Biography
Francesco Valente is italian, living in Lisbon since 1996. He is graduated in Literatures (Universitá Statale di Milano), in Music (Escola Superior Música de Lisboa). He has attended two year of the Masters in Art in Ethnomusicology, achieving a classification of 16/20. He's writed his dissertation, taking orientation by prof. Salwa El-Shawan Castelo Branco, and co-advisor prof. Carlos Sandroni, about the music of Northeast Brasil, Frevo. He was working as member of the Center for Research on Carnival's Music of Pernambuco, located in the Music Department of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE). Actually he attend the second year in the PhD of Ethnomusicology in the same institution.
He attended various courses and workshop of electric bass and double bass between 1996 and today including: courses in Havana (Cuba) at the National School of Arts (ENA), Barreiro School of Jazz in 2003 (with Afonso Pais), he attended workshop's with Mike Mainieri, Marc Miralta, Carlos Bica, Carlos Barretto, David Binney. He get a degree in music, jazz, bass in Lisbon Music School ESML, attended between 2008 and 2011, where he studied with Nelson Cascais, Bernardo Moreira, Bruno Santos, Andre Fernandes, João Pedro Moreira, Gonçalo Marques, Lars Arens among others. He have collaborated and performed with numerous artists and Portuguese countries and international artists: Marcos Suzano, David Murray; Mike Mainieri; Raimundo Amador; Orquestra Todos; Orchestra Piazza Vittorio; Mario Tronco; Mimmo Epifani; Waiss; António Zambujo; José Barros; Paulo Flores; Sara Tavares; Aline Frazão; Mahesh Vinayakram; Kutla Khan; Oori Shalev; Rajastan Roots; Youssou N'dour; Raimundo Amador; Chico César; Tito Paris; Rui Faustino; Duda & Ficções; Kika Santos e Looples; Maria Viana; André Cabaço; Celina Pereira; Ze Salgueiro; Kalaf; Dazkarieh; Groove 4tet; Rao Kyao; João Pedro Pais; Alípio Neto; Al Gazarra; Fogue d'Mar; Voginha; Mick Trovoada; Timbila Muzimba; La Chiva Cantiva; Kimi Djabate; Jazzinho; Filipe Raposo; Nigga Poison; Blasted Mechanism; Orlanda Guillande; Ruca Rebordão; Mucio Sà etc.
He played and plays actually in several Portuguese festivals and numerous festivals in the international circuit of Jazz and World Music.He play actually with Terrakota, Orquestra Todos, Aline Frazão, Anonima Nuvolari etc. in several Jazz ensembles in Lisbon like Tora Tora Big Band, Luís Vicente Trio, Guto Lucena, Ricardo Pinto Quinteto, Hugo Trinidade, Chibanga Groove and MoFrancesco Quintetto as a leader.
Doctoral Project
This project of investigation it's based on the study of frevo, a specific genre of popular brazilian music, in his multiple expressions and different performative contexts in Pernambuco, taking into account the recent patrimonialization of the genre placed on the representative list of the Intangible Heritage of the Humanity, UNESCO (2012). This study focus the role of frevo in the carnival of Pernambuco, especially in Olinda and Recife; the processes of hybridism within instrumental frevo; the impact of the creation of "Paço do Frevo" following the recognition of UNESCO, in teaching, in the performance and diffusion of the genre. For this purpose, i will realize ethnographic fieldwork in Olinda and Recife, counting with the scientific support of Carlos Sandroni, ethnomusicologist responsible for the recognition of frevo by UNESCO. I will integrate also the research group of the Music Department's at UFPE.
