Manuel dOliveira

Manuel D..Oliveira's creativity knows no limits…A self-taught musician, he was born in Guimarães in 1978 and, at the age of six, started learning music from his father, an amateur guitarist. His musical development has always been based on the endless search for influences, the exchange of experiences and continuous artistic growth.In March 1995, at the early age of sixteen, he was invited by some musicians with whom he was in close contact that year, to take part in a tour in Germany.In 1997, he started a more ambitious project – the band “Mediterrâneo”. In August of that year, he concluded the album Praça de Santiago, recorded in Italy with the collaboration of Paolo Conte’s brass quartet.Also in 1997, Manuel performed in the “Guimarães Jazz” Festival. Worthy of note is his participation, in 1998, in the “Brazil 500 years” celebrations, where he represented Portugal. His concerts in the Brazilian city of Niteroi sold out for three days in a row.In 1998, he was invited to close the “Tourcoing Jazz Festival” (France), together with the Aragon Orchestra. That year’s edition of the festival featured such star musicians as Diana Krall, Tomatito, Paolo Conte, Brad Mehldau and Compaio Segundo, among others.In 1999, during his Italian CD promo tour, he played in Vignola’s “Jazz In It” Festival, where he shared the stage with Richard Galliano, as well as in the “Trait d..uni ne European Musical Relations 99” Festival (Sicily). His main performances in Portugal included the “Festa do Avante” Festival and several TV appearances.The year 2000 was devoted to producing and composing, in a continuous search for his musical identity. It was during this period that he met Carles Benavent and Jorge Pardo, two musicians whom Manuel later invited to collaborate in his new record. The outcome of this two-year work was Iberia, released in 2002. This work was enthusiastically received by Portuguese and international critics and earned him the title of “New Fnac Talent” and several showcases in Portugal.Also in 2000, he was guest musician in singer Dulce Pontes’s “Primeiro Canto” tour.In November 2003, after some gigs in Portugal, Manuel d’Oliveira appeared in Madrid’s “Emociona Jazz!!” Festival, which also featured Chic Corea, Mike Stern, Juan Manuel Canizares and many others.In 2004, he participated as guest musician in Dulce Pontes’s World Tour, “Focus”.In the same year, Manuel started working on his new album, AMARTE, whose musical roots can be found in the fusion of Iberian styles.AMARTE was recorded live on 9 and 10 June 2005, in Praça de Santiago, Guimarães. The line-up included musicians José Lima (acoustic bass), David Leão (flute and bagpipe), Mário Gonçalves (drums) and Rui Ferreira (piano).