With Revoada, Mauricio Fleury crafts a vibrant and expansive mosaic that traverses the boundaries of Brazilian tradition and global jazz, revealing the restless curiosity and cross-cultural connection at the core of his artistry. Released on Altercat Records, the album draws on Fleury’s experiences—from São Paulo to Berlin, Istanbul to imagined landscapes—layering acoustic textures, lively rhythms, and electronic flourishes into a sound that echoes both the pulse of the city and the openness of travel. “Briluz,” a key single, finds its roots in fantasy, inspired by Alice in Wonderland’s Brazilian translation and assembled through a playful mix of electric vibraphone and jazz-inflected organic beats. Its “Azymuth flavor” channels classic Brazilian fusion while remaining fresh and unselfconscious, a reminder of Fleury’s penchant for making familiar styles new.
The album’s scope broadens with “Kadıköy,” a homage to Istanbul’s bustling record markets and the golden age of Turkish psychedelia, filtered through Fleury’s own sense of longing and imaginative drift. His narrative unfolds as he recounts sifting through vinyl in Kadıköy, dreaming of unheard songs—translating that sense of pursuit into the structure of the music itself. Here, Fleury’s range as an arranger and performer extends to saz (bağlama) practice and experimental jazz motifs, weaving together threads from disparate musical traditions and moments. His compositions remain deeply collaborative, drawing on a network of longtime friends and fellow innovators to find new forms for musical storytelling.
Across Revoada’s tracks, Fleury’s production and arrangement skills shine, each piece meticulously constructed yet relaxed in execution—a trait reminiscent of his work with Bixiga 70 and his session history with Brazilian luminaries. The music resists fixed genre boundaries, playing with samba, afrobeat, jazz, and electronic forms in a manner that’s both cosmopolitan and rooted, embracing the idea of revoada as flight, dispersal, and return. The album’s energy is communal and inviting, with grooves and melodies that invite repeated listening and offer a sense of movement—both physical and emotional. Revoada ultimately stands as a testament to Fleury’s evolving vision, balancing tradition and experimentation with humility and inventiveness. It is an album that charts a journey without borders, attentive to detail but always focused on discovery, and open to the possibility of finding beauty in unexpected places.