Biography
Based in Lisbon, Rodrigo Correia shapes sound with the precision of one who sculpts light. A double bassist, guitarist, composer and producer, he inhabits musical territories where jazz, pop, fado and African music converge — always leaving his unmistakable and deeply personal mark. A graduate in Jazz Double Bass from the Lisbon School of Music (Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, ESML), Rodrigo distinguished himself early as a member of the Tomás Marques Quartet, winner of the 2019 Young Musicians Award (Prémio Jovens Músicos) in the jazz combo category — a recognition that foreshadowed his current position as one of Portugal’s most distinctive creative voices. His latest single, “Dumbo” — featuring João Barradas (accordion) and Ricardo Toscano (alto saxophone) — opens a window into his desire for exploration and artistic risk: to transform Portuguese jazz into a space of freedom and crossing. His debut album, “Promessa” (Promise), released in 2025 on Timbuktu Records, brings together more than twenty musicians from different generations and was conceived as more than just a record — a sonic mosaic of ambition and sensitivity. For this project, Rodrigo invited some of the most respected names in Portuguese music, including Mário Laginha (piano), João Moreira (trumpet), Alexandre Frazão (drums), José Soares (alto saxophone), André Fernandes (guitar), Ricardo Toscano (alto saxophone), José Salgueiro (drums), João Paulo Esteves da Silva (piano) and João Barradas (accordion). For Rodrigo, music is far more than a sequence of notes: it is landscape, pulse, and territory to be explored. He offers more than a performance — he offers a journey through sound. An interpreter-creator who combines rigorous technique, maturity and an insatiable curiosity for discovery. Whether in a minimal trio or an expanded ensemble, Rodrigo Correia finds a perfect balance between intimacy and scale, between introspection and eruption. Within the Ars Luminae roster, he stands as an artist whose presence transforms the stage into a meeting place between tradition and avant-garde — a voice that resonates, a presence that endures, and an experience that lingers.