A posthumous tribute concert to musician Bernardo Sassetti, starring Pedro Burmester and Mário Laginha, is the highlight of the 19th edition of Portalegre JazzFest, which will take place from April 18 to 20.
Promoted by the city council, the festival will take place at the Portalegre Arts and Entertainment Center (CAEP), the auditorium of the Guy Fino Tapestry Museum of Portalegre and the Improvisos Space of aKadémia Jazz.
The event will begin at 6:30 p.m. on April 18, in the auditorium of the Portalegre Tapestry Museum – Guy Fino, with a performance by percussionist and marimba player Pedro Carneiro.
In the evening, at 9:30 p.m., CAEP’s large auditorium is the ‘stage’ for the posthumous tribute to Bernardo Sassetti (1970-2012), with a concert that brings together two “sacred monsters” of the piano, musicians Mário Laginha and Pedro Burmester, said the municipality.
According to the organization, the show will include “everything from Piazzolla’s tango (a beautiful memory of the enthusiastic reaction of the Buenos Aires public) to Darius Milhaud’s Scaramouche”, as well as “the music of Mário Laginha in classical format”.
“The two pianists will remember Bernardo Sassetti, whose star shone brightly in Portuguese music and faded all too soon. Nine themes reveal a refined and singular composer, restless in his search for an inner voice, which shines through in every note written with disarming beauty and simplicity,” reads the press release.
The following day, April 19, aKadémia Jazz’s Improvisos space will host a jam session at 6pm, and another session has also been announced for the following day at 5pm, both with free admission.
Also on April 19, at 9:30 p.m., CAEP’s large auditorium will host the debut of the Chromosome project, led by drummer Mário Costa, with the participation of Gileno Santana on trumpet, Benoît Delbecq on piano, synthesizers and electronics, and Bruno Chevillon on double bass.
“With the release of the album ‘Chromosome’, Mário Costa takes another step in his career as a composer and leader, achieving a perfect symbiosis between composition, improvisation, space and chaos,” said the organization.
To close the evening, at 23:15, on the CAEP café-concert stage, the Catalan (Spain) trio Liba Villavecchia will perform, with guest Luís Vicente.
On the last day of the festival, April 20, CAEP will host Sophie Agnel (piano), John Edwards (double bass) and Steve Noble (drums) at 21:30.
Closing the event, at 11:15pm, is a show by “Garfo” (Fork), made up of Bernardo Tinoco on saxophone, João Almeida on trumpet, João Fragoso on double bass and João Sousa on drums.
The program for the 19th Portalegre JazzFest also includes wine and regional product tastings, as well as a record and book fair at the Portalegre Arts and Entertainment Centre.
