Event Notes
About the Mário Laginha Ensemble
Mário Laginha is an exceptionally talented pianist who likes to explore the far riches of the musical universe. Just take a peek through his albums so far – from the ones released with singer Maria João, notably more jazzy, but where we can also find the influence of Portuguese, African and Brazilian music, of British and American pop, to his solo album “Canções e Fugas”, of a more classical character -, and you will find that you cannot pigeonhole Mário Laginha’s music.
In the two albums he has so far recorded with his trio with Bernardo Moreira (doublebass) and Alexandre Frazão (drums), Mário Laginha’s taste for fusion, diversity and risk taking is ever present. In “Espaço” (2007), the starting point were the abstract concepts associated with architecture which the pianist used to create a set of themes that resulted in an album which was considered by the critic as the best jazz album ever recorded in Portugal.
On their second record, “Mongrel” (2010), Mário Laginha took the challenge and the risk even further. The corner stones for this record (commissioned by São Luiz Teatro Municipal and Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa) were pieces by Fréderic Chopin. A risky task that Laginha embraced with a mix of respect for the great Polish composer and the freedom to infringe bars, tempos and melodies, transforming the original pieces and creating new ones that have a place of their own in Laginha’s creative universe.
Mário Laginha – Piano
Bernardo Moreira – Doublebass
Alexandre Frazão – Drums