Ricardo Bacelar and Airto Moreira Unite for the Boundary-Pushing Album Maracanós
Acclaimed Brazilian musicians Ricardo Bacelar and Airto Moreira join forces on Maracanós, an ambitious instrumental project that blends jazz, Brazilian music, electronic textures, orchestral arrangements, and free-flowing improvisation into a richly immersive listening experience. Released worldwide through Jasmin Music, the album arrives as a celebration of artistic freedom and musical exploration.
Recorded at Bacelar’s Jasmin Studio in Fortaleza, Brazil, Maracanós emerged from a creative partnership built on spontaneity and experimentation. What began as a documentary project soon evolved into a full-length album as the two musicians discovered a natural chemistry that encouraged them to create beyond traditional musical boundaries.
The collaboration was developed during two separate visits by Airto Moreira and his wife and longtime musical partner, Flora Purim. During the first session, the artists recorded the single “Aqui, Oh!” while also capturing footage for an upcoming feature-length documentary. The second visit became the foundation for Maracanós, with Bacelar and Moreira composing and recording much of the material that would ultimately shape the album.
For Bacelar, the project represented an opportunity to embrace the spirit of creative risk-taking that has defined Airto and Flora’s careers for decades. Rather than following commercial expectations, he focused on building a sonic landscape that combines acoustic instrumentation, percussion, strings, synthesizers, and electronic elements into something uniquely immersive.
The result is an album that moves fluidly between genres while maintaining a cohesive identity. Throughout Maracanós, listeners encounter moments of atmospheric beauty, complex improvisation, harmonic depth, and unexpected musical turns. The project avoids predictable structures in favor of spontaneous interaction and emotional expression.
Airto Moreira’s presence is central to the album’s identity. Widely regarded as one of the most influential percussionists in modern music, Moreira brings decades of experience shaped by collaborations with legendary artists, including Miles Davis, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Santana, Keith Jarrett, George Benson, and many others. His percussion work, vocal contributions, and improvisational instincts help shape the album’s adventurous spirit.
Adding another dimension to the project, Flora Purim makes a special guest appearance on the track “Voo da Tarde.” Her contribution brings an additional layer of warmth and elegance to a record already rich in musical texture.
The album also features performances from the Kalimera String Quartet, with arrangements by Liduíno Pitombeira, a member of the Brazilian Academy of Music. Their contributions further expand the project’s cinematic and orchestral qualities.
Visually, Maracanós is complemented by artwork created specifically for the release by Brazilian artist Fernando França. The cover incorporates symbolic references to the cultural connections between Brazil and Africa, reflecting the album’s broader themes of heritage, exchange, and artistic fusion.
Beyond the album itself, the creative process behind Maracanós is also being documented in a forthcoming feature film directed by Jom Tob Azulay. Currently in post-production, the documentary will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the recording sessions and creative partnership that brought the project to life.
The release arrives during a landmark period for Airto Moreira, who is being honored with the prestigious NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship, the highest recognition awarded to jazz artists in the United States. The distinction acknowledges his extraordinary influence on the evolution of jazz and contemporary percussion over the course of his celebrated career.
With Maracanós, Ricardo Bacelar and Airto Moreira deliver a project that embraces curiosity, experimentation, and artistic freedom. The album stands as a meeting point between generations, cultures, and musical traditions, offering listeners a richly layered experience that rewards exploration and repeated listening.
Listen below or stream here: open.spotify.com/album/4fPHMIj
