MariaJoaoOGRE(trio) EN PressPack 2015...

Maria João | OGRE (trio) – Press Pack

CultureWorks | Sabina Schebrak | [email protected] | +43-‐664-‐5132367

Maria João | OGRE

(TRIO)

MARIA JOÃO vocals

JOÃO FARINHA fender rhodes & synthesizers

ANDRÉ NASCIMENTO laptop & electronics

OGRE is Maria João's latest adventure -‐ a hybrid of jazz and electronic music. An unusual instrumental line-‐up and an outside-‐the-‐box approach takes audiences on a trip through a world of sounds, criss-‐crossing the borders between digital and analogue. Maria João's voice will be your guide through this journey!



In OGRE, the amazing voice of singer Maria João joins forces with an essentially electronic and digital instrumental section -‐ João Farinha's Fender Rhodes and synthesizers and André Nascimento's laptop and keyboards. The band acts free from specific definitions of genres and styles and makes music in the true sense of the word, without predefined aesthetically limitations. Jazz is present in all of these musicians' professional backgrounds; Lusophone and Portuguese music is in their blood; and their souls are infused with a great desire to cross borders, mix different influences and aesthetics together. At the heart of it all, we find an unconditional love for music.

This music is not limited to the Portuguese and Lusophone elements that decorate it, nor to the jazz language that forms the basis of its structure nor the electronic sounds that guide it. It transforms all these approaches into other realities, creating experiences at razor's edge, combining references of different kinds of popular music. This is fresh music, a project that is different from any other band that one might find in Portugal. Its work does not belong to a specific category, but it could, according to common parlance, be identified with "fusion" tag. Drum'n'bass, dub, electronica, «8-‐bit music» and electroacoustic are some of the sonic worlds explored by these musicians, with original songs and compositions as anchors, as well as their own very particular interpretations of pop/rock and jazz.

BACKGROUND In 2012, OGRE released its debut album “Electrodoméstico” (published by JACC Records) and over the past few years has performed in some of Portugal's main venues and events: In Lisbon, both in Centro Cultural de Belém and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (during the 30th Anniversary of the Foundation's Modern Art Center -‐ CAM), also in Teatro Académico Gil Vicente, in Coimbra; Rivoli in Porto and Jazz no Palácio Festival, in Tavira. OGRE is seen frequently playing outside their homeland, with festival concerts in Chile, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary. OGRE have a new album coming out soon! The concept is “Plástico” (plastic) and we can’t wait to show it to the world!



BIOGRAPHIES

Maria João has built a surprising and brilliant career, highlighted by her performances in the world's most prestigious jazz festivals. Her career began at the Hot Clube de Portugal jazz School, and crossed over the borders in a just a few years -‐ Maria João became one of the few Portuguese singers to achieve success and acclaim outside her country. Her unique style has become a reference in the difficult and competitive world of improvised music. Her remarkable vocal abilities and the unequaled intensity of her performances have turned her into an internationally renowned artist who has earned her place as one of the greatest

contemporary singers. Both the audience and the critics have been unanimous in their applause and consider her "a voice that goes all the way to the limit" and a "singer who is continually evolving". Besides her long running partnership with Mário Laginha, Maria João's own discography includes: “Sol”; “João”, an album dedicated to Brazil's popular music; “Amoras e Framboesas”, with the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos; and “Electrodoméstico” with her most recent project, OGRE, as well as several other collaborations. She has worked internationally with prestigious artists such as Aki Takase, Bobo Stenson, Christof Lauer, Gilberto Gil, Joe Zawinul, Laureen Newton, Lenine, Ginga, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Trilok Gurtu, Ralph Towner, Manu Katché, Saxofour, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, Frankfurt Big Band, and many others; her portfolio also includes a duet with Bobby McFerrin. João Farinha cofounder, manager and main composer for the OGRE project, began his musical studies at the age of 19 in schools such as the Hot Clube de Portugal (Filipe Melo) and Academia de Amadores de Música (Alexandre Diniz, Mário Delgado) in Lisbon, as well as the Prins Claus Conservatorium, where he contacted with musicians from all over the world. In 2008 he met Maria João, with whom he found to have a great musical empathy. He began his professional career by playing with the singer and since then he has had the opportunity to perform in countries like Italy, France, Greece and Chile as well as reputable Portuguese venues such as Centro Cultural de Belém, Gulbenkian Foundation and Hot Clube de Portugal. He has played with some of Portugal's top jazz musicians such as fellow band members Júlio Resende and Joel Silva, Mário Delgado, Carlos Barretto, Bernardo Moreira and Bruno Pedroso.



André Nascimento was born in Lisbon, Portugal and began his musical activity as a guitarist in 2001, exploring the worlds of jazz and rock. He first studied at the Hot Clube de Portugal, where he was tutored by Mário Delgado, Filipe Melo and Bernardo Moreira. He then completed a music technology degree at Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge, UK), where he studied electroacoustic music and sound design with Julio D’Escrivan and improvisation with Kevin Flanagan, and performed with MEME (Mechanical and Electrical Music Experience) and Anglia Ruskin Jazz Orchestra. Since 2005 he has worked as a sound designer and composer for video, theatre, digital arts and new

media. He is also a live electronic musician, performing with a mixed setup of laptop, keyboards and other instruments. Over the years he has shared the stage with artists such as Maria João, Júlio Resende, Savina Yannatou, Evelyn Toth, Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos, Kevin Flanagan and Julio d’Escrivan. VIDEOS

Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin version -‐ Março 2013, Opatjia, Croácia

Parrots & Lions -‐ Liburnia Jazz Festival, Março 2013, Opatjia, Croácia DISCOGRAPHY

Maria João | OGRE -‐ ”Plástico” Mar 2015

Maria João | OGRE -‐ ”Electrodoméstico” Abr 2012

OTHER LINKS

mariajoao.org

/mariajoaomgrancha

/mariajoao.ogre

/ogremariajoao

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