Firstly, because of the message transmitted by the pleasure of meeting again, of sharing, of enjoying heritage, nature and artistic expression. It is a strong message and a call to appreciate our right to joyful interaction, in all its aspects, following a period of instability and personal and social restrictions due to the pandemic, which so affected our lives.

The setting will certainly be hugely inspiring. As World Heritage, the parks and palaces of Sintra are a special place to connect with culture and nature. The Palace of Monserrate’s park, in particular, is an idyllic site brimming with romantic nostalgia, a veritable landscaping gem.

Portugal, meanwhile, has a rich jazz tradition, with artists and groups that have done remarkable work and which are internationally recognised for their creativity, quality and diversity. With dialogue, spontaneity and interpersonal expression as its driving forces, jazz is also a space for (re)encounters, aesthetic reflection and artistic enjoyment.

As such, this concert cycle will be a very special experience, offering all in attendance an enriching dialogue between music, heritage and nature.

The cycle seeks a well-defined artistic identity. As a result, there were a number of guiding principles in mind when selecting the participating groups, such as artistic quality, among both the more established names and the younger generation; aesthetic and artistic coherence, while also emphasising a variety of styles; a strong identity, both individually and as a group, as well as in the research, aesthetic reflection and compositional process; finally, the intention was also to promote various currents of contemporary Portuguese jazz.

Through this cycle we hope to help promote Portuguese jazz and foster artistic creation in this area, while projecting the image of Parques de Sintra by proposing different ways to enjoy nature and historical, cultural and musical heritage.

• September 15th | Afonso Pais – ‘O que já importa’ 
   Afonso Pais (guitar)
   Joao Neves (voice)
   Luisa Caseiro (voice)
   Nazaré da Silva (voice)
   João Hasselberg (electric bass)
   Joao Lopes Pereira (drums)

• September 16 | Tomás Marques Quarteto 
   Tomás Marques (saxophone)
   Samuel Gapp (piano)
   Rodrigo Correia (double bass)
   Diogo Alexandre (drums)

• September 17 | André Fernandes – ‘Dianho’
   André Fernandes (guitar)
   José Pedro Coelho (saxophone)
   João Mortágua (saxophone)
   Francisco Brito (double bass)
   Joao Pereira (drums)

• September 18 | Mario Laginha Trio
   Mario Laginha (piano)
   Bernardo Moreira (double bass)
   Alexandre Frazão (drums)