MARIA JOÃO MUSIC
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"Songs For Shakespeare" 2022
The words of Shakespeare and the music and vocals of Portugal’s singer supreme Maria Joao’s electronic project OGRE – a perfectly poetic combination and an album for the ages.
“Songs for Shakespeare” consists of original music and performative material. The starting points are Shakespeare’s words, taken from several sources and with no apparent connection between them. “Songs for Shakespeare” is a labor of love, created by Maria João and João Farinha, partners for more than ten years in the jazz/electronic project OGRE. It has been growing in the back of their minds of for at least seven years, and finally came to fruition in 2022. The eight original songs of this album take the listener on a poetic trip, a mind blowing journey in sound. It starts with the sonnet “Look In Thy Glass”, a dramatic melody over an orchestrated head-nod groove, introduced by the “Merchant of Venice” timeless monologue “If you prick us, do we not bleed?…”. The album then moves through the almost industrial Samba beats of “The Lunatic, The Lover And The Poet”, the string laden balladry of “Love Looks Not With The Eyes” and the cinematic elegance of “Romeo”, the snarky keyboard-wizardry and straight beats of “Willow”, the driving “The Man That Hath No Music In Himself” (including a perfectly technoid break), and the moody and melancholic hymn “Sigh No More Ladies”. The album finishes with a trip-hoppingly triumphant “Tempest”. By gluing these pieces together in a patchwork, Maria João and João Farinha create a new narrative that extends the Shakespearean universe from end to end.
To perfectly illustrate this new sonic world, Maria João and João Farinha increased their basic formation of electric pianos, synthesizers, electronics and drums to include a chamber ensemble with five strings and four woodwinds, arranged and conducted by composer and orchestrator Sara Ross, providing a palette of colours not possible until now, vitalizing this Shakespearean universe with a modern twist.
“Songs for Shakespeare” is an experience accessible to all audiences, not requiring previous knowledge of the works of the world’s most famous playwright nor being excessively intellectual – the same as his plays, for example, were made for a wide audience. The album and the accompanying live show, which will be performed at festivals and on stages around Europe around its release, can in that sense be an introduction to Shakespeare’s wonderful legacy, possibly sparking curiosity for the author.
"Open Your Mouth" 2020
“Open Your Mouth” has taken hip hop as it’s main guideline and is a reflection of the band’s take on that genre, knowing that none of the project’s members are hip hop musicians. This album also saw a very strong input from the amazing young drummer Silvan Strauss that had a profound impact on the overall sonic signature.
Maria João’s third incursion into electric shenanigans encourages you to open your mouth: to sing, to speak, to love and to fight against the powers that be. To explore, to never settle and always be on the lookout for new things – this will always be our motto, so sometimes it might not be so easy to label us. Who needs labels anyway?
OGRE is now seeing itself head into a more urban, hip-hopish groove-oriented vibe which, mixed with Maria João’s inner child, will take you for a spin around dreamy landscapes, dark mysterious forests, African pulses and even a sneak peak into Maria João’s tripping mind!
Besides the core ensemble, consisting of João Farinha on keyboards/synths (also composing and producing!) and André Nascimento on electronic wizardry, this new work also has the priceless input of wonder drummer Silvan Strauss, who never forgets to pack a punch and to whom we owe a lot for this album’s new sonic direction.