"He has been playing the violin for 30 years and in that time has played all genres of music ranging from contemporary music to free jazz and improvised music, live and in the studio.

His main interest shifted towards contemporary improvised and composed music.

The relationship with his instruments is focused in sonic and textural elements.

Electronic music was an early influence on his approach to violin playing, which challenges traditional romantic concepts of the violin/viola through use of preparations and micro tuning.

Active in different settings on the Portuguese scene for free improvised music, both as a collaborator and in leading his own groups.

Music for Dance, Cinema, Video and Performance.

Has created the record label Creative Sources Recordings in 1999, which mainly concentrates on releasing experimental and electro-acoustic music."

"Maria do Mar, violinist born in Lisbon, has a path marked by classical music and teaching, although she has always collaborated with artists from other musical areas. Since 2012, following her participation in the "Atelier de Improvisation et Direction de Ensemble in real-time (Conduction)" directed by Butch Morris, she began to explore free improvisation and other languages ​​in the contemporary music scene, taking part in a violin and Electric bass duo with the musician and composer Ricardo A. Freitas.She has developed improvisational work with various musicians, performing in concerts, cycles and festivals, with names like Carlos "Zingaro",., Joana Guerra, Ricardo Jacinto, Christophe Berthet, Maria Radich. In the context of the Moving Theater she participated in the Suzuki workshop / Viewpoints by Lowri Jenkins and Jane Pupo. She is seeking a broader musical universe and the development of a personal language, where the musical boundaries are fading and new possibilities opens up with no creative limits."

"Born in 1958, studying guitar at the Academy of Music Amateurs, in the 70s, with Prof. Nagy. In the late 70 studying bass at the Hot Club, in the early '80s, with Prof. Zé Eduardo.

"Intrigue and permanent and persistent unease with stringed instruments, jazz and improvisation itself. During the last forty years, in concert, in private or in the studio, I had the honor of having played and learned (chronologically) Nuno Grande, Armindo Neves, Emilio Robalo, Celso Carvalho, António Ferro, Arthur Costa, Ze Bitch John Vinegar, John Lucas, Francisco Medina, Abdul moimeme, Rashiim Ausar Sahu, Patrick Brennan, Rodrigo Amado, Scott Fields, Francisco Trindade, Ernesto Rodrigues, Harvey Sorgen and Joe Giardullo.

Today, honor me play (and perpetuate my restlessness) with Rodrigo Amado, Abdul moimeme, John Lucas, Joseph Bruno Parrinha, John Parrinha, João Pedro Viegas, Alipio Carvalho Neto, Gabriel Ferrandini, Ernesto Rodrigues, Armando Gonçalves Pereira, Hernani Faustino, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Zé Lencastre, Louis Desirat, Peter Castello Lopes, Luís Lopes, Luís Vicente, Philip Sousa, Pedro Roxo, Johannes Krieger, George Lamprey, Marcello Maggi, Paulo Curado, Diogo Leal, D' Incise, Virginia and Eduardo Chagas. With some of my friends. I share my musical day in broader bands or ensembles, with other I highlight specific musical encounters and they are my entire curriculum." "

"Helena Espvall is a cello player who is comfortable in indie rock and improvised music circles. She was born and raised in Sweden, playing guitar and cello in rock bands and a silent movie orchestra. Moving to the U.S. and settling in Philadelphia in 2000, Espvall further explored Arabic music, performed with the Amnesiac Music & Dance Ensemble, and joined the contemporary psychedelic-folk group Espers, recording the CDs Weed Tree and II with them. Her penchant for playing free jazz has resulted in collaborations with guitarist Eugene Chadbourne. She is a featured artist with saxophonist/flutist Oluyemi Thomas on his recording Before the Beginning, and with From Quagmire on Habitats in the Wound. Espvall's debut CD as a leader, Nimis & Arx, from the Pax/Fire Museum label is produced by George Korien, where she plays cello, guitar, and recorder, sings and uses electronics. Other artists she has worked with include Katt Hernandez, Lukas Ligeti, Masaki Batoh, Gui Mallon, Nick Castro, Bert Jansch, Sharron Kraus, Fürsaxa, Vashti Bunyan, Samara Lubelski, Marissa Nadler, Damon & Naomi, Arborea, Curia, Golden Ball, the Valerie Project, Polineros, and Scorces.

