Results for "Mario Franco"

Mário Franco

Born: October 20, 1965

Mário Franco 
Born in 1965, he started music lessons at the age of 4 in Centro de 
Estudos Gregorianos. 
He studied music theory with Maria José Godinho and after moved to 
Academia de Amadores de Música where he continued his studies in 
music theory with Cristina Brito da Cruz, started to study double bass 
and chamber music with Fernando Flores and composition with Pedro 
Rocha.
In 1986-87 attended double-bass courses given by Ludwig Streicher in 
Estoril and in 1988 won 1st prize in the Prémio Jovens Músicos (Young 
Musicians Competition); later became a member of Orquestra Sinfónica 
Juvenil where he worked on classical repertory with conductor 
Christopher Bochmann. 
Also worked with conductors Silva Pereira, Miguel Graça Moura, Roberto 
Perez, Michel Swierczewski and Cesário Costa.
He subsequently became interested in Jazz. After having bass guitar 
lessons with António Ferro he began taking Double bass lessons at Hot 
Club Jazz School with David Gausden and playing in jam sessions; also 
took part in workshops with Rufus Reid, Niels Henning, Orsted 
Pederson, Eberhard Weber, Dave Holland, Gary Burton, Roland Hanna, 
David Liebman among others…
In 1990 presented his first project based on original compositions and 
was awarded 1st prize for his group and 2nd prize for composition in 
the competition “A Juventude e a Música“ (Young People and Music).
His eclectic musical education has enabled him, since the 90’s, to work 
in many different projects, within diverse musical contexts, with artists 
such as: 
Pedro Caldeira Cabral, Miguel Amaral, Ricardo Rocha, António Chaínho, 
José Peixoto, Early and Contemporary Music Consort “Sete Lágrimas”, 
Vera Morais and Francisco Sassetti, Miguel Azguime, Carminho, Maro,
Camané, Sérgio Godinho, Vitorino, Uxia, Lura, José Manuel Barreto, 
Sofia Vitória, Maria Ana Bobone, Filipa Pais, Bernardo Sassetti, Mário 
Laginha, Luis Figueiredo, Luis Barrigas, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, 
Dan Hewson, António Pinho Vargas, Jarmo Savolainen, Júlio Resende, 
Carlo Morena, Carlos Martins, Tomás Pimentel, Maria João, Tommy 
Halferty, John Wadham, Luigi Waites, Sérgio Pelágio, André Sousa 
Machado, André Fernandes, António Pinto, Desidério Lázaro, Andy 
Sheppard, Daniel Erdmann, Zlatko Kaućić, Samuel Rohrer, Ralph Peterson Jr., 
Markku Ounaskari, Myra Melford, Jon Irabagon, Peter Epstein, David Binney, 
Paolo Fresu, Ralph Towner, Joel Harrison, Graham Haynes…
Has performed outside Portugal in some of the most important music 
festivals in China, Japan, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, 
Czech Republic, Greece, Norway, Russia, Brazil… 
In 2006 Tone of a Pitch Records edited his first CD as a leader, “This 
Life”, with Jesse Chandler (piano, hammond organ and melodica), 
André Fernandes (guitar), João Lencastre (drums), João 
Gomes (rhodes, sinthetizer, laptop) and includes NY based David Binney 
(alto saxophone). This recording was well received by the Portuguese 
public and critics, and was considered by the American magazine All 
About Jazz, to be the second best CDs of 2006. 
“Our Door” is Mário Franco’s new album for TOAP Records as a leader 
realized in 2013 and includes Sérgio Pelágio (guitar) and André Sousa 
Machado (drums). 
In 2017 "Rush" is his new album as a leader for Nischo Records, with 
Sérgio Pelágio (guitar), Óscar Graça (piano and electronics), Luís 
Figueiredo (rhodes, hammond organ, philicorda, other keyboards) and 
Alexandre Frazão (drums, percussion).
As a co-leader he recorded in 2013 "Cine Qua Non" for TOAP Records with 
Paula Sousa (piano), Afonso Pais (guitar) and João Paulo Esteves da Silva 
(accordion).
"Brightbird" in 2017 for Arjuna Records with João Paulo Esteves da Silva 
(piano) and Samuel Rohrer (drums). 
In 2019 Mario Franco together with Rita Maria (voice) and Luís Figueiredo 
(piano) decided to form "Roda Music - Independent Music Label" and in the 
same year launched their first album "Círculo" which was also the first album 
released with this label.

André Sousa Machado

The River

Label: Arjunamusic Records
Released: 2023
Track listing: The House Behind; Loosing Memory; City People; Concerning The Ice; Passing Wind; Head, Heart; From Below; Lost Small Things; Smoke Signals.

João Paulo Esteves da Silva / Mário Franco / Samuel Rohrer: Brightbird

by Henning Bolte
March 19, 2018

There is music that gradually unfolds, music that lingers in stasis, music with sparse tonal movement, and, sometimes, music that simply happens, like the symphonies of sound in nature. This trio's music is quite close to this last mode. Just a few tones open up a broad living-space and let sound happen and get enriched by ...

BRIGHTBIRD

Label: Arjunamusic Records
Released: 2017
Track listing: The Fireplace; Sun; Trusting Heart/Cosmos; Renewal; Winter; Bird; Noontide; Waking; Uncertain Steps; Oldness; There Were Shadows; Waves; So Much Water So Much Green.

Rush

By Mário Franco

Label: Nischo
Released: 2017
Track listing: Paralelos Cruzados (Crossed Parallels); Pedregulho (Giant Stone); Do Mar (From The Sea); Talvez Sim, Talvez Nao (Maybe, Maybe Not), Rumba Riscada (Scratched Rumba); Aftermath Of War; Dia De Merda (The Shittiest Day); Rush; Luz (Light); Desconhecido (Unknown); Kind Of High.

Mário Franco: Rush

by Chris Mosey
December 30, 2017

Portuguese bassist, composer and dancer Mario Franco, describes Rush as “a rock-inspired jazz album." It came, he says, from “an inner need of electric sounds." Franco, born 1965, started out playing classical music before switching to jazz. He is a dancer with the National Ballet Company of Portugal. His latest ...

Mário Franco Trio: Our Door

by Gabriel Medina Arenas
May 18, 2014

Our Door, the debut album from the Mário Franco Trio, is lush with nostalgia and camaraderie, but also creates a vibrant breath of fresh air, offering hope for the present and future states of Portuguese jazz. These gifted musicians met at the end of the 80's in Lisbon's Hot Clube de Portugal, one of ...

Take Five With Mário Franco

by Mario Franco
April 13, 2014

Meet Mario Franco: Mário Franco was born in 1965 and started music lessons when he was four years old in Centro Estudos Gregorianos. Franco studied music theory with Maria José Godinho then with Cristina Brito da Cruz in the Academia de Amadores De Música. During his time at Academia Amadores De Música, he initated double ...

Our Door

By Mário Franco

Label: Tone Of A Pitch Records
Released: 2013
Track listing: Número 1; Paramour; Intro to Our Door; Our Door; Giant Steps; Os Velhos; Backyard; How my Heart Sings; Ballad for Bernt; Vine; Giant Steps (alternate take)