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Formed in 2002, Angrajazz Orchestra is a training/work-in-progress project held by the Cultural Association Angrajazz, with musical direction by the professors Pedro Moreira and Claus Nymark.  Promoting regular working sessions and workshops, Angrajazz Orchestra became the main “jazz school” in the Region, contributing for Angrajazz to be considered as the main and most important means of unveiling the jazz music in the Azores.

The Orchestra has played with many well known Portuguese jazz musicians such as Paula Oliveira, Mário Laginha, Zé Eduardo, Afonso Pais, Mário Barreiros, Hugo Alves, Luís Cunha, Paulo Gaspar, Ricardo Toscano, Gonçalo Marques, Carlos Azevedo and Jeffery Davis, but also with the extraordinary spanish saxophonist Perico Sambeat.  Apart from numerous concerts in Terceira Island, the Orchestra has played in the islands S. Jorge, Graciosa, Faial, S. Miguel and Pico.  Outside the Region, the Orchestra has performed in the cities of Funchal and Lisbon.

In 2015 the Angrajazz Orchestra participated in the cultural program “Lisboa na Rua” as part of the cycle “The Art of the Big Band – 5 Jazz Orchestras”.  At the 18º Angrajazz, the Orchestra performed, for the first time in Portugal, the integral of “The Far East Suite” written by the great jazz musician Duke Ellington.  In that occasion the Orchestra featured two very important Portuguese jazz musicians – clarinetist Paulo Gaspar and saxophonist Ricardo Toscano.

The Orchestra has released two CDs –”Angrajazz Orchestra with Paula Oliveira” (2006) and “Angrajazz” (2018).

In this 26º Angrajazz, the festival will present to its audience the result of one more year of this educational project, and has the honor of having as guest musician João Ribeiro. With this special guest, the Orchestra presents a repertoire that, besides other themes, evokes Frank Sinatra, also known as “The Voice”.  Frank Sinatra’s passage through Terceira Island happened exactly 80 years ago.

João Ribeiro is a drummer and vocalist of the new generation of Portuguese Jazz.  He completed his studies in 2020 at ESMAE and has since become one of the most regular musicians in the Lisbon jazz scene, both on drums and vocals.

In recent years, he has also participated in several jazz festivals in the country, such as Funchal Jazz, Guimarães Jazz, and the Porta Jazz Festival, as well as in venues like Casa da Música in Porto, Centro Cultural de Belém, Centro Cultural Vila Flor in Guimarães, and the Convent of São Francisco in Coimbra.

As a singer he leads his own quintet with João Moreira, Bruno Santos, Bernardo Moreira, André Sousa Machado.

ARTEMIS is a super group with a powerful collective voice that was initially assembled at Rosnes’ behest for a European festival tour in 2017.  “I chose musicians whom I respected and wanted to make music with,” the pianist says, “and after performing together, I realized we had a brilliant chemistry.  We all decided to explore the possibilities of what might develop over time, and that’s how ARTEMIS was born.”

The music is testament to the group’s evolving musical landscape and features stellar arrangements and riveting originals contributed by all members of the band.  NPR hailed the band as “a killer line-up of players who hail from all over the world who converge on this extremely cosmopolitan, sleek, rhythm-forward, modern sound.”  Each member of the band is a brilliant player, composer and bandleader and the group’s repertoire reflects each individual’s sound and concept.  From original music to mind-bending arrangements of eclectic material, Artemis performs with power, passion, and high-wire intensity.

It’s no wonder the band has been recognized by the Downbeat Readers Poll for two consecutive years (2023 & 2024) as “Jazz Group of the Year” and won the 2024 Mid-Size Ensemble of the Year Award of US Jazz Journalists Association.  Rosnes says, “Our goal is to make honest music that touches people. We inspire one another and feel passionate about playing together. All that positive energy comes through in the sound and I believe audiences can feel it.”

The group is distinctive not only for bringing together singular artists, each renowned for their own remarkable solo careers; but for its multi-generational and globe-spanning line-up.  Despite its relatively brief existence, ARTEMIS has been featured in Vanity Fair and on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, and has performed on some of the country’s most iconic stages, from Carnegie Hall, to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, from Tisch Center for the Arts to the Newport Jazz Festival.