Helena Espvall is a Swedish-American musician noted for her participation in the post-millennial psych-folk and free improv scenes. Her primary instruments are cello, guitar and voice."

"After establishing his name during the Eighties as an electric bass guitarist in alternative rock bands, like the now legendary K4 Quadrado Azul, Hernani Faustino turned to avant-jazz and free improvised music and chose the double bass as his self-taught instrument. Two decades later of multiple interactions with Portuguese and international musicians, he's now considered one of the most intense and solid bassists in the Portuguese scene. The association he maintains with drummer Gabriel Ferrandini (RED trio, Nobuyasu Furuya Trio & Quintet, Rodrigo Amado Wire Quartet) has been pointed as a dynamic and powerful rhythm section. His visceral playing is well showed by the contortions of his face during a performance: he goes to the limits of pleasure and pain.

Music is his life: besides being a musician, he was one of the members of the label Clean Feed, considered one of the five more important on the planet in what regards jazz, and the Trem Azul Jazz Store, located in Lisbon. He also composed for theatre, produced radio programs, and wrote about music in a couple of magazines. A good part of his activity in photography is also music oriented: Faustino is one of the most accomplished stage photographers around. This says all about his passion and commitment.

Hernani Faustino's numerous meetings and collaborations with other improvisors is astonishing: John Butcher, Lotte Anker, Nate Wooley, Carlos "Zíngaro", Agustí Fernández, Sei Miguel, Rafael Toral, Jason Stein, Nuno Rebelo, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Gabriel Ferrandini, Pedro Sousa, Rodrigo Amado, Albert Cirera, Manuel Mota, Luís Lopes, Jon Irabagon, Taylor Ho Bynum, Gerard Lebik, Piotr Damasiewicz, Harris Eisenstadt, Neil Davidson, Heddy Boubaker, Gerard Lebik, Elliott Levin, Katsura Yamauchi, Mats Gustafsson, Chris Corsano, Nikolaus Gerszewski, Rob Mazurek, Reinhold Friedl, Ernesto Rodrigues, José Oliveira, Helena Espvall, Nuno Torres, Ricardo Jacinto, Blaise Siwula, Virginia Genta, Elliott Levin, Daniel Carter, Federico Ughi, Floros Floridis, Matt Bauder, Dennis González, Vítor Rua, and many more, covering a wide range from free bop to extreme experimentation, going through electroacoustic improv, reductionism and noise."

