Airto Moreira
Fingers

Airto Guimorvan Moreira, or simply Airto, born in 1945 in Itaiopolis, possesses an early and immense musical talent, to the point that in Brazil, at just 13 years old, he is already considered a percussion professional. Following the infinite paths of music, he ends up in New York with his wife Flora Purim, where the influential people are, and meets Joe Zawinul who introduces him to the court of his majesty Miles Davis. Miles, in turn, wastes no time and immediately throws him into the wild mix of his "Bitches Brew," and with them, creates the album that once again changes (how many times, five or six? even he doesn't know) the history of music.

But his groove is also needed by Zawinul who wants to continue exploring the path Davis has just ventured onto, and he calls him to record the first album of the "Weather Report."

At this point, Airto transitions to making the skins vibrate for Chick Corea's "Return to Forever," producing the first two albums of this great fusion ensemble.

Finally, our hero is ready to embark on a solo career.

The album I want to talk to you about is "Fingers," his third studio album, produced by Creed Taylor in April 1973 for the CTI Records label and recorded at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder studio in Englewood Cliffs (NJ).

The album features a group of highly respected musicians: Flora Purim on vocals and percussion; David Amaro on acoustic, electric, and 12-string guitar; Hugo Fattoruso on vocals, keyboards, and harmonica; Jorge Fattoruso on drums; Ringo Thielmann on vocals and electric bass.

The seven tracks of this album commence with the Title Track, where the excellent chemistry of the musicians is immediately evident, expressing a Latin rhythm with a dash of funk. "Romance of Death" is a magnificent excursion into fusion music characterized by the beautiful interplay between the voices and guitars. In my opinion, it's the most powerful track on the album. Side A concludes with "Merry-Go-Round" and "Wind Chant," which flow by enchantingly. On side B, "Parana" with vocals and percussion draws us into a whirlwind and endless rhythm. "San Francisco River" certainly influenced many fusion guitarists, including Pat Metheny. It triumphantly closes with "Tombo in 7/4," whose irresistible Latin rhythm and choruses are essential at every Carnival party (at least they were in my era).

The cover and back photos, whose color choice and detail emphasis are certainly inspired by those mythical ones from Blue Note, were taken by two American photographers: Pete Turner, who primarily collaborated with Verve and Impulse (among the many created, I particularly remind you of "Night Train" by Oscar Peterson), as well as with CTI Records, and Alen Mac Weeney.

Enjoy the music, guys, from your Dr. Jazz DJ.