In this new work you are the composer and do the arrangements of all the music, which is very rare, why you think that, happens?
JM: It is not uncommon in the world. The singers tend to doubt their capabilities, there is still a certain stigma, marginalization in relation to some musicians, are seen as less competent by musicians. I also think a majority of assiduous singers do not have a deep musical training that would enable them to reach the composition and arrangements, and then they focused on partnerships with musicians who do this part. I've always worked with someone that way. I always had someone to deal with the music, this time I decided to trust in my abilities, I decided to risk it and am very satisfied. My colleagues also gave me the go ahead and it's very liberating to be the masters of our own music. In fact, I think it's a growing trend, more and more singers focus on their musical independence maybe that does not happen much in jazz in Portugal, but in the world it does happens.
It is a work in English only or you also sing in Portuguese?
JM: This is English; my previous work was in Portuguese.
Why the choice of English?
JM: You know I do not think about it. I know there are people who criticize singers for singing other languages rather that Portuguese, but for me is not a concern. Music is universal; it is manifested in different ways and also nonverbally, through vocalization. It happened as the songs I chose to make arrangements are in English and the lyrics are also written in the same language. I confess that I have never been linked to the tradition of Portuguese music, or been close to fado, the Portuguese music either, although in my adolescence I sung in Portuguese. Maybe I identified more with the English language, because I lived in the U.S. and is part of my musical education. This is where I express myself well. I admire the Portuguese language, it just happened.
About the originals, which inspired the writing?
JM: It's my life story, I think what I am deep looking increasingly an honest and deep communication through music. No labels, no descriptions, are necessities. Before I wrote the texts the music that inspired me result from a search for universal music confined to jazz and classical music for quite some time. Suddenly I came to listen to the radio, listening to records, informed me thru the young people what is new in terms of music, the bands they hear and I think that influenced my hearing. As for the texts I write about my life. It is somewhat autobiographical in a subtle way; there are those who use other techniques they write about imaginary and contrived characters. I'm still do not much explore this aspect in the lyrics, this time I can only speak of what I know. These are the circumstances that I lived.
Speaking about an earlier work, "the platter of poets-rosapeixe", that you sang in Portuguese, which differs from the current work?
JM: It's a drastic difference. In this previous work I chose to sing poems of Portuguese poets, who I adore, very complex texts because they are not metrically regular. The texts of Herberto Helder, for example, had a deep and complex language that where very hard to sing. The person who did this work, Abé Rábade printed a very erudite tone in general terms and this turned out to be too demanding for my voice, because it required a great preparation. I'm always singing too much text, are altogether sixteen pieces. Now, my music has a different tone, it has not to do easiness, has a decreased level of sophistication, a freer music from that rigor, improvisation is more permeable, the unexpected, is a bit more current and diverse. The differences are many, the goal is to get my music to the dance floor, and have to have a danceable enjoyment rather than for a thought or deep thinking. It's a big paradigm shift in my artistic life that is simplifying the way I communicate and in fact "the platter of poets-rosapeixe" is hard and dense that facet is not in this new work.
What is the song, which in short, defines this new album?
JM: There's a piece that I wrote, entitled: "do you know", has little lyric is minimalist, has a very large instrumental part and lives thru a harmonious theme that is repeated many times and I think this is a faithful portrait of what will be the record. Has the rhythms of street music, has a groovy sound and this is representative of what will be this new work.