"My name is Bernardo Alvares, I was born in 1989 and I live in Lisboa. I originally came to Lisboa to study. First I took an BSc in African Studies in FLUL (University of Lisbon) while studying jazz doublebass in Hot Clube de Lisboa. Soon I grew tired of conventional jazz and became part of the free improvisation movement. Later I continued my studies with an MSc in Urban Studies in ISCTE-IUL (Lisbon University Institute) and FCSH-UNL (New University of Lisbon) and wrote a master thesis about the relations between precariousness and counterculture in the contemporary city. As a musician I've been developing mostly doublebass and electric bass in languages such as free improvisation, free jazz, rock, noise, drone and hip-hop. I have allready worked with musicians such as Alan Courtis, Carla Bozulich, Helena Espvall, Paulo Raposo, Ernesto Rodrigues, Maresuke Okamoto, McCloud Zicmuse, Roland Ramanan, Mário Babrem, LBC Soldjah, Hezbó MC or Ondness. My most consistent musical projects includes Zarabatana, Alforjs and Luís Severo but I was also been a part of the doublebasses drone duo ABBA, the free-punk band dUASsEMIcOLCHEIASiNVERTIDAS, the Cornelius Cardew inspired anarchist ensemble Tratado de Cardew, the free-improv trio Chaparreiro/Álvares/Morão, the spokenword band Tapete, the William Burroughs inspired noisy duo S for Seward and several other ad-hoc formations. I've also worked with other artists such as Flora Detraz and Elizabete Francisca (dance/performance), Stéphane Blumi (video), Nacho Durán (multimedia), Paula Alonso (actress), Manuel Badás (dancer), Yaw Tembe (plastic arts), or Cristina Delius (tapdancing). I've also made sound instalations for the exhibitions "Partida, Largada, Fugida" from Mariana Marques and "Zones d'habilité" from Aude Barrio and Barbara Meuli. I've gave workshops of improvised music in Portugal, in CACAU (São Tomé, São Tomé e Príncipe) and Paraiso LC (Oviedo, Spain). I've been working with Alan Courtis on a music project with Out.Ra and Associação Nós, an association in Barreiro, Portugal, for the inclusion of people with mental diversity. This group debuted live in March 2016 and continued in 2017, although we're looking for a way to fund it. I curated Leitmotiv, which was a music and publications monthly cycle where musicians interpret graphic scores made purposely for this cycle hosted by Zaratan Gallery. Music related, I'm also a DJ, a producer and occasional sound technician. I've also made regular music critics to jazz.pt magazine between 2013 and 2015 and was part of the associations Pantalassa and Associação Terapêutica do Ruído."

Luísa Gonçalves Lisbon, Portugal is a musician, pianist, & composer. She holds a superior degree in classical piano performance ESMAE, and works frequently with other musicians and performing arts.

"Guitarist Miguel Almeida is also a researcher and educator, locate in the Lisbon area of Portugal. He is associated with Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Conservatório de Música de Sintra, and was educated at Universidade Nova de Lisboa."

Flak is an improvising and rock guitarist, best known for the Portuguese rock band Rádio Macau.-Squidco 7/1/2025

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"Averse to any linearity, the idiosyncratic Luís Lopes, a musician connected to Jazz, improvised and experimental music, has been building his career, a simple and singular story, characterised by a unique voice, free of corsets, formal ties or constraints and mannerisms regarding strict stilistical implications. He is an unfollower... experiments himself through paradoxes. Invokes teachings by following standards of subversion to any possibility of pre-established idea. Eminent self-subversion... Introspective timeless trance.

Running Multi-international groups, especially his Humanization 4tet (with Portuguese Rodrigo Amado and Texan's Aaron and Stefan Gonzalez), Lisbon Berlin Trio (with Germans Christian Lillinger, Robert Landfermann), and his "Noise" or "Love Song(s)" Solos, plus his highly recommended records he is growing as an international artist, playing at important Festivals and venues not just in Portugal but in Europe and U.S.

Coming from a rock/punk and blues background, while studying at local classic and rock schools, he began studying Jazz at Hot Club Portugal School and then was finalist at Escola de Jazz do Barreiro/Lisbon. Then did studies with Saxophonist Joe Giardullo who opened for him the doors of modern jazz harmony complexity through the George Russell's "Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization", plunging Lopes into the world of improvised and experimental music, without disregard for his fascination with distorion and guitar feedbacks, expressed in different incursions into noise music, while also canalizes energys towards projects where he can develop his composing abilities.

