Rão Kyao

“Malpertuis”, a record released in 1976 by Parlophone, is considered the first jazz record released by Portuguese musicians. It is a historical record; not only because it is the first jazz record edited by Portuguese musicians, but also because of the quality that emanates from it – naturally. Obviously marked by a jazz language, “Malpertuis” goes a little further and doesn’t shy away from a little touch of rock here, a more oriental influence there (induced by the flute in “Ballad”) or a more experimentalist texture seen in “Zau”. It is not hard to see in this first album all the versatility and aesthetic dynamism of Rão Kyao, characteristics that would be confirmed in the future with the diversity of the paths taken by the musician, some of them crowned with huge success, as was the case of “Fado Bailado” (1983) or “Estrada da Luz” (1984).
In this record, Rão Kyao (saxophones, flute and percussion) was accompanied by Tony Pinho da Silva (pianos), José “Boots” Eduardo (bass and double bass), Joãozinho “Oiã” (drums and percussion) and Very Nice (vocals and percussion) and the result is?
Excellent.