The first step was to create the Porta-Jazz Festival, which was born in 2010 with 13 concerts in the Galeries de Paris, involving local musicians and projects. But the vision went far beyond a one-off event: ‘We wanted a physical space that would allow musicians to create, edit and perform, and that would give them support to encourage them to stay in the city.’ Since then, Porta-Jazz has been built with collective effort. The piano that is present in the space, for example, was acquired through fundraising concerts, from ticket sales given by musicians who believed in the project and wanted to make the dream a reality.

A community of 60 musicians in a living project

What began as a group of 10 people has become a community of almost 60 active members. They are musicians who use the space to rehearse, create partnerships and get involved in every detail, from welcoming artists to organising concerts. ‘When we came to this space, after the pandemic, there was a new generation of musicians who came to our concerts as students and who embraced the project, and that was proof that this project makes sense because it has been completely renewed in terms of the people involved,’ says João Pedro.

Porta-Jazz's philosophy is to support independent creation and aesthetic diversity. ‘We don't have a closed artistic direction; it's a logic of community and of exploring improvisation, real-time composition and other languages,’ he says. The association has already produced over a hundred recordings, showing its artistic evolution and the breadth of its musical approaches. ‘As we create partnerships with other organisations, we make the projects circulate, so it's a web that gives musicians an artistic perspective,’ he adds.

15 years of a festival festival: showcasing artistic incandescence

The Porta-Jazz Festival, which reaches its 15th edition this year, is a reflection of the association's activity. ‘It acts as a showcase for what has happened throughout the year. It's almost a ‘best of’, with most of the record editions we've released,’ explains João Pedro. The event has grown and attracts an increasingly international audience, including promoters, journalists and jazz enthusiasts. It runs from 28 January to 2 February in blocks of two concerts followed by a Jam Session.

This year's motto, ‘Against the clock, in favour of time’, celebrates the association's journey and challenges the public to stop and listen to the music. ‘We live in a constant urgency on social media, where everything is ephemeral. The festival invites people to sit down and dedicate time to music. There's a fundamental community component for us, both between artists and with the public.’

The programme includes unique moments, such as a commemorative ensemble with more than 20 musicians, the usual annual commission, this year by Slovenian pianist, composer and improviser Kaja Draksler, and concerts in various spaces at TMP - Rivoli. There will also be daily jam sessions, an interactive concert for children and families, and something new - an instant choir. ‘It will be a real-time creation with the audience. The idea is to open up barriers in relation to the voice and explore new possibilities with those who visit us,’ emphasises João Pedro.

Despite all the artistic recognition and the strong connection with the city of Porto, the challenge of getting funding persists: ‘There's a huge effort and a lot of volunteering on the part of professional musicians. I wish that, in 15 years‘ time, this struggle would be more peaceful and we could improve working conditions,’ he says. Even so, João Pedro Brandão remains optimistic about the project's impact and ongoing renewal. ‘We are part of the city, and the city is all of us. It's a living movement that grows, contaminates and reinvents itself.’