Perpetual Gateways (2021 Remaster) Ed Motta

• 1 Captain's Refusal (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 04:43
• 2 Hypochondriac's Fun (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 03:26
• 3 Good Intentions (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 05:30
• 4 Reader's Choice (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 03:01
• 5 Heritage Déjà Vu (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 04:17
• 6 Forgotten Nickname (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 05:44
• 7 The Owner (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 03:44
• 8 A Town in Flames (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 06:51
• 9 I Remember Julie (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 04:38
• 10 Overblown Overweight (24 Bit Remaster, 2021) 07:31
• Total Runtime 49:25

Info for Perpetual Gateways (2021 Remaster)

This studio album by the Brazilian superstar singer, songwriter, instrumentalist and bon vivant Ed Motta is produced by Kemau Kenyatta (Gregory Porter). His epic production features an all-star cast of West Coast musicians, including Patrice Rushen and Greg Phillinganes (keyboards), Hubert Laws (flute), Marvin 'Smitty' Smith (drums), Tony Dumas (bass) and Charles Owens (saxophone). 'Perpetual Gateways' mines the territory between Spiritual Jazz with a deep sense of soul and prog-rocking fusion and tells deeply poetic stories of life and love and the liberties we take with them. At the front and centre of it all is Ed Motta's unique voice and songwriting, leading us on a journey from groove gems through lost-love-ballads and on to energetic and effervescent jazz tunes.

"Although Perpetual Gateways deliberately pushes buttons for those who loved this music the first time round, its strength lies in what Motta has done with the idiom to make it new. At a time when much popular music sounds rigid, arthritic, auto-tuned and overproduced, Perpetual Gateways is a generous, authentic treat – fast on its feet and bursting with energy." (londonjazznews.com)

"Perpetual Gateways is Ed Motta's first album recorded in the U.S. It's only the second time he's worked with another producer, Kamau Kenyatta (Gregory Porter). The Brazilian songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger has, on 11 previous albums, displayed a canny ability to realize an astonishing array of musical and lyrical ideas in virtually any genre he chooses. Cut over five days in Los Angeles, Perpetual Gateways features a studio dream team of players: Patrice Rushen on various keyboards, Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums, bassists Tony Dumas and Cecil McBee, and horn men Rickey Woodard and Curtis Taylor on tenor sax and trumpet, respectively. Like its predecessor, the superb AOR, Perpetual Gateways is structured in halves like a vinyl record. The first leans more toward sophisticated pop, soul, and funk. "Captain's Refusal," with Greg Phillinganes on clavinet, directly references Aja-era Steely Dan with its loping horns, breezy melody, and funky backbeats. "Hypochondriac's Fun" follows suit with an even meatier groove à la Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind. Rushen delivers a killer piano solo through the funky clavinet and horn vamps. The "Mister Magic" reference on "Good Intentions" is an excellent touch, and it remains funky as the melody develops into something more compelling (Donny Hathaway's M.O. on Extension of a Man comes to mind). Here and on "Reader's Choice," Motta's prodigious vocal gifts shine. The second half of the album contrasts, moving in a contemporary jazz direction. It's accessible, sophisticated, and groove conscious. "Forgotten Nickname" is a spacy ballad framed by Rushen's Rhodes and acoustic piano as they illuminate the intimacy in Motta's tender vocal. A gorgeous flute solo from Hubert Laws adds depth and texture. "The Owner" and "A Town in Flames" are more uptempo. The former showcases Motta's gift for vocal syncopation, and it feels almost like George Duke producing early Andy Bey with lyrics by Ben Sidran. (The words in each song are remarkable. They're alternately humorous, passionate, and poignant.) The latter is a rhythmic powerhouse with Smith double-timing the band as the horns rise to meet him with tough, earthy vamps. "I Remember Julie" is excellent vocal jazz. Motta's voice is sweet but strong. It reins in the knotty melody and elastic rhythms to illuminate the groove. "Overblown and Overweight" is killer modern jazz, Brazilian style. It's unusual for Motta; his compositional focus has almost always revealed the subtleties and complexities of Brazilian jazz harmony rather than its celebrated -- and obvious -- polyrhythmic adornments. But this track is far more Hermeto Pascoal than Joao Gilberto. Motta's wonderful scat singing inspires the band to cut loose and engage in stellar interplay, and Smith and Rushen dazzle. With Perpetual Gateways, Motta builds on the polished pop and R&B of AOR with a more spiritual soul- and jazz-oriented approach. This may be a sequel, but it's one that extends the reach of its predecessor immeasurably. The music may sound familiar on first listen, but similarities vanish on the second, where Motta's complex, refined, and utterly revelatory vision emerges." (Thom Jurek, AMG)

Ed Motta, vocals
Patrice Rushen, piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards
Greg Phillinganes, keyboards
Marvin "Smitty" Smith, drums
Hubert Laws, flute
Cecil McBee, bass
Tony Dumas, bass
Curtis Taylor, saxophone, trumpet
Rickey Woodard, saxophone
Charles Owens, saxophone

Digitally remastered

Please Note: We offer this album in its native sampling rate of 48 kHz, 24-bit. The provided 192 kHz version was up-sampled and offers no audible value!

