MARIA JOAO + SAXOFOUR

From Innsbruck to Porto -
The Elite of Austria’s Sax Players Invites the Jazz Voice of Portugal for a Conference of Voicings

06.10.2007 - 8 pm - Tafelhalle - Tickets for this concert here

Since the early Sixties the romantic connection of voice and sax has been based on soul and poetry. Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz, Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley—or in our timest he black pop-jazz goddess Sade Adu and Stuart Matthewman, they all demonstrate an always unusual combination.

A totally new combination of female voice and sax is created by the meeting of the Portuguese vocal virtuoso and romantic Maria João with Saxofour. Their CD “Cinco“ (2005) demonstrates the new connection clearly. Maria João is the fifth voice of the saxophone quartet whose origin is the musical environment of the Vienna Art Orchestra.
Their common motto can be freely based on what Saxofour member Wolfgang Puschnig said: “Freedom of form—form in freedom. Five individual voices united in independence, yet independent within this unity. For themselves and for each other. Dialog and discussion. The goal: common musical expressions, i.e. a living body of sound!!! “
At first, adding a human voice to a sax quartet seemed not to be blessed with real success, but the result was more than convincing. The very first live performance of this unusual quintet in the summer of 2002 made believers out of the audience and the critics.
Saxofour offers a level of performance, musicality, wit and ability that is a class of its own. Now add the great voive and smashing musicality of Maria João and you have more than a quintet—you a veritable audio event.
The program consist of a careful selection of Maria João’s songs that were most skilfully arranged for four saxes, resp. flutes and clarinets, and original compositions of Saxofour written esp. for this project.
The compositions as serve as launching pads for improvisatory high-altitude flights that Maria João joins with mind-boggling naturalness. One essential factor of this hand-in-glove understanding is the enjoyment of music and its humor.