Named for the Greek goddess of the hunt, the multinational, multigenerational band features pianist Renee Rosnes, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, bassist Noriko Ueda, and drummer Allison Miller.  After experiencing an ARTEMIS live show, Blue Note President Don Was signed the band to the label.  The band’s third recording, ARBORESQUE, was released on February, 2025.

Sources: Text sent by musicians

Tenor saxophonist David Murray was born in 1955 in Oakland, California.  The giant of modern jazz fuses all the great things that black music has produced: Gospel sounds, free jazz, Afro-Caribbean, blues, soul as well as the beautiful standards of classic jazz.  Murray’s colorful tone, unsurpassed intonation, sense of swing, melancholy tones, improvisational power and ingenuity make him one of the most important voices in music today.

Since he arrived in NY in 1975, David Murray established himself as one of the prominent saxophone players and leaders of jazz. He has released over 200 albums under his own name, working with the likes of Max Roach, Randy Weston, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Taj Mahal, Mal Waldron, Jerry Garcia, Cassandra Wilson, Jason Moran, Omara Portuando, Saul Williams, Vijay Iyer and Gregory Porter to name a few.  He was also a founding member of the groundbreaking World Saxophone Quartet.

Besides being a well-known bandleader, he is a noteworthy composer and arranger providing memorable melodies and harmonies.  His approach to improvisation is instantly recognizable.  Even in its freest flights, he acknowledges the gravity of a tradition he honors, combining all the influences he grew out of: gospel, jazz, free jazz, rhythm’n blues, R&B.  The great Cecil Taylor compared him to his greatest predecessors who had signature sounds:  “You stick your ear in the door, you know it’s David!’’

David Murray’s new quartet started off in January 2023.  Mainly playing Murray’s own compositions, the music gives the three young musicians plenty of space.  The combination of David Murray’s mastery – critics unanimously agree that he is at the top of his game right now – along with the infusion of this powerful elite of the New York jazz scene is a force to be reckoned with.  The fierceness of Marta Sanchez on the piano, the poetry and dexterity of Luke Stewart on the bass, and the driving pulse of Russel Carter on the drums is a perfect fit for the leading saxophonist.

“Jazz legend David Murray is back with the next generation of geniuses”, writes the Washington Post about the new quartet.  The first album of the quartet: “Francesca”, was released in May 2024.  It made it to many best jazz albums charts of the year: Downbeat, Jazzwise etc,. Their second album, “Birdly Serenade” was released in April 2025 and features singer Ekep Nkelle.

Sources: https://davidmurray.xyz/bio; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Murray_(saxophonist)

The 26-year-old Cameroonian-American singer Ekep Nkwelle, Born and raised in Washington, D.C.  is a rising star, a force in today’s jazz scene, charting a remarkable journey from the vibrant culture of Washington, DC, to the iconic stages of New York City and beyond.  She refined her musical gifts through rigorous academic training, earning a diploma from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a Bachelor’s degree from Howard University, and a Master’s from The Juilliard School.

Her voice has captivated legendary jazz figures such as Wynton Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, the late Russell Malone, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Catherine Russell, Cyrus Chestnut, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, earning her multiple opportunities to collaborate with these luminaries.  She is featured on David Murray’s new album “Birdly Serenade” released in April 2025.

A dynamic performer, Ekep has left her mark on world-renowned stages, including Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, Marians Jazzroom in Switzerland, the San Javier Jazz Festival in Spain, Carnegie Hall and Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert in DC, and SFJAZZ in San Francisco.

In 2023, she took second place in the 11th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and was honored with the prestigious Juilliard Career Advancement Grant, nominated by Marsalis, recognizing her exceptional artistry and promise.  Beyond the stage, she contributes her talents to influential arts organizations such as The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Jazz Houston, and The Woodshed Network. As one of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s latest rising stars, Ekep is poised to shape the future of jazz.

Sources: Text sent by musicians; https://www.ekepnkwelle.com/; https://afropop.org/articles/k

Born in Paris in 1980, Samuel Lercher began playing the piano at the age of eight. From an early age, he was interested in both classical and jazz repertoire, improvisation and composition. In 2014, he founded the Samuel Lercher Trio with musicians André Rosinha and Marcelo Araújo, and recorded the original album Épilogue (Sintoma, 2015), which was very well received by critics.

