music
With ten albums released under his own name, all of them very well received by the national and international press, João Lencastre has been establishing himself as one of the most versatile drummers of Portuguese jazz, where he develops an intense activity that crosses not only the most diverse areas of jazz, from mainstream to free improvisation but also rock, pop or electronic music. Over more than 20 years as a professional, he has passed through the country’s main venues and festivals, and accompanied names such as David Binney, Bill Carrothers, André Fernandes, Mário Franco, Thomas Morgan, Jacob Sacks or Phil Grenadier, among many others in an already long list. In 2019 he was elected “jazz musician of the Year” in the choices of the critic António Branco for Jazz.pt magazine. Last year he won the “Best Jazz Album” category at the Play Awards with his new album Unlimited Dreams and was the “Musician of the Year” at the RTP/Festa do Jazz awards.
In “Free Celebration” João Lencastre celebrates the music of Thelonious Monk, Herbie Nichols and Ornette Coleman, but he doesn’t do it alone. By his side, he brings together some of the best national musicians of today, in a true supergroup. Ricardo Toscano, Nelson Cascais, Pedro Branco, João Bernardo and João Pereira make up this sextet from Lencastre, in the right dose and measure to give the deserved Portuguese tribute to three legends that defined the shape of jazz that was to come. Between the close approach of the original themes and pure improvisation, giving a new one to each composition, the group uses some less conventional elements like synthesizers and the (always epic) junction of two drums. “Always full throttle, always carbureting at the limit, at a time when the whole world is calling for energy restraint, this fiery performance could be interpreted as provocative or offensive,” says Jazz.pt about one of the group’s rare live performances. There’s no mistaking what’s coming. The celebration is on.
ricardo toscano alto saxophone
pedro branco guitar
joão bernardo synthesizers
nelson cascais double bass
joão pereira drums
joão lencastre drums
