Hugo Alves

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Born: June 19, 1973 Primary Instrument: Trumpet

He was born in Lagos - Portugal, and he is an autodidactic musician, having initiated his musical studies at about seven years of age in the city..s philharmonic. In 1991 it is in Faro that finds a small jazz community made up of local musicians, connected to what remained of a jazz club. In 1994 he begins private harmony, composition and Jazz classes with Zé Eduardo, participating in several workshops throughout the country. The first Big band appears in his career through Zé Eduardo in the ..Big Band Jazz in the Philharmonic... He studies in several workshops such as the Algarve Jazz Workshop (1996), or courses given by diverse musicians such as John Nugent, Doug Weiss and Dawn Thompson, Randy Brecker, Frank Tiberi, Scott Wendholt, among many others. After a quick stint in the ..Big Band Almada Cool.., he becomes part of 2000 the ..Zé Eduardo Unit.. in 2000 participating in the Matosinhos Jazz Festival alongside the high saxophonist Peter King. With the ..Unit.. he participates on José Duarte..s TV program ..Jazz in Black and White... In 2001 he becomes part of the ..Matosinhos Jazz Orchestra.., covering some of the most important Festivals of Jazz in the country until May of 2004. During this period the orchestra had noteworthy guests like: Bob Berg, Conrad Herwig, Ingrid Jensen, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Gary Valente. He was part of a big band which paid homage to Louis Armstong, directed by Laurent Filipe, in which Angela Hagenbach and the guitarist Danny Embrey participated. In 2001, rehearsals began for the Quartet that had its opening night at Faro..s 6th International Jazz Festival ..Jazz in the Winter.. that same year, he would come to record the ..Strange Nature.. CD in 2003, considered by Jose Duarte at http://www.jazzportugal.ua.pt as the ..Best Portuguese Jazz CD of 2003... On ..Strange Nature the musicians are: Bruno Santos (guitar), Nuno Correia (doublebass) and Jorge Moniz (drums). Still in 2001 Hugo Alves participates for about a year on a weekly program on channel RTP1. In 2003 he starts a regular participation with the ..Jorge Costa Pinto Orchestra.. (Lisbon) and is named honorary partner of the Association ..Córdoba Jazz.. (Spain) as recognition for being one of the new and more important attributes of Current Portuguese jazz. In 2004 he establishes the ..Lagos Jazz Orchestra.., in Lagos a Big Band with 18 musicians. In 2005 he edits the CD ..Taksi Trio.. once again with original music and alongside musicians Jorge Moniz (drums) and Zé Eduardo (doublebass), the CD was highly sponsored by Faro the National Capital of Culture, and recently distinguished as ..One of the Best Portuguese Jazz CDs of 2005.. (Jazz.pt magazine, Improvisos do Sul Blog). In 2006 Hugo contributes with two texts, one about Louis Armstrong, another about Dizzy Gillespie, for one of the most important edited Jazz collections in Portugal until now, the collection ..Let..s Jazz.. for the Public Periodical, guided by Jose Duarte. Theory becomes practice through the project Jazz In School (http://jazznaescola.com), in collaboration with the Regional Education Director of the Algarve, with the production of the multimedia CD-ROM to be used in the sessions, and he also records his new CD ..Given Soul.. with musicians Pablo Romero (piano, SPA), Rodrigo Monteiro (doublebass, POR) and Michael Lauren (drums, U.S.A.). 2007 is the year of the release of the ..Given Soul.. CD, that has meanwhile already had a Presentation Tour took the Quartet to Salamanca and Mérida in Spain, and also to the Hot Club Jazz Party at the São Luiz Theater in Lisbon. For 2007 another even bigger project will be undertaken by Hugo Alves, the AJMMA - Atelier of Jazz and Modern Music of the Algarve, that will soon be presented and shall be the first School of Jazz in the Algarve, with a Program of defined studies and Faculty, and will be located at the new headquarters of the Music Association of the South / Lagos Jazz Orchestra. Hugo Alves has participated in innumerable Festivals and events in countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, South Africa and Italy.

Last Updated: January 21, 2010

... about the CD HUGO ALVES QUARTET GIVEN SOUL (listen here!)

