Formed in 1999, the Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos has followed a remarkable path over its twenty years of existence, combining contemporary creation with the recovery of the more traditional repertoire, and displaying great commitment to the training of new musicians. At the centre of the orchestra’s activity is its exemplary collaboration with some of the most fundamental names in modern-day jazz, seeking in this way to influence and shape its own development, while also providing an extraordinary orchestra with which some composers have been able to fulfil their greatest artistic ambitions. Peter Evans, the superlative trumpeter and composer from New York, who has made such a great contribution to expanding the horizons of jazz and, above all, improvisation, will be helping on this night to further enrich the OJM’s curriculum. At a time when his compositions have begun to call for larger ensembles, Evans will, for the very first time, have at his disposal an orchestra that offers him high-quality raw material for presenting some of his best music in a live concert, while also showing us some of the new directions that jazz may venture into in the present day.