The revered philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said that, "the limits of my language mean the limits of my world". A sentiment wholly endorsed by Carvalho. He elaborates, “if it is a fact that there is, and probably always will be, a gap between meaning and interpretation, emotion and intention, it is also true that by expanding our lexicon, we automatically increase our expressive capacity. If there is no such word in our language, it does not mean that there isn’t in another. These words have the potential to open up our minds for new perspectives, and to cultivate our imaginations! The world is bigger and deeper than what we really know and the mental projection we create of it, that is, our reality. That is why, I believe that as we learn new words, our conscience becomes more sensitive to others, we become more empathetic, and ultimately our world becomes richer. These so-called untranslatable words entered my world and inspired me to write a new cycle of compositions.”
Musically, the song cycle that comprises Lost In Translation was also born from the influences that Carvalho has absorbed in recent years, including being part of the New York City jazz scene, which continues to leave a huge impression on the bassist, and also regular travel for performances to many countries. As a composer, Carvalho’s relentless search for new sounds has led him to discover and explore musical avenues such as improvised music, experimental and contemporary classical music. Lost in Translation embraces the unknown, by having a very strong improvisational and spontaneous component, making each performance completely unique to this ensemble, and this recording.
“It’s unquestionable that music is a language, and curiously a universal one. From the most remote tribes of Papua New Guinea to the cosmopolitan and avant-garde movements of large cities, music serves as a vehicle for communication and interaction. It’s this link between language and music, unique words and unique musical moments that Lost in Translation explores. If learning a new word is, by itself, already a rewarding and exciting thing, if we add music to this learning process, the experience will surely be enhanced. These particular words inspired me to research and learn more about different cultures and, just as I had an epiphany when learning them, I would like this new cycle of compositions to generate the same kind of sensation in the listener,” said Carvalho.
André Carvalho’s credits are in abundance, his pedigree unassailable, having worked with Chris Cheek, Will Vinson, Ian Froman, Colin Stranahan, André Matos, Tommy Crane, Vinnie Sperrazza, Mário Laginha, Billy Mintz, Maria João, Gilberto Gil, European Movement Jazz Orchestra, among many others. The Fulbright grantee (with a Master of Music in jazz performance at the Manhattan School of Music) has also worked extensively outside the jazz world with the Ibero-American Orchestra (under Gustavo Dudamel), Anton Webern Orchestra (under Franz Welser-Most and Heinrich Schiff), Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra (under Michael Zilm), among others, as well as contemporary ensembles such as Octothorpe. His interest in Fado, Portugal’s traditional music, led him to perform with important names of this genre, such as Carlos do Carmo and Cristina Branco.
His first two albums, Hajime and Memória de Amiba showed Carvalho's highly personal perspective in music featuring an original blend of contemporary jazz with elements from Portuguese music. Both projects received rave reviews from Portuguese and International critics. Carvalho was awarded the "Carlos Paredes" prize in 2012, a prestigious honor that recognizes Portuguese music projects, as well as a "Best Group" recognition in the Bucharest International Jazz Competition. With his previous recording, The Garden Of Earthly Delights, Carvalho presented an inspired aural universe, inspired by the enigmatic work of the artist Hieronymus Bosch, particularly one of his most famous paintings – “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (1490-1510, housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid). AllAboutJazz asserted that Carvalho’s compositions are, “impressively well-structured”, and that, “his writing offers scope for different textures and layers of sound that often give the sensation of a much larger ensemble, but he’s not afraid to give space to just one or two players at a time, creating some memorable performances as a result,” and JazzTrail stated that Carvalho’s “attractive compositional voice [is] well founded in the modern trends of jazz.”
In recent years, Carvalho has also been performing intensely around Europe, performing as a bandleader and sideman in Portugal, Spain, Austria, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, England, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, as well as in the U.S. and Egypt.
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