well as his upcoming release, this twelfth studio album by the internationally revered singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and universal bon vivant from Rio de Janeiro brings together spiritual Jazz with a deep sense of Soul.

An all-star cast of West Coast instrumentalists, like keyboardists Patrice Rushen and Greg Phillinganes, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, or flautist Hubert Laws breathed life into these songs during an intense week of recording at Nolan Shaheed’s studio in Pasadena in September 2015. A true labor of love, the resulting album tells deeply poetic stories of life, love and the liberties we take with them ranging from the poignant grooves of “Captain’s Refusal” via the heartfelt ballad “Forgotten Nickname” (with a no less than heartbreaking flute solo by Hubert Laws) to the jazzy excitement of “A Town In Flames”.

“I was never a teenager. I was born fifty years old”, Ed Motta, a superstar in his native Brazil and now finally ready to conquer the rest of the world, said in an interview with waxpoetics around the release of his highly praised album “AOR” in 2013. This may explain why the singing multi-instrumentalist, who in the past has collaborated with the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Roy Ayers, Incognito, or Bo Diddley,was exploring his love for “Adult Oriented Rock” during his last bout in the studio.

It is Ed Motta’s unique voice and songwriting that stand front and center on “Perpetual Gateways”, leading us on a journey from groove gems through lost-love-ballads and on to energetic and effervescent jazz tunes. “The album title to me sounds a bit like Science Fiction”, says Ed Motta. “And that makes sense: I feel this is my best work to date and truly a dream come true. I would never have believed to be making such a record with such a cast of great musicians and to enjoy the process like I did. I just hope this energy and excitement and the humbling presence of these musicians comes across on the songs of this album.”