The Brazilian drummer Mariá Portugal and the Polish alto saxophonist Angelika Niescier (angelika-niescier.de) first met in September 2019, during the CHIII Festival (former Imprô Festival) in São Paulo. Since then, the duo have been performing throughout Germany, where both musicians live. Their performances are always based in free improvisation and always surprising, energetic and dynamic.
Niescier is one of the exceptional musicians who has for some time been redefining the contours of the European jazz scene – an artist on a mission, with boundless energy, a rich pallet of color and virtuoso technique. She resides in Cologne, Germany where she studied at the Folkwanghochschule Essen.
The bandleader and composer earned some of the most prestigious awards, e.g. the German Jazz Award (Albert-Mangelsdorff-Preis), Echo Jazz, numerous times Vierteljahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik and was artist in residence in Moers (D), Kuala Lumpur (MY) and Tarabya (TR).
