Lisbon Jazz Summer School

Lisbon Jazz Summer School (LJSS)

Together with Alexandra Ávila, I am the founder and artistic director of the Lisbon Jazz Summer School. Here's a short summary of what it is all about.

concept and mission

LJSS is a jazz summer school that takes place in July (usually in the 3rd or 4th week), lasting 9 consecutive days. The first three editions were in 2008, 2009 and 2010 at the Centro Cultural de Belém.

The Lisbon Jazz Summer School's mission/objectives are:

to make top quality jazz teaching available to students and musicians in Portugal;
to allow its participants intensive and personal contact with top international jazz musicians;
to provide very young musicians the opportunity to extend their music studies to jazz and improvisation (which are usually left out in standard music teaching in Portugal);
to contribute for the dynamization and international ackonwledgement of Portuguese jazz;
to place Portugal in the world map of jazz events, by making the LJSS one of the most prestigious jazz summer schools in Europe.

In the LJSS, courses and performance are important in the same measure.

There are two separate and simultaneous courses in the Lisbon Jazz Summer School, both lasting 8 days: the Lisbon Jazz Summer Course and the Férias com Jazz.

Férias com Jazz | jazz for beginners

Target audience: young music students with ages between 12 and 15 years old, with technical skills in their instrument.

Official idiom: Portuguese

Vacancies: for about 35 participants

Teachers: 7 local jazz musicians

Curriculum/Activities
Instrument Class, Combo, Big Band, Free Improvisation, Jazz History and Theory, Jam Sessions, Final Concert

Since its first edition, the Férias com Jazz course has had Gonçalo Marques as pedagogical director, and has had the following teachers:

Claus Nymark – Trombone and Big Band
Marcos Cavaleiro – Drums
João Guimarães – Saxophone
Mário Delgado – Guitar (in 2009)
Bruno Santos – Guitar (em 2008 e 2010)
Nelson Cascais – Double bass
Ana Araújo – Piano
Gádor Soriano – Voice and Free Improvisation

Lisbon Jazz Summer Course | intensive jazz course | medium and advanced levels

Target audience: advanced students and professional jazz musicians, over 16 years old;

Official idiom: English

Vacancies: for 25 to 30 participants

Teachers: an established and internationally reknowned jazz quintet or sextet;

Curriculum/Activities
Instrument Classes, Combo, Open Combo, Masterclasses, Jam Sessions, Closing Concert

In each edition of the LJSS, the head of the invited band is responsible for the pedagogical direction of the Lisbon Jazz Summer Course.

The success of the first three editions of the Lisbon Jazz Summer Course turned it into an important reference for many jazz musicians in Portugal. Up until now, this advanced course has been mostly attended by Portuguese jazz students and professionals from all over the country. Nevertheless, our effort in the LJSS's international promotion has already showed some results: we've have already received participants from countries such as England, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Brasil and the United States.

Since its first edition, the Lisbon Jazz Summer Course has had the following musicians/bands as teachers:

2008 | Mulgrew Miller & Wingspan

Mulgrew Miller – Piano
Antonio Hart – Saxophone
Steve Nelson – Vibraphone
Rodney Green – Drums
Ivan Taylor - Double Bass

2009 | Greg Osby Six

Greg Osby - Saxophone
Sara Serpa - Voice
Joseph Lepore – Double Bass
Nir Felder - Guitar
John Davis - Drums

2010 | Danilo Perez Quintet

Danilo Perez – Piano
Ben Street – Double Bass
Adam Cruz - Drums
Rudresh Mahanthappa – Saxophone
Rogério Boccato - Percussion