Pedro Melo Alves’ Omniae Large Ensemble

The Omniae Large Ensemble, led by drummer and composer Pedro Melo Alves, presents a new chapter of a project that, over the last decade, has established itself as one of the most unique examples of the intersection between contemporary composition and jazz improvisation in Portugal. Structured close to a contemporary chamber music logic, the ensemble articulates detailed writing with spaces for real-time composition, where each performer assumes an active role in the construction of the musical discourse. Originally created as a septet and distinguished with the Bernardo Sassetti Composition Prize in 2016, the group expanded in 2020, following a commission from Guimarães Jazz, into an orchestral formation that brings together some of the most relevant musicians of the new European generation. The album Lumina (Clean Feed, 2021) received wide international critical attention, being distinguished as Best New Group in the El Intruso International Critics Poll, Best National Album by Jazz.pt and nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Vodafone Play Awards 2022. The new formation brings together seventeen musicians active in cities such as Porto, Lisbon, Berlin, New York, Bern and Amsterdam, coming from different artistic circuits, from jazz and improvised music to contemporary, experimental and electronic music. «…we are taken to a universe that none of us has visited before. It is as open and free as it is structured, melodic and searching. It is magnificent and ambitious and reveals an exciting musician and composer, with ambition and vision.» Tor Hammerø | Nettavisen «It is a new and fascinating musical suite (…) Melo Alves devotes himself to curiosity as much as to tradition in equal measure, and here he dares to express his ideas in a new language.» Karl Ackermann | All About Jazz «Boldness and erudition, in a work of breadth and great modernity.» Leonel Santos | Jazzlogical