“[…] bassist André Carvalho, whom you should get to know” - Nate Chinen in Take 5 | WBGO
Portuguese composer and bassist André Carvalho is an active freelancer whose works AllAboutJazz described as “both in bounds and out of this world.” Nate Chinen of The New York Times dubbed Carvalho a bassist “you should get to know.” André has played with Jazz stars Chris Cheek, Will Vinson, and Tommy Crane. And André’s performance credits range from the Colors Jazz Festival (Paris), the Cairo Jazz Festival, and Jazz Festival Ljubliana, to venues such as Blue Note (New York), Konzerthaus Berlin, and Casa da Música (Porto).
Among the awards he has received are the “Carlos Paredes 2012” (a major annual prize that celebrates Portuguese music and culture) and the “Best Group” at Bucharest International Jazz Competition 2011. In addition, he has received multiple grants from the GDA Foundation to record (“Memória de Amiba” and “Lost in Translation”) and to tour (2017 and 2019).
The scope of his work extends far beyond Jazz. With multi-Grammy award winner Gilberto Gil, André toured Europe performing his new opera “Prelúdio.” The collaboration included Nova Ópera de Lisboa and the drumming ensemble Cortejo Afro, premiering portions of the new work in venues such as the Barbican Center (London) and Finlandia Talo (Helsinki). He has performed with classical conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Heinrich Schiff, and Franz Welser-Möst and collaborated with Fado singers Carlos do Carmo and Cristina Branco.
Photo by João Hasselberg
A central focus of Carvalho’s recent work is the two-part cycle Lost in Translation, which explores the concept of untranslatable words. Volume I (2021, Outside in Music) received critical acclaim, and Volume II, released in 2023 on Clean Feed Records, further cemented his reputation for innovative composition. Both volumes were supported by grants from the GDA Foundation, Antena 2, Companhia de Actores, and Teatro Municipal Amélia Rey Colaço. Read more here.
Carvalho’s compositions extend into the world of film, where he has worked with award-winning directors such as Gonçalo Almeida, Guilherme Daniel, and Pedro Caldeira. His post-graduate studies at the Film Scoring Academy of Europe provided the foundation for this cinematic exploration, earning him finalist honors at the Oticons 2023 and Berlin International Film Scoring Competition 2023, as well as an honorable mention in the European Recording Academy’s Call to Scores 2022.
Praised by the media as “a sonic study in contrasts” (NYJazzRecords), André’s third album The Garden of Earthly Delights was released on Outside in Music in 2019 and was considered for the Grammys 2019. The 11 movement suite, performed by a 6 person combo, is named after its inspiration, the cryptic painting by medieval Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch. Carvalho toured with the project in the USA and the EU at venues and festivals such as the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisbon), The Owl Parlor (New York) and Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporânea (Sevilla).
Originally pursuing a degree in Computer Science at the Faculdade de Ciências in Lisbon, Carvalho discovered his passion for music and transitioned to studying at the Hot Club de Portugal and Academia de Amadores de Música (Fernando Flores). He later earned degrees from Manhattan School of Music and the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 2014, Carvalho relocated to the U.S. as a Fulbright grantee, further advancing his musical career on an international scale.
Ever a seeker, André Carvalho remains devoted to the mysteries of sound—uncovering the spaces between genres, between languages, between worlds.
Photo by Vera Marmelo
“I was destined to be a computer nerd. By 5, I was playing video games created by my grandfather and by 7 I was programming on my own. Breaking the rules and not settling was always a part of it for me and, after graduating with a Computer Science degree at 21, I faced my destiny and learned for the first time what a bass clef is.”
Artist Statement
"My musical obsessions often revolve around narrative and storytelling—paths to expand the imagination and explore the human experience. I strive to create music that can hit with visceral intensity, something that feels like a punch in the gut, yet my aim is always to balance this raw force with a search for something transcendent, a connection to the higher realm, while grounding it in our all-too-human lives.
My compositions are shaped by a wide variety of influences—literature, visual art, and personal experiences. Recently, the visual arts have become a powerful source of inspiration. After dedicating my third album to Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights, I find myself drawn to the emotionally provocative work of artists like Francis Bacon, Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky. Their ability to capture raw emotion and the human condition resonates deeply with me, and their influence is currently guiding my exploration of music's ability to evoke similarly intense and complex emotions."
