User:Mário Franco

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Mário Franco (born 20 October 1965 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a doublebass player and composer, dancer;

Mario started music lessons at the age of 4 in Centro de Estudos Gregorianos. Continued his studies in Academia de Amadores de Musica, and where he started double bass lessons with Fernando Flores, and composition with Pedro Rocha as well as studying chamber music.

Studied bass guitar with Antonio Ferro, Double Bass with David Gausden in Escola de Jazz do Hot Clube de Portugal; and took part in workshops with Rufus Reid, Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, Eberhard Weber.

In 1986-87, he attended double-bass courses given by Ludwig Streicher in Estoril and in 1988 won 1st prize in the Prémio Jovens Musicos (Young Musicians Competition); later became a member of Orquestra Sinfonica Juvenil where he worked on classical repertory with conductor Christopher Bochmann.

Since 1984, he plays jazz and improvised music in Portugal and abroad with musicians such as António Pinho Vargas, Mário Laginha, João Paulo Esteves de Silva, Bernardo Sassetti, Carlos Martins, Tomás Pimentel, José Peixoto, Jarmo Savolainen, Jim Leff, Ralph Peterson Jr., Paolo Fresu, Andy Sheppard, Peter Epstein, Ralph Towner.

In 1990, he presented his first project based on original compositions and was awarded 1st prize for his group and 2nd prize for composition in the competition “A Juventude e a Musica” (Young People and Music).

He has participated in some of Portugal’s most important jazz festivals such as Jazz na Cidade 88, 90; Festival de Musica dos Capuchos 85; Lisboa em Jazz 90; Encontros de Jazz do Algarve 91;Jazz em Agosto (Gulbenkian Foundation) 87, 88, 90, 95 and 05; Seixal Jazz Festival in 98;Festival Internacional de Jazz de Faro in 99 “Jazz no Inverno”; Musicalidades 2001; in 3º and 5º Maio Jazz Almodovar 05, 07; 4ª Festa do Jazz 2006; Festival de Jazz de Estremoz 2006; International Film Festival IndieLisboa 2007; 10º Festival de Valado de Frades 2007;11º Matosinhos em Jazz 2007;1ºFestival de Jazz de Sines 2007; as well as performing outside Portugal for instance in Macau,Japan,France,Belgium,Norway…

Also composes for Dance and Theatre. Mário Franco is also a dancer from the National Ballet Company of Portugal since 1986.

[edit] Recordings:

As a Side Musician: (Selected CDs) Antonio Pinho Vargas Quintet and Carlos Martins Quartet: Lisboa em Jazz (CML Pelouro Cultura, 1991); João Paulo Esteves da Silva Quartet: Serra sem Fim (Farol Música, 1993); Tomas Pimentel Septet: Descolagem (El Tatu, 1994); Luz Destino (M.A Recordings, 1996); José Peixoto: O Que Me Diz o Espelho d’água (Farol Música, 2000), A Tempo (A Capella, 2001); José Peixoto: Aceno, featuring Ralph Towner (Zona Música, 2003).

As a Leader: ”This Life” Mario Franco Quintet with David Binney (Tone of a Pitch, 2006) (http://tone.toapmusic.com)