"Double bass player and composer, Carlos Bica, is one of the most prolific and innovative sound artists of Portugal. Known for his lyrical tone on the double bass, Bica has the rare ability to write melodies that essentially are songs without words, haunting and unforgettable.

"Both a remarkable composer and musician who knows how to mix his folkloric, lyrical roots with any modern style he encounters".

Among the several musical projects he leads along with various theatre, film and dance projects, his trio AZUL with Frank Möbus and Jim Black has become his showcase as a bass player and composer.

His debut album, Azul, recorded for Polygram/ Emarcy, features guitar player Frank Möbus and drummer Jim Black, and special guests, singer, Maria João and, trombone player, Ray Anderson. It was voted "Best jazz record of the year" in Portugal in 1996 and it's widely accepted as the best portuguese jazz album ever done. Azul's next albums, Twist (1999) and Look What They've Done To My Song (2003), released by Enja Records, have received international critical acclaim. Believer (2006) is Azul's fourth album celebrating this Portuguese-German-American band's 10th anniversary. As visionary as its predecessors, the new album features the turntables of DJ Illvibe (aka Vincent von Schlippenbach). Pushed by DJ Illvibe's scratch sounds Azul's multi-urban grooves open a bright window into the future. "The magic of shaping" (Fono Forum)

Things About (2011) is Azul's fifth album celebrating this Portuguese-German-American band's 15th anniversary. "It is an achievement in itself that Carlos Bica and his trio Azul - with Frank Möbus and Jim Black - have never produced a less than extraordinary recording. In each edition the band seems to reborn, and after "Believer", here are Bica, Möbus and Black again, with fresh ideas, a renovated drive and a deeper poetic feeling. Things About is the most recent and probably the most perfect of Carlos Bica album's with his trio Azul.

In October 2005 Bor Land Records released Single, Carlos Bica's first bass solo CD. This album was recorded at the Radio Berlin-Brandenburg Studios and was nominated by the music magazine "Blitz" as one of the best albums of the year in Portugal.

Started by a commission from the Expo 1998 in Lisbon, Bica embarked upon his project "DIZ" (meaning "Speak to me") together with the extraordinary singer and actress Ana Brandão. His fruits were recorded and released in April 2001 for Enja Records. The album DIZ represents a new development in his music. Together with João Paulo (piano), Katharina Gramss (violin), Mike Rutledge (viola), DIZ leaps across the stylistics borders of chamber music, Portuguese folk, theatre, jazz and the art of song, with the entertaining ease and serious intensity of musical virtuosity. Jazz Podium termed it "Grandiose music"; Tip-Berlin "An elegy of beauty".

Carlos Bica has also composed for several theatre as well as dance and film productions. He worked for many years with renowned vocalist Maria João - a cooperating that established him on the international scene. He has played at the most important festivals in Europe and Asia and has worked with Ray Anderson, Kenny Wheeler, Aki Takase, Lee Konitz, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Albert Mangelsdorf, Joey Baron, Matthias Schubert, John Ruoco, John Zorn, Paolo Fresu, Markus Stockhausen among others. In the traditional music of his native Portugal - o fado - he performed with singer Carlos do Carmo, the best known musician of this popular genre, and recorded several albums with him. Among further important and inspiring authorities of the Portuguese musical tradition with whom Carlos Bica has performed and recorded rank such names as - José Mário Branco, Camané, Pedro Caldeira Cabral and Janita Salomé. "

"José Soares, saxophonist and composer, was born in Luxembourg in 1991. He moved to Portugal and began his musical studies at the local band in Figueira da Foz. Later he entered the Conservatório de Música David de Sousa to the saxophone class of the professor José Firme. He then moved to Espinho to study in Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho, an undergraduate professional school, where he studied with Fernando Ramos, Gilberto Bernardes and Francisco Ferreira.

In 2010 José entered ESMAE (Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espectáculo), the University of Music and Performing Arts, Oporto, where he holds the degree of bachelor in Jazz Saxophone Performance. There he studied in the Jazz Department with Mário Santos, Nuno Ferreira, Carlos Azevedo, Abe Rábade, among others.

In 2017 he began his Master Studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam being tutored by Ben van Gelder, Joris Roelofs and Jasper Blom which he finished in 2019.Soares is an active musician playing and touring around Europe with many international bands; he's a guest soloist in several large formations like OJM (Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos) and BSP (Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa).

