“It’s like we can see the light again,” says baritone sax player Cuca Ferreira of São Paulo’s instrumental powerhouse Bixiga 70. He’s talking not only of the Covid pandemic, which hit his country especially hard, but the end of “four years of extreme rightwing government with a project to destroy aspects of Brazilian identity, from the Amazon to our own”. The band played at the presidential inauguration of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and created this fifth album back home in Bixiga, São Paulo. Their reputation stands on a decade of Afrofunk variations – Fela Kuti’s shadow is long – and blistering live performances. Capturing stage energy in the studio has proved elusive, but their last album, 2018’s Quebra Cabeça, was a winner.
On Vapor, Bixiga 70 have re-emerged with a different lineup, still built on a four-strong horn section but with two female percussionists and an innovative keyboardist. The shift to a softer, more melodic sound is there on opener Malungu, a slow-burner with a winding, almost Ethiopian sound, composed by star guest and percussion titan Simone Sou. Closing track Loa Lua is still slower, dreamy and shot through with electronica. In between, five upbeat cuts serve up their customary Afrobeat blends – ska, jazz, samba – with a lighter tread. Infectiously exuberant.
