Maria João and Carlos Bica are two of the most important artists in Portuguese jazz. Their collaboration dates back to the 1980s and was recorded on the albums ‘Conversa’ (1986) and ‘Sol’ (1991). After 10 years of playing together and many concerts all over the world, they parted ways. Now, 25 years later, they are back together with the complicity of Gonçalo Neto (guitar) and João Farinha (piano and keys), two of the most talented musicians of a new generation of Portuguese musicians, to share the songs of the world on stage.

Maria João, a singer with her own style, has become a reference in the area of improvised music. Her remarkable vocal ability and singular interpretative intensity have earned her not only international recognition but also a place in the gallery of today’s best singers. Unanimous in their applause, critics and audiences have labelled her ‘a voice taken to the ultimate consequences’, declaring her ‘a singer who never stops evolving’. Maria João’s career has been marked by her participation in the world’s most prestigious music festivals. She is also the only Portuguese artist to be nominated for the European Jazz Prize.

Carlos Bica is one of the few Portuguese musicians to have achieved international prominence and become a reference on the European jazz scene. Among the various musical projects he leads and in addition to his appearances in other areas such as theatre, cinema and dance, his trio AZUL, with guitarist Frank Möbus and drummer Jim Black, has become the bassist and composer’s trademark.