Amaro Freitas was born in Recife, on the northeastern coast of Brazil. He began playing the piano in church, discovering jazz after his first exposure to the music of Chick Corea. What Freitas has done since is a small miracle of syncretism: his style as a pianist and composer nods to the modern jazz tradition but also the sounds of Afro-Brazilian and indigenous music — and the music of nature, some of which he gathered in field recordings from the Amazon. Earlier this year, Freitas sat down with Josh Jackson during the Winter Jazzfest in New York, for a wide-open conversation about his album Y’Y and so much more. We know you’ll enjoy it.