PEDRO NEVES Quarteto

Pedro Neves is a Portuguese jazz pianist and composer whose work has consistently earned critical and public acclaim. Over the years, he has cultivated an unmistakable voice in contemporary jazz — defined by lyrical depth, compositional rigor, and openness to different rhythmic and sonic universes.

His debut album, Ausente (2013), revealed an artist of rare sensitivity, appearing on the year-end lists of the most renowned jazz critics and journalists in Portugal. Nuno Catarino, from Público, described his music as "some of the most beautiful and delicate jazz music made in Portugal," while Time Out praised his "refined melodic sense and the wonderful balance between rhythmic and lyrical élan." Ausente also gained a loyal audience in Japan after being included in Yasukuni Terasima's prestigious Jazz Bar selection.

The albums that followed — 05:21 (2016), Murmuration (2019) and Hindrances (2022) — traced a consistent artistic evolution, deepening the trio's collective language and broadening their compositional palette. Hindrances was hailed as "a major moment in Pedro Neves' career" by Jazz.pt, consolidating his reputation among the most interesting piano trio voices in European jazz.

His most recent album, Northern Train (2025), continues this journey — a new chapter in a body of work that is still in motion and that draws inspiration from winter landscapes and the contradictions of this season. "It is in this imposed pause of nature that the inspiration for this train's journey resides," writes the pianist about the new album. "A journey of contemplation, absorbing the freedom of each image captured in the window frame. A restless pause, in constant motion, projecting the feeling that nothing is urgent. I wait. To arrive."

For this festival concert, Pedro Neves invites José Soares, one of the most renowned Portuguese saxophonists, with enormous international projection and recognition beyond borders.