As a composer, he's main focus is to convey his experience to specific set of musicians like his Quartet (with Youngwoo Lee on piano, Jort Terwijn on Bass and Sun Mi Hong on drums), he's trio (Gonçalo Neto on guitar and Alessandro Fongaro on bass) or he's co-lied trio with the mexican singer songwriter Fuensanta Mendéz and the astonishing trumpet player Alistair Payne. Soares also writes for his duo with Harmen Fraanje, a very intimate and boundary.less duo.

Beside his own projects, Soares has been a requested musician for several bands with whom he has been recording his work: Ensemble Super Moderne (winner of the Best Jazz Album 2015, JazzLogical), AXES (winner of the Best Jazz Album 2017), Liquid Identities (Keep and Eye Competition 2019), Eduardo Cardinho Quintet (winner of "Prémio Jovens Músicos" 2014), Jeffery Davis Quintet, João Grilo e a Longifolia, Mané Fernandes "The Mantra of The Phat Lotus", Pedro Melo Alves' Omniae Ensemble, AXES, Guy Tristan Salamon (Keep an Eye Records winner 2018), Giuseppe Campisi, among many others."

"Eduardo Cardinho, is a vibraphonist, composer and producer based in Porto, Portugal. Distinguished himself as one of the most creative vibraphonists of his generation, well known by his rhythmic approach and unique sound, Cardinho has developed his own voice and technique on the vibraphone over the years.

After studying classical and contemporary percussion in Escola Profissional de Música de Espinho with Nuno Aroso, Rui Rodrigues, Joaquim Alves and Pedro Oliveira, pursued his university level studies in Jazz vibraphone at Escola Superior de Música do Porto with Jeffery Davies, Abe Rabade, Nuno Ferreira and Carlos Azevedo. Later on, the master's degree in Jazz Vibraphone at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with the highest score and distinction, (10/10, Cum Laude in final recital) with the professors Harmen Franje and Jesse Van Ruller.

His first album "Black Hole", was acclaimed as one of the best national albums of the year 2016 by Jazz.pt and Jazz Logical. He also have recorded with "Home" by João Barradas for the New York Lable Inner Circle Music by Greg Osby (elected the jazz group of the year 2018 by the Portuguese television channel, RTP). Eduardo Cardinho last album called "In Search of Light" with the special guest, the Dutch saxophonist, Ben Van Gelder, was also acclaimed as one of the best national albums of the year 2019 by Jazz.pt and Jazz Logical. In 2024, he will release his 3rd album with original music called "Not Far From Paradise".

He was distinguished with the prize for best instrumentalist at Festa do Jazz - Lisbon, in 2014 and in 2016 he obtained the first prize on the most prestigious music competition in Portugal, "Festival Jovens Músicos" in the Jazz Combo category - higher level, with - "Home".

He performed as a guest soloist with the prestigious "Orquestra de Jazz de Matosinhos", "Orquestra de Jazz de Espinho", "Big Band de Estarreja", and shared the stage with some such amazing musicians as: Hermon Mehari, Seamus Blake, Julian Arguelles, Allan Mednard, Ben Van Gelder, Travis Reuter, Andrew D' Angelo, Ben Street, Xavi Torres, Jamie Peet, Ashton Sellers, Melissa Aldana André Fernandes, Jeffery Davis, Naima Acuña, David Binney, Ricardo Toscano, Carlos Bica, Óscar Graça, Nelson Cascais, Bruno Pedroso, André Rosinha, Demian Caboud, Iago Fernandez, João Barradas, Frederico Heliodoro, Felipe Continentino, Fred Selva, Bárbara Tinoco, Miguel Araújo e muito mais.

Internationally, he goes to various workshops and master classes. He knows and works with Ambrose Akinmousire, Aaron Parks, Melisa Aldana, Chris Cheek, David Friedman, Jorge Rossi, Leo Genovese, Carlos Bica, Jim Black and Frank Möbus."

"In 2015, Gonçalo Neto completed his degree in Jazz at the ESML, and, in the same year, he won the Young Musicians award with the group HOME by João Barradas. In 2016, he gave workshops and concerts in Macau and Hong Kong at the invitation of bassist Zé Eduardo.

He moved to Amsterdam in 2018, where he completed his master's degree in jazz guitar at the Conservatorium Van Amsterdam."