Ed Motta
Born on August 17th, 1971, in Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Motta had an early inclination for music. During his adolescent years, deep in rock and blues, Ed was recruited as the vocalist for the hard rock band, Kabbalah. Since then, his musical passions and references have expanded to soul, funk, jazz, classic-rock, classical music, blues and Broadway.

The results of this musical melting pot is pure Ed Motta, lauded and respected by his dedicated fan base in Europe, Japan, The United States and throughout Latin America. On stage and in the studio, Ed has engaged in musical exchanges with musicians such as Roy Ayers, Chucho Valdés, Jean-Paul “Bluey” Maunick (Incognito), Ryuichi Sakamoto, Patrice Rushen, Hubert Laws, Bernard Purdie, João Donato, Dom Salvador and Greg Phillinganes.

At the age of 15, Ed Motta recorded his debut album “Ed Motta & Conexão Japeri” (Warner Music, 1988) which became an instant boogie-funk classic. Three decades later, eleven albums deep, seven soundtracks for film and a score for musical theatre, Ed Motta will now release his latest work “Criterion of the Senses” on September 2018 in Europe (Membrane) and Japan. The new full length album reveals a new chapter of the acclaimed singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Since his first LP, Ed was always the de facto producer of his discography, arriving at the studio with a concept in his head and working meticulously towards perfected instrumentation.

Ed’s second album “Um Contrato com Deus” (Warner, 1990), showcased Ed’s growing maturity through experimentation and musical diversification. The album was entirely composed, produced and recorded by Ed and Bombom (bassist and guitarist who also participated in the group Conexão Japeri). During this time period, Ed Motta wrote and recorded his first musical soundtrack for the short film “Leonora Down” from filmmaker Flávia Alfinito.

Released in 1992, Ed’s album “Entre e Ouça” paid homage to the pop-jazz sensibilities of Steely Dan, an obsession of Ed’s which maintains prevalent till today. The album artwork was created by artist Edna Lopes, who also pays homage to the Franco-Belgian comic strip drawing technic, “ligne claire.”

Released at the end of 1993, Ed finished his contract term with Warner for his record “Ao Vivo.” He then traveled to New York for one year and during his stay, recorded for an unfinished Donald Fagen project at River Sound Studio, alongside Eddie Gomez, Chuck Rainey, Bernard Purdie, Lenny White, Paul Griffin, David Spinoza and others. During this time period, Ed continued to expand his musical and cultural vocabulary, including music from his homeland of Brazil.

Upon his return to Rio de Janeiro, Ed applied his musical references and talents towards films. He provided music for two short films - the award-winning “Ninó” directed by Flávia Alfinito, and “Famine” from Patrícia Alves Dias. In 1996, Ed returned to the top of the charts for the theme song to the feature film “Pequeno Dicionário Amoroso” (directed by Sandra Werneck). Ed also performed in London, Buenos Aires, New York, Boston, Miami, Rome and Paris (returned 4 times for an encore at the club Hot Brass). In São Paulo, he participated in a concert alongside the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Nelson Ayres. During this show, he presented instrumental themes, which served as a precursor for future recordings.

Now working with Universal Music, in 1997, Ed released “Manual Prático Para Festas, Bailes e Afins, Vol. 1.” Sonically, the album broadened the range of instrumentation and musicality, with arrangements developed alongside a team that included legendary Lincoln Olivetti, internationally beloved for his mastery of groove and recording technics. The record sales and radio support for “Manual Prático” generated Ed’s biggest tour to date, while also performing in Europe and the US (including a NY show at Summer Stage with vibraphonist Roy Ayers). In 1999, Ed toured the US coast with famed Brazilian signer, Ivan Lins, and their NY performance at Carnegie Hall featured singer Chaka Khan and bassist Will Lee.

Ed also did the soundtrack for the half-length film “De Janela Pro Cinema” (directed by Quiá Rodrigues), which was awarded at Brazilian film festivals.

Ed’s fifth album, “As Segundas Intenções do ‘Manual Prático” (Universal, 2000), was greeted with heavy radio play and also featured the only instrumental track in the repertoire “A Tijuca em Cinemascope.” ???

Released one year later, “Dwitza” (Universal) was practically an instrumental and scat record, with only two tracks that featured lyrics. The album was influenced by spiritual jazz and fusion labels Strata-East and Black Jazz, soundtracks by Ennio Morricone and the vocal duo Jackie & Roy. The title “Dwitza” is a word, invented by Ed himself, with no previous meaning, but features an universal sound. The album was also released in England on CD and vinyl via the label Whatmusic, which allowed Ed to perform again in England and Portugal.

In 2001, Ed continued to work on film, providing music for feature films “A Compartir” (directed by Daniel Filho) and “Sexo, Amor e Traição” (directed by Jorge Fernando). The 21st century amplified and diversified Ed’s field of work, applying his impeccable tastes and encyclopedic knowledge to areas outside of musical performance. He wrote text for DVDs of classic film re-releases, while writing about his favorite filmmakers and movies for various media outlets. He also wrote columns about wine and food and curated wine, beer and tea menus for the Sao Paulo design hotel, Emiliano. Ed also maintained an online wine column for Brazil’s top weekly magazine, “Veja” while presenting a radio show “Empoeirado” for Sao Paulo’s Radio Eldorado, showcasing and presenting rare and obscure gems from his collection of 30,000 records.

This album contains no booklet.