From June to November 2017, the heart of Portugal will be filled with art. Promoted by ADXTUR- Schist Villages Tourism Development Agency and JACC- Jazz at the Centre Club, XJazz- Jazz Encounters in the Aldeias do Xisto will once again invite musicians of national and international renown to immerse themselves in the reality of the villages through artistic residencies and concerts, crossing cultural identity and landscapes with music, drama and scenography.

The opening up of this territory to creation and artistic expression is further reinforced, strengthening Aldeias do Xisto’s assets and values as a brand that welcomes experimentation, innovation and the connection between humans, places, art and nature.

Through several agents and stakeholders in the region, Jazz Encounters are but one example of local thinking and action, integrated in a larger development project centred on the region's values: nature and assets, historical and cultural cuisine, leisure, tourism infrastructure and services.

XJazz has a rich and diverse programme which, although focused on jazz, includes other zones and is an advocate for “sound ecology”. The artistic programme is rooted in the genuine identity and culture of the villages, these encounters are based in the number of the Aldeias do Xisto, benefiting from its social and environmental circumstances for unique moments of creation, discovery and sharing.

PROGRAMME

Mû Mbana
Saturday, 2 June - Cerdeira, Lousã

Joëlle Leandre x 5
Artistic residency from 12 to 15 July - Figueira, Proença-a-Nova
Show on 15 July - Figueira, Proença-a-Nova - 7pm
(in partnership with Serralves)

Hamilton de Holanda
23 July - Góis River Beach (Peneda/Pego Escuro) 9:30pm

DEMO - Dispositivo Experimental; multidisciplinar e Orgânico
Ventre da Terra - Panasqueira Mines
Artists’ residency from July to August - Barroca, Fundão
Multi-format show on 4 and 5 August - Barroca River Beach, Fundão - 10pm

Hugo Antunes, Ricardo Toscano, João Pereira - Trio
19 August - Casa das Artes, Miranda do Corvo - 10pm

Quiné "DaCorDaMadeira"
2 September - Gondramaz, Miranda do Corvo

Mû Mbana
Singer and interpreter of various chords, bringing tones and flavours of Africa generated throughout the world.

Joëlle Leandre x 5
Joëlle Léandre (double bass, voice); Susana Santos Silva (trumpet, flugelhorn); Maria Radich (voice, dance); Maria do Mar (violin); Joana Guerra (cello, voice), Angélica V. Salvi (harp, electronics)

French double bassist, performer and composer Joëlle Leandre is one of the leading figures in European and world music. Trained in contemporary and orchestral music, she's played with l’Itinéraire, 2e2m and Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble Intercontemporain. Joëlle Léandre also worked with Merce Cunningham and John Cage, who wrote pieces purposely for her - as did composers such as Scelsi, Fénelon, Hersant, Lacy, Campana, Jolas, Clementi (and 40 other renowned composers). In addition to contemporary music, Joëlle has made a career in Jazz and Improvised Music, playing with such luminaries as Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Evan Parker (who has been to XJazz), Irene Schweizer, William Parker, Carlos "Zingaro", Barre Phillips, Pascal Contet, Steve Lacy, Lauren Newton, Peter Kowald, Urs Leimgruber, Mat Maneri, Roy Campbell, Fred Frith, John Zorn, Mark Naussef, Marilyn Crispell, among many others.
She has produced numerous theatre and dance pieces, and she has taught in several universities, Mills College (Oakland, Califórnia) being the most prestigious.
She can be heard on more than 200 albums, starting from the late 70s.
And she has been awarded the French National Order of Merit.

Hamilton de Holanda
Hamilton's search is not for novelty, but for a music focused on beauty and spontaneity. Leading to a whole new world of possibilities. His guiding principle is "Modern is Tradition", and what is important is not the past, nor the future, but the space where these two come together, life in the present moment, here and now.
Today, 16 years after adding two extra strings, 10 in total, he reinvents the bandolim and frees the emblematic Brazilian instrument from the legacy of some of its influences and genres. The increase in the number of strings, together with the speed of solos and improvisations, inspired a new generation to approach the mandolin and to create compositions with a new instrumentation. Be it jazz, samba, rock, pop, lundu or choro, it doesn't matter. In the USA the press has dubbed him the ”Jimmy Hendrix on the bandolin”.
Has been nominated for Latin Grammy several times, and has won an award in the last 2 ceremonies: 2016 in the best instrumental album category with ‘Samba de Chico’ and, in 2015 in the best Brazilian song category with “Bossa Negra”, in partnership with Diogo Nogueira and Marcos Portinari.
With his solid career it's usual to see Hamilton de Holanda in the most important world venues, having shared the stage with the likes of Wynton Marsalis, Hermeto Pascoal, John Paul Jones (Led Zepellin), Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque, Chucho Valdes, Egberto Gismonti, Zeca Pagodinho, Stefano Bollani, Djavan, Richard Galliano, Marisa Monte, Alcione, Maria Bethania, Seu Jorge, among many others.
His discography also includes special collaborations in the works of Maria Bethania, Djavan, Cesaria Évora, Beth Carvalho, Diogo Nogueira, Zélia Duncan, Dona Ivone Lara, Ivan Lins, João Bosco, among others.

DEMO - Dispositivo Experimental; multidisciplinar e Orgânico
Ventre da Terra - Panasqueira Mines
DEMO is a collective of artists that focus on experimentation and creation based on the mixture of performance and visual arts within a collective context, where the public tends to assume a creative and participatory role. Apart from creating shows and holding performances, they also hold workshops, exhibitions and publications. It also seeks to foster a critical consciousness through the development of art through sharing, exchange of knowledge and the fusion of the various artistic fields. In this way, it aims to stimulate new audiences and the decentralisation and internationalisation of Portuguese art.
This artistic residency tends to create a multimedia spectacle based on Panasqueira Mines, Tungsten mines’ relationship to the memory of its inhabitants and workers and current reality with the wider territory it is inserted in.
Território = terra, terra + torrium, pertencer.
Mina is a natural vein of ores that defies human ingenuity, a face to face between Man and Nature. Or rather, a basin from which water flows, the first sign of Life. It is a hidden treasure in the bowels of the earth, an underground path to a place under siege. It is also the scoundrel’s mistress, or any woman. A hidden, dark, fresh place...
Panasqueira Mines are the largest subterranean mines in the world, with more than 12,000 human sculpted kilometres of tunnel networks.

Hugo Antunes, Ricardo Toscano, João Pereira - Trio
Made up of 2 generations of national jazz artists united by the pleasure of playing traditional music. Double bassist Hugo Antunes has recently returned from Brussels, where he was based for about 6 years. During his time in Brussels participated in multiple projects with leading figures in the world and European jets, in such projects as Scott Fields freetet, Velkro, Sun 7 and Cornettada.
Although the 2 musicians joining the double bassist may be young, they are already established figures in Portuguese jazz. Saxophonist Ricardo Toscano is probably the most visible face in the new generation of national musicians. This is due to the remarkable work as the leader of a quartet of which the drummer in this trio, João Pereira, was also a member.

Quiné "DaCorDaMadeira"
Project DaCorDaMadeira started in 2001 based on a back-and-forth trip to the South African soundscape. It is the fruit of the author's musical and extra-musical experiences and reflects a very personal universe of traditional, Portuguese and world music, brought to the contemporary.
Having released his first solo album (da cor da madeira) in 2008, Quiné Teles is currently preparing his second recording, to be released in 2017.