In more recent times, Lopes has played and / or recorded with different artists connected to jazz and improvised music, such as Noel Akchoté, Christian Lillinger, Robert Landfermann, Marco Von Orelly, Marc Unternahrer, Adam Lane, Igal Foni, Floros Floridis, Joe Giardulo, Harvey Sorgen, Benjamin Duboc, Phill Niblock, Ernesto Rodrigues, Paulo Curado, Sei Miguel, Rodrigo Amado, Hernâni Faustino, Gabriel Ferrandini, Rodrigo Pinheiro, Miguel Mira, Aaron Gonzalez, Stefan Gonzalez, Dennis Gonzalez, Elliot Levin, Alfred Hart, Daniel Levin, Reuben Radding, Daniel Carter, Jeb Bishop, Josh Abrams, Jean-Luc Guionnet, Samuel Blaser, Boris Hauf, Evan Parker, Olivier Benoit, Fred Lomberg-holm, Valentin Ceccaldi, Gonçalo Almeida, among many others."

"Abdul Moimême was born in Lisbon, in 1959, moving at an early age to New Mexico and later to Dublin, Ireland. He began studying the guitar at the age of 11, studying under various private teachers, in Madrid, Spain.

In 1979 he moved to Boston to study architecture, finally completing his degree at the University of Lisbon.

In the 90's he began studying the tenor saxophone with Patrick Brennan. In this period he became actively involved with Lisbon's improvised and alternative rock scenes, performing frequently with the Variable Geometry Orchestra since it's creation in 2003, as well as with various other local projects.

His main musical partners are from Lisbon and Porto, but he has also performed in public concerts with such artists as Gale Brand, George Haslam, Jon Raskin, Ken Filiano, Patrick Brennan, Steve Adams, and Wade Matthews.

In 1999 he started writing about jazz in various Portuguese publications and is currently a permanent collaborator of Jazz.pt magazine, and Publico newspaper, as a critic.

In 2006 he created Freemusic (http://freemusic.podomatic.com), a space exclusively dedicated to the promotion of Portuguese improvised music."

Tiago Varela is a Portuguese musician who plays melodica, and is a member of Equinox Quartet, Isotope Ensemble, Variable Geometry Orchestra.

Accordionist and toy pianist Armando Pereira is a member of IKB and , Variable Geometry Orchestra, recording with Ernesto Rodrigues, Guilherme Rodrigues, Gil Gonçalves, Nuno Torres, Abdul Moimême, Carlos Santos & and José Oliveira.

"Plays his trumpet with complete awareness of the whole Jazz history while dealing, as a music director, with the full spectrum of sound sources in a broad range of innovative (and often strange) solutions, including frequent use of electronics. He has created his own music system, allowing him to take his open pieces to a high degree of perfection.

Director, arranger and trumpeter, Sei Miguel considers himself a simple jazzman, which, he says, isn't always easy. Born in 1961, Paris, lived in Brazil and France until settling down in Portugal during the 80's. Since 1986 he has been directing formations of variable geometry. Having performed in Portugal, Germany, Italy and Brazil, among his many regular collaborators are not only guitarists Rafael Toral and Manuel Mota, but also extraordinaire trombone player and painter Fala Mariam and virtuoso percussionist César Burago. Miguel has also written music for theater and ballet."

"Noel Taylor's main instruments belong to the clarinet family - soprano, alto and bass clarinet. He lives in Lisbon, Portugal, where he moved in 2017. He has performed widely in the UK, Portugal, Germany, Poland and Italy. He is a dedicated improviser, but his work also includes short compositions, conductions with large scale orchestras, and organising musical events. .

Recent projects have involved the trio 'Redstart' , 'Splatter (with Anna Kaluza, Pedro Velasco & Tom Greenhalgh), 'Happenstance' (with Chris Biscoe, Tom Greenhalgh, Guillaume Viltard), Grimwald (with Steve Beresford, Terry Day & Roberto Sassi). 'Plank' (with Pedro Velasco,Rachel Musson, Asuman Biswas) and 'Bay's Leap' (with James Barralet & Clare Simmonds)

Splatter have released three albums to date. Many other ad-hoc partnerships have happened along the way - always with the emphasis on improvisation. Two of these shorter collaborations have resulted in CD releases, one with Niko Meinhold and one with Alberto Popolla.

