The Portuguese power quartet Made of Bones – drummer Duarte Fonseca on drums, guitarist João Clemente (the Profound Whatever musicians’ collective and label, João Clemente), Nuno Santos Dias on the vintage electric keyboard Waldorf Zarenbourg and double bass player Ricardo Sousa – was formed in 2020 and has released eight albums. On its ninth album, Jardim Botânico, Portuguese sax hero José Lencastre replaces Sousa (and collaborated before with Clemente on Substantial, Profound Whatever, 2025).
Jardim Botânico offers thirteen free improvised readings, all connected as a long suite, serving as the musical plants that have grown, or may grow, in the rich garden of the jazz legacy. The approach is open and intuitive; the music flows naturally, reflecting on the jazz legacy as a constantly evolving genre without attachment to any era or sub-genre conventions. This spontaneous and exploratory sonic journey revels in Made of Bones’ deep affinity and immediate camaraderie with Lencastre; its unassuming rhythmic flexibility is colored by the timeless, vintage sounds of Dias’ Waldorf Zarenbourg, and intensified by Lencastre’s commanding, soulful presence.
The album includes a short text by E.S. Ferreira, referring to the album title, which fits perfectly with its musical atmosphere: «… I drool over the obscene petals of orchids, I am sick. From the triangular Oedipal neurosis to the mapping of libidinal flows. But there is no desire without the structure of a supplement, neither nature nor pure artifice. I want to eat the trees».
Eyal Hareuveni
Duarte Fonseca (drums), João Clemente (electric guitar), José Lencastre (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone), Nuno Santos Dias (Waldorf Zarenbourg)
