BIOGRAPHY

With a career spanning over 40 years, Mário Laginha is best known for his connection to the jazz world. But his music is much more than that, drawing inspiration from Brazilian, Indian, and African sounds, as well as pop, rock, and the classical roots that shaped his training.

Mário Laginha has combined a strong musical identity with a great desire to share his art with other musicians and creators. Notably, with singer Maria João, with whom he has recorded over a dozen albums, and, of course, the musicians in his two trios: Bernardo Moreira (double bass) and Alexandre Frazão (drums) from the Mário Laginha Trio; Julian Argüelles (saxophone) and Helge Norbakken (percussion) from the LAN Trio.

At the end of the 1980s, he established a regular partnership with pianist Pedro Burmester. This duo was expanded in 2007 to include Bernardo Sassetti in the 3Pianos project. Until Sassetti’s untimely passing, he was also a collaborator and close companion of Laginha in numerous concerts.

With a solid classical background, Mário Laginha has composed for a wide range of ensembles, including the Hamburg Radio Big Band, the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, the NDR Radiophilarmonie in Hanover, the Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, the Remix Ensemble, the Drumming Percussion Group, and the Porto Symphony Orchestra. On stage or in the studio, he has performed with musicians such as Wolfgang Muthspiel, Trilok Gurtu, Gilberto Gil, Lenine, Armando Marçal, Hamilton de Holanda, Ralph Towner, Manu Katché, Dino Saluzzi, Kai Eckhardt, Julian Argüelles, Steve Argüelles, Howard Johnson, and Django Bates, among others. Additionally, Laginha also composes for cinema and theatre.

In December 2024, Mário Laginha was the featured artist for Berklee’s Spotlight Series, which pays tribute to a selected artist each semester.