Noel Taylor is a member of the London Improvisers Orchestra, where he is one of the most frequent conductors. He has also led conductions with the Berlin Improvisers Orchestra and at festivals. He has played with Rome's Iato Orchestra. He has performed in Krakow in Poland, Germany, Italy, Sicily and Portugal, as well as London & other parts of the UK.

Other musicians he has performed with include Theo Jorgensmann, Claudio Puntin, Shabaka Hutchings, Eugenio Colombo, Steve Beresford, Mick Beck, Carlos Zingaro, Harrison Smith, Mark Sanders, Terry Day, Dominic Lash, Rafal Mazur, Cleveland Watkiss, Steve Noble, Liam Noble, Luca Venitucci, Stefano Guist, diatribes, Pat Thomas, Lawrence Casserley, Satoko Fukuda, Henrik Wallsdorf, Tony Marsh & Veryan Weston, Nick Stephens, Fumi Okiji, Marcio Mattos,Ricardo Tejero, Alex Ward, Orphy Robinson & many others.

His most regular collaborators have been Guillaume Viltard, Chris Biscoe, Alberto Popolla, Andrea Caputo, Anna Kaluza, Niko Meinhold, Julie Kjaer, Beibei Wang, Tommaso Vespo, Benedict Taylor, Noura Sanatian, Pedro Velasco , Tom Greenhalgh, Clare Simmonds, James Barralet, Tom Wheatley & John Garcia.

From 2009-2013 he curated a series of events called the Luna Fringe, a series of monthly events at Arch1 in West Ham. Bay's Leap toured Portugal in 2018 and a modified version of Spaltter, which included lthe Portuguese drummer Pedro Melo Alves and guitarist Luis Marins, also toured in 2018."

"Bruno Parrinha - alto sax / soprano, Clarinet Sb / Alto, flute

Around the age of 10 began playing the clarinet. At 17 he bought a flute and entered the Academy of Music where he Amateurs solfeggio and instrument with Paulo Curado for two years . Later he was always playing clarinet and tenor saxophone ( self-taught ) and at age 21 he was invited to join the band Pop Radar Gaddafi with whom he recorded . Later he was cast of musicians on the play " Vieux Carré " in teatro da Graça playing tenor sax . Spent a year on the scene . At 87 he began to attend formations of Sei Miguel resulting in vinyl LP recorded at 88 " Songs love and against terrorism ." Since then he has dedicated his commitment to free improvisation and has participated in numerous trainings and concerts with illustrious musicians including Rodrigo Amado , Rodrigo Pinheiro , Miguel Mira , João Lucas , Paulo Curado , Ernesto Rodrigues , Guilherme Rodrigues , Ulrich Mitzlaff , Manuel Guimarães Cyril Bondi , " D' Incise ," Raphael Ortiz , Nicolaus Gerwinsky , Phill Niblock , Raymond McDonald , Victor Nubla , Nuno Rebelo , Marco Franco, Gabriel Ferrandini , Hernani Faustino , Luís Lopes , José Oliveira , Carlos Santos , Carlos " Zingaro " João Pedro Viegas , Victor Rua , Abdul " moimême " , Luís Vicente , João Lancaster , Luis Gil , Paulo Pimentel , Francisco Andrade , Albert Cicera and many others.

Presently a part of groups : ARGUE, IKB , VGO , Miguel Mira Quartet , Open Mind and Puma. "

"Radim Hanousek focuses on various forms of improvisation, intermediality and projects on the border of jazz and contemporary classical music as an interpreter (saxophonist) and composer.

In 2009 he co-founded the Norwegian-Czech jazz quartet NOCZ (Didrik Ingvaldsen, Dag Magnus Narvesen, Marian Friedl). Since 2013, Hanousek has been running his own project combining jazz and contemporary music Dust in the Groove.

