music
Gonçalo Almeida is well used to navigating the unlimited freedom of improvisation and living in the creative eruptions of the moment. States of Restraint sees the bassist setting off on a quest through unfamiliar territory. As he explains to jazz.pt, although improvisation continues to play an important role, “there is a concept of composition that limits total freedom and gives shape and structure to the music”. Released under Pedro Costa’s Clean Feed label, States of Restraint (2024) moves away from the bassist’s more explosive side, following a path of meditation, control and slow combustion, in a delicate balance between the planned and the unexpected. There are five poems, five introspective reflections, which, with a minimalist and taciturn tone, enter a journey led by Almeida’s double bass.
Living in Rotterdam, the Portuguese musician and composer has worked on various experimental projects ranging from free improvisation music to jazzcore. He is the founder, composer and bassist of Hydra Ensemble, Lama Trio and The Attic, and a member of The Selva, Spinifez and Almeida/Duynhoven/Klein. He frequently collaborates with dancers, poets, directors and audiovisual artists such as Rita Vilhena, Arnold Dreyblatt, Pierre Bastien and Julyen Hamilton.
Alongside him in States of Restraint, trumpeter Susana Santos Silva and percussionist Gustavo Costa fit perfectly into the sonic geometries imagined by the bassist. On stage, these three musicians invite the audience to set off on a meditative journey, where space and time are diluted and listening takes on an almost ritualistic weight.
gonçalo almeida double bass and composition
gustavo costa percussion
susana santos silva trumpet
support portuguese republic – culture / directorate-general for the arts. rtcp – network of portuguese theatres and cinemas
