The Amadora Jazz Festival returns this week for its 11th edition. The festival will take place between the 11th and 14th of May, between Recreios da Amadora, Cineteatro D. João V, and the Alfornelos Auditorium.
In 2023, Amadora Jazz confirms its important role in the cultural life of the Municipality of Amadora, which once again bets on a poster capable of placing the city on the calendar of the main jazz events in the national territory, perfectly summarizing the path traveled so far. The Festival is organized by the Municipality of Amadora, with the association Jazz ao Centro Clube as a programming partner.
According to the Municipality of Amadora, “Amadora Jazz is an event that has featured “top figures in national and international jazz”. in the quality of the proposals presented, while simultaneously seeking to retain audiences by reinforcing the commitment to the jazz universe.”
For José Miguel, director of JACC, “in 2023, the debut of the remarkable guitarist John Scofield solo in national territory and the presentation of the Quartet headed by Maria João and Carlos Bica deserve an obvious highlight, the remaining proposals point to the paths of the present and the future. future of this music, with the presentation of the debut work of the guitarist Eugénia Contente, the confirmation of the talent of the saxophonist Ricardo Toscano, the brilliant “Silt Trio” of Luke Stewart, and the inevitable presence of GeraJazz.”
John Scofield concert – sold out
Among the shows of this 11th edition of Amadora Jazz, the names of some of the most important artists in the national and international music scene appear, such as John Scofield (sold out), Luke Stewart “Silt Trio”, Maria João & Carlos Bica Quarteto, Ricardo Toscano Trio (winner of the Best Jazz Album at the Portuguese Music Play Awards), Eugénia Contente Trio and Gera Jazz.
Ricardo Toscano Trio | May 11th, 21:00 | Recreios da Amadora | M/6
- Ricardo Toscano alto saxophone
- Romeo Tristan double bass
- Joao Lopes Pereira drums
In jazz, each musician must be deeply personal and at the same time vitally collective. For this reason, a trio of saxophone, bass, and drums is a machine that is as demanding as it is fascinating.
Saxophonist Ricardo Toscano became famous very young for his fascinating way of playing. He looked too young for such skill and confidence and quickly integrated into the national jazz scene, becoming in demand in the most different contexts (inside and outside jazz, such as with Camané, for example).
The trio is a format that Toscano explores as much as the quartet. As the themes he wrote for four do not work the same way with one less, he decided to explore a more open space that favors a greater number of unforeseen events. Thus, after having found a different purpose and repertoire, it is not surprising that he chose to record with three. Romeu Tristão on double bass and João Lopes Pereira on drums help produce this unprecedented perspective on the saxophonist (and composer), but also on themselves.
John Scofield | May 12th, 21:00 | Recreios da Amadora | M/6
- John Scofield guitar
John Scofield’s first solo recording appeared, in the middle of last year, with the seal of ECM. The work gives us a summary of the influences and languages that the guitarist cultivated throughout his career. Scofield is recognized, in addition to his connection to jazz, as having a taste for rock and roll and country music, a predilection that is revealed here in the choice of themes by Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away” and Hank Williams’s “You Win Again ”. Between elegant and unique readings of standards like “It Could Happen To You”, going through traditional ones like “Danny Boy” to themes like “Coral”, by Keith Jarret, Scofield also offers us his own compositions, some recent and unpublished, others already well known from other contexts. Scofield himself mentions that, until very recently, he had “avoided playing solo concerts”, not considering the lead guitar “as the ideal platform for improvisation”. Despite this, he confesses that “after playing guitar for 56 years, I’m finally interested in going out on my own and exploring the possibilities”.
Luke Stewart “Silt Trio” | May 12th, 11 pm | Recreios da Amadora – Great Hall | M/6
.Free entry, limited to room capacity
- Luke Stewart Bass
- Brian Settles saxophone
- Warren Crudup III drums
Named “one of the 25 most influential jazz artists of his generation” by DownBeat Magazine, Luke Stewart is a true catalyst for the Washington D.C. scene. and has, in recent years, extended its influence well beyond the U.S. capital. To the casual observer of the Washington scene, it’s hard to believe there’s only one Luke Stewart. Well, he is really one and the same person that we find in roles as different as bass player, saxophonist, producer, and facilitator.