“... As in the case of trumpeter Hugo Alves, whose CD Given Soul is a real breath of fresh air in the new Portuguese jazz. Not because he is going for new grounds as others, or representing a new facet of a certain Portuguese jazz. For years Hugo Alves comes across our path as a soloist, an orchestra musician, and a teacher. What he presents in all this humility is music well rooted in jazz, expressed safely, with melodic invention, vivacity and absolute sense of jazz. Accompanied by a sympathetic trio with it's concepts, especially the drummer Michael Lauren, Hugo Alves, once again, affirmes to be a trumpeter of international call.” (classified with ****) Raul Vaz Bernardo, Expresso - Revista Actual, 09.Fev.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul among the “Best National Jazz CDs”. António Rubio, Magazine Jazz.pt, Jan/Fev.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul among the “10 Best National Jazz CDs “. António Branco, Blog Improvisos Ao Sul, 03.Jan.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul among the “8 Best National Jazz CDs”. Manuel Jorge Veloso, Blog O S�-tio do Jazz, 01.Jan.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul among the “Best National Jazz CDs”. Raul Vaz Bernardo, Website JazzLogical Jan.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul among the “Best National Jazz CDs”. Leonel Santos, Website JazzLogical Jan.2008

Hugo Alves Given Soul as background music on the “Entre Pratos” program on channel RTP2 (national TV), presented by: Henrique Sá Pessoa, 08.Dec.2007

“Hugo Alves is a type of lone wolf in the national Jazz panorama. He is Algarvian, he was part of the Ze Eduardo Unit, he's the Lagos Jazz Orquestra director and the Taksi Trio mentor. Hugo Alves is a bopper, with all which can be said of boppers both good and bad: the boppers were the best musicians in the world and their technique in many cases continues to be insurpassable. Esthetically we can classify his playing as being unsurpassable . All all one has to do is go to a concert performance to understand that his music seems to have always existed and must never stop existing. Hugo Alves is a jazz musician that likes his Jazz pure and hard: his last CD, without a harmonic instument, was truely “raw” (I believe it easier to listen to it in live concert) while on Given Soul Pablo Romero's electric piano seems to have polished the edges and helped it become more balanced. A CD that one can listen to with pleasure.” Leonel Santos, Site http://www.jazzlogical.net , “30 CDs for Christmas”, Dec.2007

Hugo Alves Given Soul classified with**** (out of *****) by http://www.jazzportugal.ua.pt José Duarte, JazzPortugal, Jun.2007

“Alves has once again made evidente his credentials not only as an inspired instrumentalist but also as a gifted composer. With his clear and structured sound he has put together a CD filled with a sunny, warm, laidback atmosphereand includes an elegant swing... “Given Soul is a sober and honest CD by a musician that cannot seem to stop surprising us and still seems to have a lot to contribuite to tha national jazz scene. This is just the beginning...” António Branco, Blog Improvisos Ao Sul, 22.Jun.2007

“Hugo Alves, an important figure in the national jazz scene, confirms all of his inate talent on trumpet. The evolution which lead to this CD is probably the most imporant of his carreer. The crystal clear sound of his trumpet and the fluidity of the notes that come out of him can only be produced by a mature musician that is completely aware and in control of the secrets hidden within his instruments and therefore is able to produce all the melody and harmony needed to show in such an exemplary form what can be found here. A milestone” António Rubio in Correio da Manhã(national newspaper), Êxito / CDs of the week, on 09.Jun.2007 Class. **** (out of *****)

“Hugo Alves affirms himself as one of the sure things in the national jazz panorama. We particularly appreciate the honest way he presents his originals... with an extreme sobriety, capable, above all, of joining with a sensibility which has very little if anything to do with jazz. The freshness of the music, always a bit mainstream allowed him to conquer a space which has no doubt been waiting for him: the esthetics of jzz is painted with a palet of many colours and it is necessary that the spectrum have as many different tones as possible... Hugo Alves' world of sound grabs us at first listen.” Rui Branco in Jornal de Not�-cias (national newspaper), Culture / CD, on 02.Jun.2007 Class. 7/10

