The Orquestra de Jazz do Algarve
founded and directed by Hugo Alves, continues to be very active and December will be no exception.

On 1 and 3 December, British singer Tom Fitzpatrick joins the Algarve big band to pay tribute to Frank Sinatra. It's an opportunity to hear some of the most emblematic themes from his repertoire, with original orchestrations for jazz orchestra. On the 1st the concert takes place at 7pm at the Lagos Cultural Centre and on the 3rd at 5pm in the Auditorium of the Cachopo Social Complex, Tavira.

Singer Paula Oliveira (pictured) will also be the Orchestra's guest on 16 December at the Lagoa Municipal Auditorium (7pm) and the following day (6pm) at Praça Al-Mutamid in Silves. Paula Oliveira is an essential voice in Portuguese jazz, with an enviable career in Portugal and beyond. "After You've Gone" is the theme of these concerts (which follow on from previous collaborative moments), where timeless standards and other sounds from the 1980s will be heard. The Christmas season will not be forgotten, with the interpretation of some themes that are inescapable at this time of year.

The OJA quartet will also be performing with singer Sara Badalo at a concert in Tavira on 21 December at 3pm in the Old Municipal Market.

Rick Margitza
Born in Detroit, Rick Margitza has studied classical saxophone with Donald Sinta at the university of Michigan, and jazz with Sonny Stitt, Gerry Niewood, Michael Brecker, Gary Campbell and David Liebman. He studied at Wayne State University in Detroit, the Berklee School of Music in Boston, the University of Miami, and graduated with a bachelors of music from the Loyola University in New Orleans. After living in New Orleans, Margitza moved to New York in 1989. He has performed and/or recorded with McCoy Tyner, Bobby Hutcherson, Tony Williams, Eddie Gomez, Chick Corea, Maria Schneider, Dave Douglas and Miles Davis. He has led his own band and performed in clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world. His 10 albums as a leader document the evolution of his playing as well as his growth as a composer. Margitza has also composed music for orchestra including two symphonies and a saxophone concerto. He currently live is Paris since moving there in 2003. He is of Eastern European Gypsy decent and is part of the new band called Gypsy Tenors with fellow countrymen Gabor Bolla and Tony Lakatos (Gypsy Tenors, Skip 2017). He is also in the process of finishing an album of his big band music as well as a new recording with his French quartet.

Who has long been regarded as one of the « Young Lyons » of the International Jazz Scene, is nowadays one of the most respected musicians of his generation. Excellent tenor and soprano saxophonist, mostly inspired by John Coltrane, Michael Brecker and Wayne Shorter, he has managed to expand and develop his unique voice, highly poetic and sharply incisive.

He started on the violin when he was four. His grandfather was a cellist and his father a violinist with the Detroit Symphony. He then studied classical piano for a bit, and also played oboe before switching to tenor in high school. He attended Wayne State University, Berklee, the University of Miami, and finally Loyola University in New Orleans, where he lived and played for four years.

Back then, Rick was touring with Maynard Ferguson and also Flora Purim and Airto Moreira. He then moved to New York in 1988.

That same year he joined Miles Davis' group and recorded three albums with them: “Amandla”, “Live around the world” and "Live in Montreux". He then cut three sets as a leader for the prestigious label Blue Note during 1989-1991. Since 1994, his career found itself enriched with five more solo albums and collaborations with such artists as Maria Schneider, Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner.

Vânia Fernandes
She was born in Funchal in 1984. In 2007 she completed the Professional Singing Course at the Escola das Artes Engenheiro Peter Clode, equivalent to the 12th grade, and the Jazz Course at the Madeira Conservatory of Music, in partnership with the Hot Clube de Portugal.

Her great talent for music means that today she is known and esteemed by all the best professional musicians in Madeira. She has performed in a number of hotels and festivals in Madeira and the mainland. After studying music at university, she took a break in order to take part in the RTP Talent Contest - Operação Triunfo. In February 2008 he won the Operação Triunfo competition and in March of the same year he won the RTP Song Festival. In May 2008 she took part in the Eurovision Song Contest representing Portugal with the song "Senhora do Mar", coming 2nd in the semi-final and 13th in the final. Vânia Fernandes has won several voice competitions in Madeira. She has performed in hotels in the region and in various cities such as London, Caracas, Valencia and Lisbon.