Jazzopa + Wajdi Riahi Trio

The Jazz communities will, once again, gather at Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon in the 22nd edition of Festa do Jazz.

The jazzopa is a creative laboratory that merges Spoken Word, Hip-Hop, and Jazz into a socially-aware language for participants who are already skilled in these genres. In 2024, the project launched its third edition.

Jazzopa is an emerging multicultural project that combines various forms of artistic expression. It stands out in Portugal’s music scene for its commitment to professionalizing young, emerging artists and, consequently, inspiring others in their generation wherever they perform. The urban culture from modern Lisbon shares the stage with a Jazz band in this project by Sons da Lusofonia, an association dedicated to creating music projects and expressive behaviors linked to it.

With artistic direction by André Fernandes, Carlos Martins, and Valete, the 2024 jazzopa ensemble includes Razy (vocals and bass), Nitry (rap), Mariana Bonito (spoken word), Francisco Bettencourt (saxophone), André Silvestre (trumpet), Gonçalo Diogo Morais (guitar), Rodrigo Lima (guitar and bass), João Pedro Melão (keyboards), and Fillipe Padrão (drums).

The Wajdi Riahi Trio was formed in Brussels in 2020. The three musicians—Wajdi Riahi (piano), Basile Rahola (double bass), and Pierre Hurty (drums)—are inseparable, bonded through involvement in various musical projects.

As a suggestion of the Spanish label Fresh Sounds Records, the trio recorded their debut album, Mhamdeya, a tribute to the Tunisian city where Riahi grew up. Released in 2022, the album was immediately praised by Belgian and French press, leading the trio to perform at clubs and festivals across Belgium and France on their first tour. They were also selected as one of the three finalists for the Gent Jazz Young Talent competition in 2023.

In June 2023, the group recorded their second album, Essia, at the legendary La Buissonne studio in southern France. The album’s organic architecture is rooted in the rhythms of North Africa, influenced by Stambeli and Gnawa traditions, which blend seamlessly with the complex and rich texture of jazz.