... about the CD HUGO ALVES TAKSI TRIO

(about tune Tema Só Para Ti) ”tune of beautiful clipping... supported by a full sound on which the interesting improvisation of the trumpet evolves, here demonstrating to a perfect instrumental domain and a controlled and beutiful sound”. (about the tune Mo�-nhos de Arroz)”... it represents a remarkable aesthetic jump, in what concerns the evolution of improvisation and its relation with a structure previously defined. MANUEL JORGE VELOSO on National Portuguese Radio Show “UM TOQUE DE JAZZ”, RDP Antena 2, 12/05/2005

“...I highly recomend it!” (about the CD) ANABELA RIBEIRO on National TV Show “MAGAZINE” , RTP Canal A2, 28/02/2005

“The expectations were high, but Hugo Alves once again proved the excellency of its compositions and sound. This recording locks up jazz free from catalogations or labelings. A cool air gust. Do not lose it of sight.” BLOG IMPROVISOS AO SUL, http://improvisosaosul.weblog.com.pt/ , 21/03/2005

“The second CD of original compositions... confirms what the predecessor had brought: a safe musician and with good fine taste... The trio works as a small machine, with perfect empathy. In prominence, of course, the improvisations of Hugo Alves, as on trompete, or on flugel, finds solutions that arrive to surprise...” RUI BRANCO in JORNAL DE NOTÍCIAS, “Pré-Escuta”, em 12/03/2005

... about the CD HUGO ALVES ESTRANHA NATUREZA

“... style mainstream 70, with some contemporary phrasing . It is a conscientious choice, and there is no reason to believe that portuguese jazz is drifting. Hugo teaches and shows that, without going looking for notes to the four winds, he dominates his his instruments from where he extracts sounds of some naturality which we are no longer accustomed in jazz… one should not exclude that Hugo Alves will impose himself shortly in the jazz world.” PATRICK DALMACE in JAZZ HOT Nº 612 July/August 2004 “ França ( translated )

“... a complete musician dedicated to contemporary jazz... plays in a relax manner and well elaborated, almost unconcerned but with all elements of jazz. His way of playing is smoothly fluent, almost seductive, as dynamic and vigorous. A very good record...” in JAZZ DIMENSIONS, 18-02-2004 “ Alemanha ( translated)

“..., a record that leads us to the surprising sound maturity of a trumpet player constantly evolving,… Risking, with courage and technique, a series of originals inserted on neo-mainstream grounds, Hugo Alves reveals articulated and aggressive enough on trumpet “ knowing well and where to “double” tempo, for example in Um Outro Céu de Prata “ but also controlling to a round sound on flugelhorn on Dois Velhos or specially in No Castelo da Catarina, pece where looks me to reside his best side as a composer” MANUEL JORGE VELOSO in National Portuguese Newspaper DIÁRIO DE NOTÍCIAS “A várias vozes” suplement DN Mais, 30/01/2004

...about ORQUESTRA DE JAZZ DE LAGOS (concerts)

“... (concert) that had the special guest Bobby Medina ... OJL, the responsable for this revolution and invasion (of public), that left astonished with the quality of presented music.” In Canallagos, http://www.canallagos.com , 08/03/2005

“The work of the orchestra head-man and the sense of delivery found on the musicians provided an unexpected artistic dimension... Either on solos, or in the global sound of the orchestra, was well express the will and the capacity to make things good... Tunes of Duke Ellington, Billy Martin, Sonny Rollins and others, took the room to fire. Reference for excellent solos... an unforgetable night... “ANTONIO RUBIO in National Poortuguese Newspaper CORREIO DA MANHÃ “Uma Agradável Certeza”, 29/01/2005

Estranha Natureza (2003)
Taksi Trio (2005)
Given Soul (2007)

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Primary Instrument:
Trumpet

Location:
Faro, 8005

Willing to teach:
Advanced students only.

Credentials/Background:
Teacher at ESMAE (superior official school of music - jazz studies), pedagogical director and teachar at AJMMA.

Clinic/Workshop Information:
Workshops all over Portugal, but also Spain, South Africa, Italy.

Conn, Kanstul, Schilke, Vincent Bach,... usual stuff! ;-)

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