Jazz-Funk Fusion Trio (1973-present)

Azymuth is a Brazilian jazz-funk trio formed in 1973 in Rio de Janeiro by keyboardist José Roberto Bertrami, bassist Alex Malheiros, and drummer Ivan Conti, all born in 1946. They started their careers in the 1960s in the Rio bossa nova and jazz scene. Marcos Valle invited them to record on a soundtrack for O Fabuloso Fittipaldi in 1973, and they asked to use the track name "Azimuth" as their band name. Their debut album was released in 1975 with Som Livre label. Their second album Águia Não Come Mosca was released in the USA and Japan on Atlantic. In 1979 their first Milestone release Light as a Feather became a bestselling album, with hit single "Jazz Carnival" selling over half a million copies and peaking at number 19 in the UK in January 1980. They released Outubro (1980), Telecommunication (1981), and others on Milestone through the 1980s, playing at Monterrey and Montreux jazz festivals and working with Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, George Duke, and Stevie Wonder.