Festa do Jazz

From December 6th until the 8th, Festa do Jazz festival celebrates its 22nd edition.The Jazz communities will, once again, gather at Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon.With a lineup co-curated by the festival’s team, Mariana Dionísio and João Barradas, Festa do Jazz kicks off on Friday, October 6th, with the Portuguese debut of Sarab, a Franco-Syrian sextet that combines the electrifying sound of Jazz with traditional Arabic music.Saturday afternoon, October 7th, is curated by Mariana Dionísio, starting with a performance by the trio Sonic Tender (Guilherme Aguiar, João Carreiro and João Valinho), followed by a duo featuring Greek singer Savina Yannatou and portuguese contemporary pianist Joana Sá.The Nordic sounds of Liv Andrea Hauge Trio’s modern Jazz — winner of the 2024’s Zenith Awards — opens the second evening of the festival, culminating in the world premiere of a symbiotic duo between two major Jazz figures: English saxophonist Andy Sheppard and American pianist Aaron Parks.On Sunday, the 8th, Sons da Lusofonia’s project Jazzopa opens the third day of the festival, blending Jazz, Hip-Hop and Spoken Word, preceding the Portugal’s debut of the Wajdi Riahi Trio. This Tunisian musician is a selection by João Barradas, who also invited on this day the young vibraphonist Duarte Ventura to debut his nonet, Reperio. The festival ends with a performance by the Ensemble Festa do Jazz, this year led by saxophonist João Mortágua, and featuring Bernardo Tinoco (saxophone), Clara Saleiro (flute), José Diogo Martins (piano), Francisco Brito (double bass), and João Pereira (drums).The Jazz Festival program also includes the annual National Meeting of Schools at the Museu dos Coches, the public presentation of Jazz Panorama Portugal, and the RTP / Festa do Jazz Awards.