Youth Jazz Talent in Portugal

Lisbon is growing in so many ways and Jazz is not an exception, Jazznewblood is happy to report that more kids & girls are learning and playing Jazz and the scene is evolving steadily and nicely.

Hotclube de Portugal, the oldest Jazz Club in Portugal (and one of the oldest in Europe) is also behind the Portuguese oldest Jazz education organisation 'Luiz Villas-Boa' Jazz school.

They ended the term with performances by several young ensembles at Hot Club and I could not be more impressed.

The club was full and the overwhelming support served as a protective stage for them to improvise without judgment, how it should be at this level, to have fun playing and they were amazing.

Barnas Jazzhus from Norway was also invited to present their group of players creating an important opportunity for the children to interact socially and on stage.

I'm more and more determined to invest in the purpose of making sure Jazz/improvisation is available for as many kids as possible (more news on that soon).

In the same way, we see the benefits of general music education for children, we need to recognise the specific benefits of being exposed to music experimentation, to learn/develop the language of Jazz/improvisation at a young age...knowing to improvise, allowing yourself to experiment, be creative, find/communicate your own voice, are all basic/important transferable skills that can be develop with Jazz...

Photos by Patricia Pascal for Jazznewblood Performances by Luiz Villas-Boas Jazz School