In 2022, he introduced his trio, which includes Chad Taylor, a noted drummer from Chicago, and saxophonist Brian Settles (also from Washington D.C.).
In “Silt Trio”, we find a group in perfect communion, playing as if talking to friends. Without being bound by any kind of convention or format, the music develops with great fluidity and everyone responds to the moment. For Stewart, what we hear in “The Bottom” (disc title) is very similar to what the Silt Trio delivers live. Written music is complemented by improvisations, but these improvisations respond to and are informed by what has gone before. It’s a trip!
Eugénia Contente Trio | May 13th, 6:00 pm | Level Crossing Theater – Alfornelos Auditorium | M/6
- Eugénia Contente guitar
- Gabriel Silva electric bass
- Luis Delgado drums
Born in the Azores, Eugénia Contente came to Lisbon to study architecture, but her passion for music already inhabited her and, as soon as she finished the course, she decided to pursue her dream.
She was part of projects such as Carla Prata, Matay, Malabá, Monaxi, Jacarés or Safarah. It was with the latter that she established a strong bond with Gabriel Silva (electric bass) and Luís Delgado (drums).
With Gabriel and Luís, the trio that now presents itself took shape, whose central characteristics are “balance” and a sense of humour.
Maria João & Carlos Bica Quartet | May 13th, 21:00 | Recreios da Amadora | M/6
- Carlos Bica double bass
- Maria João voice
- João Farinha piano and keyboards
- Mario Delgado guitar
More than 35 years after their first meetings, Maria João and Carlos Bica are once again sharing a musical project, this time with the complicity of Mário Delgado (guitar) and João Farinha (piano and keyboards).
João and Bica crossed paths very early on, and these encounters were recorded in discographic works such as the albums Conversa (1986) and Sol (1991).
The happy reunion takes place with hand-picked themes, filmed on stage over the past two years.
GeraJazz | May 14th, 17h00 | Cineteatro D. João V | M/6
.Free entry, subject to ticket collection and limited to room capacity
Gerajazz is, as the name implies, a project dedicated to jazz that was born in 2010/2011 within the Orquestra Geração, which is inspired by the System of “Orquestras Infantiles e Juveniles” in Venezuela. With the artistic direction of conductor and teacher Eduardo Lála, Gerajazz has been developing an intense work of training young people with a view to setting up a jazz orchestra. Going through the African-American popular tradition and the modal jazz of Herbie Hancock, as well as the swing and funk soul of Jaco Pastorius and Nina Simone, or the drums rooted in the tradition of Art Blakey, among other influences, GeraJazz works on important themes from the international jazz. Several jazz musicians have collaborated with Gerajazz over the years, such as Mário Laginha, Salvador Sobral, Ricardo Toscano, Mário Delgado, Filipe Melo, Carlos Martins, Pedro Segundo, and Tomás Marques, among others, in various festivals, concerts and training.
Amadora Jazz tickets are on sale at www.ticktline.sapo.pt and at the venue two hours before the start of the concerts, with prices varying between 5 and 20 euros.
TICKETS 11th AMATEUR JAZZ EDITION | RICARDO TOSCANO TRIO
TICKETS 11th AMATEUR JAZZ EDITION | JOHN SCOFIELD – SOLD OUT
TICKETS 11th AMATEUR JAZZ EDITION | CONTENT EUGENIA
TICKETS 11th AMATEUR JAZZ EDITION | MARIA JOÃO & CARLOS BICA
About AMADORA JAZZ
Organized by the Municipality of Amadora in partnership with Jazz ao Centro Clube (JACC).
The first editions of the Festival were held under the name Ciclo de Jazz da Amadora (2011-2017). During this period, the artistic orientation was anchored in the desire to create a privileged moment for contact with the most relevant proposals of Jazz made in Portugal, having as protagonists both established artists and valued names whose work deserved visibility and stage.
The success of this formula allowed that, from the 9th edition, in 2019, Amadora Jazz could devote a place in its lineup to international artists without, however, abandoning its fundamental premises.
Always confirm with the concert hall or promoter the conditions of access, confirmation of the date or time, tickets place of sale, price, and availability.
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