Amadora Jazz brings David Murray to Portugal (and celebrates double centenary)

David Murray’s new quartet and Júlio Resende’s Fado Jazz are some of the highlights of the 12th edition of Amadora Jazz. The festival takes place between the 9th and 12th of May, with concerts at Recreios da Amadora, the Cineteatro D. João V and the Alfornelos Auditorium. In line with the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Luís Villas-Boas, the 100th anniversary of jazz in Portugal and the 50th anniversary of the 25th of April, the program seeks to “attract national attention and position the city as an unmissable destination for jazz lovers. jazz”, reads a statement from the municipality, which once again has the support of the Jazz ao Centro Clube association and Égide – Associação Portuguesa das Artes.

This edition “reflects the legacy of April, including, in its programming, two concerts by Portuguese artists – Isabel Rato and Júlio Resende – who deal directly with the sociocultural heritage of what was a determining moment in contemporary Portuguese society”, points out the director from Jazz to Centro Clube, José Miguel. “On the other hand, Amadora Jazz seeks to maintain and consolidate its trajectory as a relevant moment in the cultural offer of the municipality and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, engaging audiences who, whether knowledgeable or simply curious, will be able to identify in the festival the mark of careful programming. and distinctive, which brings together artists from different backgrounds and paths, allowing access to the living reality of Jazz.”

The first concert is scheduled for May 9th, at 9pm, at Recreios da Amadora, with Isabel Rato’s quintet. The Portuguese pianist, composer, arranger and producer will present her new Valley of Flowers, the fourth album under his own name. Accompanying her will be João David Almeida (voice), João Capinha (saxophones), João Custódio (double bass) and Alexandre Ferreira Alves (drums). This will be followed, on the 10th, at 9pm, in the same place, by a concert by Júlio Resende, with his Fado Jazz ensemble. You will hear the songs from the album Sounds of Revolution (2023), among others, with Bruno Chaveiro on Portuguese guitar, André Rosinha on double bass and Alexandre Frazão on drums.

Still on the 10th, but at the Alfornelos Auditorium, at 11pm, the Lokomotiv trio of Carlos Barretto (double bass), Mário Delgado (guitar) and José Salgueiro (drums) meets with saxophonist Ricardo Toscano, who last year joined to the historic formation to record the album 25 in quartet. These original compositions are proposed to be presented on stage, in celebration of 25 years of activity, marked by eclecticism and “aesthetic flexibility”.

On the 11th, we returned to Recreios da Amadora to listen to David Murray, the prolific and multifaceted American musician and composer who, in 1976, together with Oliver Lake, Hamiet Bluiett and Julius Hemphill, created the World Saxophone Quartet, an absolutely fundamental formation in the historiography of the Jazz. His new quartet, debuting in 2023, brings him together with three young musicians handpicked by himself: Marta Sanchez (piano), Luke Stewart (double bass) and Russel Carter (drums).

On the last day of Amadora Jazz, May 12th, the Cineteatro D. João V opens its doors for a free concert, subject to ticket collection and limited to the capacity of the room. On stage, GeraJazz, a project dedicated to jazz that was born within Orquestra Geração, which is inspired by the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas y Coros Juveniles e Infantiles of Venezuela, and has the artistic direction of maestro and professor Eduardo Lála.

The parallel program includes the inauguration of the painting exhibition “100 years of Jazz in Portugal”, by artist Xico Fran, the presentation of the book Luís Villas-Boas, the father of Jazz in Portugall, by João Moreira dos Santos, and also the performance of the Syncopators sextet, which recreates the music of the first North American jazz group to play in Portugal, in 1927. Designed by Égide, it takes place at the Cineteatro D. João V and is by free entry, limited to room capacity.

Prices for paid concerts range from €10 to €20. Tickets can be purchased soon on Ticketline or, two hours before the start of the shows, in the respective rooms.

Various locations (Amadora). 9-12 May. Paid concerts: 10€-20€. Concert and program at Cineteatro D. João V: Free

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