Amaro Freitas is a Brazilian jazz pianist and composer whose sound is rooted in the folk and ceremonial rhythms and harmonies from his country's northern region. His 2016 debut Sangue Negro showcased a percussive approach to the instrument that prized the Afro-Brazilian maracatu rhythm alongside the high-intensity carnival rhythms of frevo and baião, the bop innovations of Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, and the modal sounds of John Coltrane. 2018's Rasif wed baiao and a particularly Brazilian strain of post-bop that swung so hard, it sounded like dance music. 2021's Sankofa showcased a yet more expansive aspect of his compositional style as he revisioned Brazil's historic folk styles and rhythms through the refracted lens of modern jazz.