Mariza (vocals), Angelo Freire (Portugese guitar), Diogo Clemente (guitar), José Marino de Freitas (bass), Vicky Marques (drums), Simon Wadsworth (trumpet & piano)

Over time, every festival develops a special relationship with the featured artists. Mariza is definitely one of these artists for the Gent Jazz Festival, with whom it’s created a special connection. Everyone who has attended one of her previous concerts at the Gent Jazz Festival knows why.

When Amalia Rodrigues passed on in 1999 many thought that with the death of the Queen of Fado  the music genre would also fade out. But as often happens when a music legend passes away, the music of Rodrigues was played quite a bit and this began an entire revival of  Fado music.

Fado is sometimes easily described as the Portugese Blues. Stereotypes always contain an element of truth and the melancholic music has its roots in African music. On one of the tribute nights for Amalia, a new young singer appeared by the name Mariza. She overshadowed her colleagues on the stage and it was not long before she was called the new ‘Rainha do Fado’.

Mariza dos Reis Nunes comes from an overseas colony: Mozambique. She combines the influences of her father (Portugal) and her mother (Mozambique) and like no one else she knows how to interpret the saudade (an indefinable feeling for something that was once there). On her first two records, Fado em Mim and Fado Curvo, she stuck to tradition and also gained lots of recognition from outside Portugal.

“Fado is all about soul, emotions and important things in life. You cannot sing fado music without feeling it.”