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.
MEMBERS
Pedro Moreira – saxophone – Director
Claus Nymark – trombone – Director
João Ribeiro – vocals – drums
Micaela Matos – alto saxophone
Rui Borba – alto saxophone
Rui Melo – tenor saxophone
Mauro Lourenço – tenor saxophone
José Pedro Pires – baritone saxophone
Paulo Borges – trumpet
Márcio Cota – trumpet
Guilherme Costa – trumpet
Tomás Reis – trumpet
Vitor Falcão – trumpet
Manuel Almeida – trombone
Nelson Silveira – trombone
Francisco Peixoto – trombone
Miguel Moutinho – trombone
Antonella Barletta – piano
Casimiro Ribeiro – guitar
Paulo Cunha – double bass
Nuno Pinheiro – drums
