For the third year running, the M-Bassline Cultural Center in Matola-Rio is hosting the jazz festival.

The festival is scheduled for April 30, the date on which jazz is celebrated around the world. The event, which starts at 7pm, brings together Mozambicans Neco Novellas, Deodato Siquir and Mingas.

"This is a unique evening, with an intimate feel, which is why the event will take place in the M-Bassline auditorium, unlike the other two events that took place in the atrium," says a note sent to MZNews.

The celebration of jazz in Boane highlights Mozambican artists in the diaspora: one in Holland, Neco Novellas, and another in Sweden and Denmark, Deodato Siquir, as well as Mingas, as the event's godmother.

It won't just be an evening celebrating Mozambican jazz made in the diaspora, but above all a celebration of two daring projects that break paradigms when it comes to musical performances.

Neco Novellas, who hasn't performed in Mozambique for around 10 years and whose visit to his homeland coincides with the celebration of his 50th birthday, brings us an unusual concept with a solo performance, an exercise from his latest album - 'Chasing traces' - which travels back to his Mozambican origins, combining Afro-jazz and marrabenta.

Deodato Siquir, on the other hand, offers a performance that crosses his three albums, although with the main focus on 'Together', his latest record, with acoustic sounds, but bold, which brings a quartet and three voices to the stage.

Mingas closes the evening paying tribute to the late Chico António, his duo of several years with 'Baila Maria', a song that won the Radio France International (RFI) award in 1990, as well as paying homage to Mozambican women at the end of his month.

According to Válter Simbine, the fact that M-Bassline is venturing into its auditorium for a concert of this scale is a salutary experience and the team has high expectations for this reason, as well as the fact that the artists are bringing together artists who appeal to music lovers, especially jazz lovers.

The M-Bassline Jazz Festival is accompanied by a book and record fair and handicraft items, to "unite the entire value chain of the cultural and creative industry and because it's not always easy to obtain the works of the artists who will be on stage," Simbine emphasizes.

It should be noted that M-Bassline is the only cultural center in Maputo province, located in Rua da Escola Primária de Djuba, in Matola-Rio.

Opened in 2022, the space is divided into four parts - a jazz club, an auditorium, a lounge (still being designed) and an atrium that hosted the two previous editions of the M-Bassline Jazz Festival.