In 2018 Hanousek's composition It Could Happen won first place in the Karel Krautgartner Composers' Competition for Jazz Orchestra, which is annually announced by the Concept Art Orchestra.

From 2021, he organizes the 40-member PMP Orchestra for the festival Prague Music Performance, which performed the compositions of Anthony Braxton and Roscoe Mitchell in concert in the presence of the authors.

As an improviser, in addition to leading representatives of the Czech scene, he also collaborates with many artists from Switzerland, the US, Norway, Germany, Portugal, France, Austria and Italy (Roland Dahinden, Didrik Ingvaldsen, Hildegard Kleeb, Ayako Kato, Claudia Cervenca, Samuel Dühsler, Yoram Rosilio, Iva Bittová, Dag Magnus Narvesen, Rieko Okuda, Tobias Delius, George Cremaschi, Hernâni Faustino, ...).

He composed music for a number of ensembles (Mikroopery, Lichtzwang, Contriology, Radost Ensemble, Corazon Quartet), music for theater performances (Feste, D'epog, Orbita) and audiobooks (Albatros).

Radim Hanousek also organizes workshops for children on improvisation and graphic scores, for many years he has been working with the Brno Philharmonic and the Husa na provázku Theater.

With the projects NOCZ and Dust in the Groove, he released a number of albums on the Hevhetia label, the last two albums were released on Ma Records.

He is the dramaturg of the international festival of sound arts FAUN, the jazz program of the international festival Ponavafest Brno and has already organized three years of the Ugly Music Festival."

"Studied alto saxophone within a jazz tradition spectrum. His continuous solo experimental research explores a wide scope of sound material through the use of the extended technics. Participates in several ensembles of improvisational music, electro acoustics and reductionism. Collaborates with musicians such as, Ernesto Rodrigues, Ricardo Jacinto, Sei Miguel, Fala Mariam, João Castro Pinto, Rafael Toral, Manuel Mota, David Stackenäs, Travassos, Paulo Raposo, Carlos Santos, Shiori Usui, C. Spencer Yeh, Cyril Bondi and d'incise, and developed projects as CACTO and PinkDraft, In the recent years has been also collaborating in several different projects at the intersection of the performative areas of dance, theatre and the visual arts (PARQUE, Les Voisins, Eye Height, Adriana Sá, Beatriz Cantinho). Participates and curates experimental and community radio initiatives."

"José Lencastre, also known as Zé Lencastre, is a Lisbon, Portugal saxophonist, composer and arranger. He studied at the Hot Clube de Portugal, Chichester College of Arts(England), and Eastman Community Music School ( Rochester, NY). He Has played several festivals and venues in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Eslovakia, Hungary, Brasil, Morroco.

TSUKI - Looking For Principles In Others (2006)/// TSUKI - I Wish That Mountain Had An Eye (2007)///TSUKI - Sea Snail (2009) ///THE MOST WANTED- The Most Wanted EP (2008) ///CACIQUE97 - Colectânea Novos Talentos Fnac (2007) - EP (2007) - Cacique97 (2009) ///BA MBO - Colectânea Intolerant? Me? (2008) ///POTLATCH - Live at Fabrica (2009) ///THE GRASSPOPPERS - DUB INNA WEEK (2010)/// SOCIAL SMOKERS - MAGNETIC POETRY (2011)/// THE GRASSPOPPERS - LOVERS ROCK INNA WEEK (2011)/// COOLTOUR - COOLTOUR (2012)

He has also appeared as a guest musician recorded with Gnu, Gazua, Philharmonic Weed, Tiago Gomes&Tó Trips, Tércio Borges & os Democratas do Samba, André Sampaio e os Afromandiga, etc. He currently resides in Recife, PE - Brazil."

Carla Santana is a Portuguese electronic artist known for the bands Quarto com Luz, quatroconnection, Isotope Ensemble and Variable Geometry Orchestra.