“Deeply mysterious, serene and melancholy in tone, the duo has created a unique, mesmerizing soundscape. Serpa’s voice is evocative, often hypnotic, with or without lyrics. Matos’ fluid playing, catchy melodies and improvisations allow Serpa’s voice to soar. Ethereal, imaginative and memorable.” Anna Steegman, New York City Jazz Records

“Night Birds, the new album by singer Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos, feels like a peek inside a private conversation; the depth of their musical interplay, an extension of their personal bond, has the sense of something irreplaceable and precious.” Nate Chinen, WRTI

“The new album is their most sophisticated and varied project together (…) The music feels weightless, filled with delicate motion, as if the musicians are dancers floating in the ether. (…) But most of the album carries a tension that reflects the cognitive dissonance of creating beauty within such an ominous, potentially cataclysmic moment in time.  the album deftly reflects humanity’s increasingly tragic ambivalence to a world that’s disintegrating right before our eyes, and we carry on as if nothing is amiss.”  Peter Margasak, Nowhere Street

Seven years after their last duo album, vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos return with Night Birds. Released on September 29, 2023 in CD and digital download on the Portuguese label Robalo Music, the duo’s third release captures and crystallizes their uncanny musical connection.

A collection of original compositions, improvisations and a Bartok bagatelle, the dozen tracks on Night Birds reflect on the fast-paced societies of the modern world, questioning the consumption and exploitation of natural ecosystems. Serpa’s distinctive singing and Matos’ spectacular sonic landscapes are enhanced by original and creative artists in jazz and improvised music including Brooklyn-based pianist Dov Manski, South-Korean avant-garde cellist Okkyung Lee (John Zorn, Nels Cline, Chris Corsano, and Thurston Moore), Ethiopian-Swedish experimental vocalist Sofia Jernberg (Fire! Orchestra, Mette Rasmussen), Portuguese up-and-coming drummer João Pereira, and on two tracks, Serpa and Matos’ child Lourenço. At turns magic, dazzling and calm, the duo’s unique sonic world draws on pure, contemplative sounds and takes a personal approach to melody and poetry. Their musical identity is informed by their Portuguese culture and the creative artistic environment of New York.