HUGO ALVES GIVEN SOUL NEW 2007!

The most recent project of Hugo Alves, one of the most important and active Portuguese jazz trumpet players today, had its premiere with great success in September of 2006 (at Albufeira’s Jazz Festival - Portugal, followed later in October by a TOUR, the Early Fall Tour' 06, consisting of four concerts in Spain and Portugal. Recorded in November of 2006, encounters musicians: Pablo Romero (ESP) on electric piano, Rodrigo Monteiro (POR) on doublebass and Michael Lauren (USA) on drums. Again Hugo Alves introduces original music, mainstream traces but with special melodic clippings, thus showing, his qualities, both as a composer and as a soloist, as many national and international jazz critics have acknowledged. Jose Carlos Santos (Artistic Director of the BragaJazz Festival) writes the liner notes for the CD where we can read: “Hugo is truly a "self made" jazz musician, made of the material that real jazz musicians are made of.  ”Given Soul" is his third project, and besides revealing an exceptional ability on trumpet, his quest for originality and new sounds is very apparent and shines a light into the future. Credit should also be given to his colleagues in this adventure...” The CD was released in May of 2007 and had a Presentation Tour that began in neighbouring Spain, and then Portugal.

HUGO ALVES TAKSI TRIO

Hugo Alves Taksi Trio, was recorded on the last days of 2004, and edited on March 2005, released on a concert at Festival Braga Jazz '05. The band is a Trio, and to Hugo Alves on trumept and flugel, joins Jorge Moniz on drums and Zé Eduardo on doublebass. The repertoire is made of original compositions by Hugo Alves in styles and contexts of hardbop and contemporary jazz, with some more free context textures. It is a true example of a happening between three musicians that let themselves involve and develop the compositioons of Hugo Alves. "We let stay everything. Everything as it happened."
The CD has a Premium Sponsorship of Faro Capital Nacional da Cultura 2005, and with the support of other Portuguese Official Authorities such as Associação Músicas no Sul, Câmara Municipal de Lagos, Delegação Regional do Algarve do Ministério da Cultura, Governo Civil de Faro, Área Metropolitana do Algarve, and yet other private entities. 

HUGO ALVES ESTRANHA NATUREZA

The first solo CD, the debut as a leader, could not have greater acceptance to a national and international levels. One of the highest "prizes" came for one of the portuguese more important jazz critic José Duarte which considered the album as "Best Portuguese Jazz CD of 2003" on his website, nowdays located at http://www.jazzportugal.ua.pt.
This project reunited three young portuguese jazz musicians, already with some importance at the portuguese scene: Bruno Santos (guitar), Jorge Moniz (drums) and Nuno Correia (doublebass). The project proved strong in concert, as for the concerts in Portugal and Spain that has made.
Musically Hugo Alves recorded on this CD themes that were part of his jazz path specially between 1998 e 2003, and so the recording produced a strong hard-bop style with some comtemporary marks.
This CD had as well the officail Support of some Portuguese Authorities like: Câmara Municipal de Lagos, Delegação Regional do Algarve do Ministério da Cultura, among others.

ORQUESTRA DE JAZZ DE LAGOS (Dir. Hugo Alves)

One of the last project that Hugo Alves founded, dates from October 2004 and has the Offcial Support of Câmara Municipal de Lagos, unites 18 musicians, on a full Big Band that includes two voices (female and male). OJL plays music that compreends all of the Big band History since the early 20's. Names like Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sammy Nestico. Other names are also present in the repertoire such as Thad Jones and other actual authors and arrangers who write for Big Band. Hugo Alves puts in practice his whole experience of more than 10 years (only in Big Bands), an adventure started with Zé Eduardo, and taken with others big names of the portuguese scene, but also international scene, as Carla Bley, Jorge Costa Pinto, among others.
OJL presents as weel guest musicians, as it was the case of trumpet player Bobby Medina (Los Angeles, EUA) , in march 2005. Pay a visit to OJL website (portuguese only, english in a short while!)  http://orquestradejazzdelagos.com/

OTHER PROJECTS:

Ricky Taylor + Hugo Alves Quartet

Hugo Alves Quarteto e Mais

Orquestra de Jorge Costa Pinto

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