Led by its drummer, the João Rocha Quartet is a canonical formation of saxophone/piano/double-bass and drums, composed by a line-up of young Portuguese musicians who, following jazz’s tradition and under the influence of Pat Metheny, Keith Jarrett or Mark Turner, among other influential modern jazz artists, pursue, according to their own words, “a contemporary sound, with space for individual expression without sacrificing the […] collective”. In addition to their youth and the fact that they all share an academic background in jazz, the members of this group have the particularity of having already performed in previous editions Guimarães Jazz, attending the workshops and as students of ESMAE, an aspect that we consider it is important to highlight as it marks the transition of these musicians from their formative period to the professional circuit of jazz.

João Rocha (b.2000, Porto) started playing drums at five years old and began his formal training in music at the Music Conservatory of Porto, where he had the opportunity of deepen his study of percussion – both in classical variant as well as in jazz drums – and to integrate the Classic and Jazz orchestra of that same teaching institution. In parallel to his conventional academic trajectory, João Rocha attended the Percussion Atelier of Porto, where he studied under the guidance of Hugo Danin, and has already performed at Guimarães Jazz as member of jazz orchestra of ESMAE, where he is currently a student.

Born in Porto, bassist Francisco Azevedo was born in a family with strong ties to music - his father, Carlos Azevedo, is a renowned pianist, composer and arranger of Portuguese jazz – and completed his first cycle of musical training at the Music Conservatory of Porto, where he studied jazz and began his explorations of double-bass. Francisco Azevedo is currently enrolled at ESMAE.

Despite his youth (he recently commemorated his twentieth anniversary), Lucas Oliveira already presents a rich and diversified curriculum of formative and professional experiences in the field of jazz. Born in Ovar, Lucas Oliveira began his training in saxophone at the Ovarense Philharmonic Band and at the Music Academy of the Ovar Orphean, having later enrolled at the Professional School of Music of Espinho and attended masterclasses with prestigious teachers such as Fernando Ramos and Niels Bijl. At a professional level, the saxophonist collaborated with the Orchestra of Espino – in the context of which he had the opportunity of working with renowned musicians such as Nils Wogram, Abé Rabade, Mário Laginha or Cristina Branco, among others – and integrated the ensemble Rute, a group that was awarded the Best Original Composition award of the International Jazz Competition of the University of Aveiro.

João Ferreira (b. 2004) is a pianist graduated from the Music Conservatory of Porto, where he studied piano jazz with the teacher and musician Paulo Gomes and began to explore his interest in improvised music. João Ferreira is currently a student at ESMAE, having studied under the guidance of renowned musicians such as Hugo Raro and Daniel Bernardes, who will also perform in this edition of Guimarães Jazz in collaboration with the percussion ensemble Drumming.