“The chemistry and teamwork are close to perfect. Matos’ delicate, lyrical electric guitar, intricate and hypnotic, is the perfect foil for Serpa’s mostly wordless vocals, which are cool, calm and precise.” – Allen Morrison, DownBeat 

The duo’s previous albums, Primavera (2014) and All The Dreams (2016), produced close to the birth of their child, radiated with the excitement of experimentation and the joy of creative communion. Seven years after their last duo album, vocalist Sara Serpa and guitarist André Matos return with Night Birds (2023), on the Portuguese label Robalo Music, which captures and crystallizes their uncanny musical connection. Serpa is widely acclaimed as one of the premier vocalists of her generation and was crowned the 2020 Vocalist of the Year by NPR. Matos has been praised as “one of the kings of melody..." by the New York Music Daily. Together, their music has been described as “decidedly otherworldly and totally original” (The Classical Arts) and “a perfect musical union” (O Público).

A native from Lisboa, Portugal, Sara Serpa is a singer, composer, improviser, who through her practice and performance, explores the use of the voice as an instrument. Serpa has been working in the field of jazz, improvised and experimental music, since moving to New York in 2008. Literature, film, visual arts, nature and history inspire Serpa in the creative process and development of her music. Described by the New York Times as “a singer of silvery poise and cosmopolitan outlook,” and by the JazzTimes magazine as “a master of wordless landscapes,”  Serpa started her recording and performing career with jazz luminaries such as Grammy-nominated pianist, Danilo Perez, Guggenheim and MacArthur Fellow pianist, Ran Blake, and Greg Osby. Serpa has been active in gender equity in music and is the co-founder (along with fellow musician Jen Shyu) of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians (M³), an organization created to empower and elevate women and non-binary musicians. Serpa has collaborated with an extensive array of musicians including Ingrid Laubrock, Erik Friedlander, John Zorn, Nicole Mitchell,  Okkyung Lee, Guillermo Klein, Linda May Han Oh, Kris Davis, Okkyung Lee, Caroline Davis, Angelica Sanchez, Thomas Morgan, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Zeena Parkins, Mark Turner, David Virelles, Tyshawn Sorey, and Leo Genovese,  among many others.

Portuguese native and resident of New York, André Matos has played the guitar since the age of nine. He was interested in the pop rock bands of the moment and of the past, and soon developed a deep love for the Blues of Muddy Waters, BB King or Albert King. And from there, he got into some of the jazz records his parents had around. Matos came to Boston at a young age and holds a Bachelors of Music from Berklee College of Music and Masters Degree in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory. His most important teachers were Mick Goodrick, George Garzone, Danilo Perez, Brad Shepik, Hal Crook and Jerry Bergonzi. Since moving to New York in 2008, Matos has been collaborated with many musicians, and  toured the US, Panama, Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Australia and all over Europe. With an extensive discography as a leader and as a sideman, his 2012 trio recording was acclaimed by the New York Times: “The Portuguese jazz guitarist André Matos has a beautiful new self-released album, ‘Lagarto’ [available at lagarto.bandcamp.com], which highlights his capacity for fluid lyricism.” For more, go to www.AndreMatosMusic.com.