Metá Metá - MM3 review: an intelligently edgy trio who are dancing past the genre trap

MM3
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Artist: Metá Metá
Genre: Jazz
Label: Jazz Village

The music of Brazilian trio Metá Metá may be rooted in that vast country’s rich musical traditions, from choro to samba to MPB, and more particularly Candomblé, one of Brazil’s indigenous religions, which fuses Christianity with deeper and more ancient west African spirituality.

But if that all sounds like just another ersatz “world music” melange, think again. Other layers in the Metá Metá sound come from Afro-beat, punk, psychedelia, heavy metal, Balkan brass and free jazz.

Mix all that with hard-hitting Brazilian and global politics, add a healthy dose of irreverence, and you have an intelligently edgy trio who are dancing past the genre trap and demanding to be heard on their own terms.

metametaoficial.com.brOpens in new window ]

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a musician, writer and director