João Barradas, Daniel Bernardes and Becca Stevens at Monserrate Jazz

O festival, under the motto “Other Times”, takes place on the lawns of the Palace of Monserrate, in Sintra, in the district of Lisbon, and “has a more engaging philosophy with the heritage and landscape”, Lusa told his artistic director, Inês Laginha.

All concerts are outdoors, except for the concerts “Jazz for Babies”, directed at children from zero to 36 months and their families, which are held in the music room of the nineteenth century palace.

“The Festival starts from the idea that jazz is more than a musical genre, a way to inhabit time. An elastic time, open to improvisation, dialogue and listening. Between tradition and contemporaneity, composition and creation in real time, learning and enjoyment. This year’s programming invites the public to experience different forms of relationship with music, heritage and landscape, reinforcing the idea of jazz in Monserrate as a meeting space between public artists and generations”, said Inês Laginha.

The festival opens on the 11th with pianist Daniel Bernardes – who made himself known at the Jazz Festival of Valado dos Friars, in 2002, in a project by saxophonist Mário Marques -, and who guides a ‘masterclass’ on “The relationship between music and image”.

In the evening, Daniel Bernardes will accompany to the piano the exhibition of the film “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” (1922), by F.W. Murnau.

“ I like the idea that Friday is a distinctive day, because it's concert day. My idea is that it's a one-time concert day, because people are already working. It's September, so I don't think it's supposed to be Monserrate. Go over there and watch a concert. And this year my challenge to Daniel Bernardes was to make a silent movie live. And he will music this film live, it will be an improvisation, even though he brings prepared parts.”.

The students of Jazz of the National Conservatory perform two ‘jamessions’ on 12 and 13 in the afternoon.

Inês Laginha wanted “to emphasize groups directed by women music”.

“ From that point of view, I called Rita Maria and Angelica Sá, to perform with the band by their choice, and to direct it. They will play music from the compositions of Bernardo Sassetti [1970-2012]”, on September 12, at 18:00.

“ The idea was that the six o'clock concert was a band concert. And, therefore, still during the day, as the sun goes down”, happens on stage to American Becca Stevens to present “Maple To Paper”.

“It’s Becca Stevens solo. I wanted to make a very different idea of what is usually done at festivals, which is to always end up with the biggest band, with the most energetic thing, being the end. I thought it was interesting, precisely because of the fact that it is in a garden and that it is accompanied by sunset, that there is a slowdown throughout the day, as opposed to what is normally done. Therefore, we will have the most complete band at six in the afternoon and then, at eight, Becca Stevens singing solo, accompanying the sun to sunset, because I think it is a relevant part of the experience ", Inês Laginha told Lusa.

In 2008, at age 24, Becca Stevens was pointed out by the jazz critic of The New York Times as “the best kept secret” of jazz. In the course of pianist, singer and songwriter followed collaborations with musicians such as David Crosby and his Lighthouse Band, the jazz orchestra Snarky Puppy, the ensemble Kneebody, Jacob Collier, pianist Brad Mehldau and the Attacca Quartet.

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, Becca Stevens has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.

“On Sunday, the 13th, time already has to do with historical time. We will have Mateus Saldanha, who will play a more traditional jazz, and then João Barradas, who will play a more contemporary jazz”, and who invited American guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg.

Guitarist Mateus Saldanha presents his debut album, “Troubles” (2025).

João Barradas' trio (an accordion) includes André Rosinha (contrabass) and Diogo Divagações (drums), and invited New York guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, who made himself known in 1995 with the album “Third Wish with Wyscan”.

The American musician adds this collaboration to several others who have scored his career, namely with Lonnie Smith, LeeKonitz, Joe Locke, Ari Hoenigm Stefano di Battista and Don Fernando.

The Monserrate Jazz Festival was created in 2022 by the Sintra-Monte da Lua Parks (PSML), the entity that manages the parks and monuments of Sintra.

This year's edition has a budget of 800,000 euros, told Lusa source of PSML.

Last year they attended the Festival 4,300 spectators, according to this entity.

Full schedules can be found at www.jazzemmonserrate.pt.