Luís Vicente - Sunday Interview ~ The Free Jazz Collective

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Luís Vicente - Sunday Interview

Sunday, July 21, 2024 Sunday Interview No comments

Photo by Jef Vandebroek

What is your greatest joy in improvised music?

The mystery, surprise and freshness of the unknown, how the shape it will take starts and how it will end, the whole intriguing process. It's something that only happens in this kind of music, it never happens the same way again.
What quality do you most admire in the musicians you perform with?

The communion, the sharing of the same ideals, the brotherhood that makes the whole difference in the music at the moment we're playing together and trust each other and are able to go deep and reach for something special and pure. It's hard for me to play and share my emotions with someone I don't feel a connection to. It just doesn't work. An exchange must happen, some development and learning, reaching for something together.
Which historical musician/composer do you admire the most?

Today I'd say Baden Powell. Tomorrow other name would pop up. I just love the atmosphere he has in his compositions: magical, dark and luminous at the same time, authentic. I really feel inspired when listening to him.
If you could resurrect a musician to perform with, who would it be?

So many... I'd say Fred Anderson.
What would you still like to achieve musically in your life?

Through music I'd like to contribute to turn the world into a better place to live, with justice, equal rights, peace, very basic elements that are taken away from people's lives by capitalism.
Are you interested in popular music and - if yes - what music/artist do you particularly like?

Yes. Hard to choose one, I can mention Sérgio Godinho, Cartola, Tincoãs, Bob Dylan…
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Probably being more patient.
Which of your albums are you most proud of?

Again, difficult to pick one because there are different aspects in some of them that I like more than others. But I'd say Chanting in The Name Of (Clean Feed) because it was a turning point in my life, where I took charge and began kind of "leading a group". Being responsible for whatever consequence that experience would have definitely had an impact on me. Maré (Cipsela) I also consider special. It brings me back to the time I was a child and is related to the surroundings and landscapes of the village where I grew up, by the ocean. The Atlantic is definitely an inspiration and that album is a tribute to the Porto das Barcas beach and harbor where I learned to swim, fish and where my ancestors used to live many years ago.
Once an album of yours is released, do you still listen to it? And how often?

I listen to it a few more times and that's it. Later I might come back to it with some emotional distance, as a listener and not as the person who recorded it. Sometimes it's nice to notice that I kept on doing some things over time, and other things that I totally abandoned or don’t identify with any longer.
Which album (from any musician) have you listened to the most in your life?

As a teenager I listened a lot to Nirvana’s Nevermind and a few years later to Babylon By Bus from Bob Marley and The Wailers.
What are you listening to at the moment?

I listen to construction work in the flat next to mine, to birds in my backyard, to Portuguese singer-songwriters together with my 4-years old daughter…
What artist outside of music inspire you?

Maradona, Kelly Slater, Paulo Rego…