The compositions of the Portuguese-French pianist reveal his passion for classical music, with the influence of composers Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, in terms of harmonic colors, and Frederic Chopin in the melodic construction.  The language of jazz is also present in the trio’s music, both in terms of writing and performance, particularly in moments of improvisation where the complicity between the three musicians is notable.  In this field, the influence of pianists Brad Mehldau, Shai Maestro and Tigran Hamasyan is also visible.

The trio has performed at numerous jazz clubs and festivals in Portugal, France and Spain: Guarda in Jazz, Ciclo de Jazz do Fundão, Círculo de Jazz de Setúbal, Palmela Wine Jazz, Hot Clube de Portugal, Mazagón Jazz, Estarrejazz, Espacio Turina, Clarence Jazz Club, OutJazz, Sunside Jazz Club (Paris), Jazz ao Centro Clube, Concerto Antena 2 and Dias da Música at the Centro Cultural de Belém.

The second album, “Ballade”, was released in April 2022 and in May 2024, the third album by Samuel Lercher Trio, “Fractal”, was released by Sintoma Records, which maintains the excellent profile in the rhythm section with André Rosinha on double bass and Bruno Pedroso on drums. This is an autobiographical album, in which Samuel Lercher musically portrays important elements of his life, transmitting, over eight tracks, his essence as a man and musician.

With it, the trio intends to continue with a regular schedule of concerts that extol cultural exchange, showing that culture has no borders. “On the third album, the Portuguese-French pianist once again demonstrates his consistent virtuosity and that particular knack for establishing creative links between classical and jazz. (…) Samuel Lercher’s pianism remains impeccable, perhaps more refined and subtle; however, it is as a composer that he takes a vigorous leap forward here.” – António Branco about Fractal, in Jazz.pt (2024).

Sources: Text sent by the musician

Born in Rome (1969), Stefano Di Battista initiated himself into music during childhood, in a neighborhood orchestra composed mainly of brass.  Having started the saxophone at the age of thirteen, he came to jazz through the records of Art Pepper and Cannonball Adderley, two musicians who will remain lasting influences.  He then follows an academic training before starting to “do the job” in pop music.  His first meeting with Massimo Urbani, an Italian alto saxophonist admirative of Charlie Parker’s style, also plays a decisive role in his ambition to become a jazz musician.  Encouraged to go to Paris by the pianist Jean-Pierre Como, Stefano Di Battista quickly makes his way there among several musicians, who help him getting started, notably drummer Aldo Romano and conductor Laurent Cugny, who invites Stefano to join the Orchestre National de Jazz.  Even if he is mainly active in France, he maintains close links with the Italian jazz community, recording with his compatriots Enrico Rava (1996), Rita Marcotulli (1998), Daniele Scannapieco (2003) and Dario Rosciglione (2004). Debut as a leader and in 1997, recording “Volare” (Label Bleu, 1997) and then a series of albums for Blue Note, continuing a brilliant career with 17 albums as a leader.

In 2024 he released his new album “La Dolce Vita”.  La Dolce Vita is more than just a film title; it is a gateway to a whole other world.  A world of silver-screen fantasies, but also one of life, passion, style, desire, beauty and dreams, which emerged during a unique period in Italian history, and which have continued to resonate through the decades, right up to the present day.

Stefano Di Battista decided that the time had come to bask in this resonance and create an album that combined the brilliance of the great Italian music of yesteryear with the need to keep it alive, scintillating and eternal.  The album aims “to explore some of the extensive and wonderful Italian repertoire from the ‘Dolce Vita’ years onwards and bring it to the attention of today’s global audience”, Stefano Di Battista explains.  “These compositions epitomize the Italian culture and the skill of our great composers, drawing both on what was undoubtedly Italy’s golden age and on the legacy of those years that lives on inside us today”.

Stefano Di Battista is a master of sound and melody, virtuoso in his improvisations and authentic in his approach to the song.

Sources: www.stefanodibattista.eu/en/