WORD 

Born in Lisbon, Portugal, on the 1st of July 1964, I started playing drums in 1983.

Between 1987 and 1991 I studied at the Hot Clube Jazz School and at the Music Academy in Lisbon.
In 1992 was admitted at the Drummers Collective School of Music in N.Y. where I studied with a deluxe faculty and achieved the "Certificate of Completion".
I also attended seminars and workshops with Alan Dawson, David Liebman, Rufus Reid, John Abercrombie, Reggie Workman, Clark Terry, Barney Kessel, Hal Garper, Bobby Watson, Terence Blanchard, Karl Berger, Kenny Washington, Peter Erskine, Rod Morgenstein, Dom Famularo and Buphinder Singh Chaggar.

Professional musician since '89, worked with many of Portugal’s top artists and musicians in folk, pop, funk, soul, fusion, blues, rock, jazz, world and percussion bands.

Performed in worldwide famous venues and festivals like the MIDEM in Miami Beach, the EFWMF in Berlin, the Zappanale in Bad Doberan, the Performing Arts Center in New Jersey, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the Blues Sur Seine Festival, the Breda Jazz Festival, all over Portugal and also around France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Brazil, China, England, Norway, U.S.A. and Canada.

Recorded over 30 CD’s and numerous tv and radio programs in several countries.

Composed soundtracks for a number of informative and educational DVD's directed by Maarten Roos for the European Space Agency, Le Planetaire de Paris, the European Venus Explorer and the European Planetology Network.

Collaborated with dancers and choreographers including live performances with the contemporary dance company CêDêCê, Paulo Ribeiro's tribute to José Limón, the Ballet Gulbenkian with Itzik Galili, workshops with Keren Levi in the CODA International Dance Festival of Oslo, guest percussionist in the 1st International Salsa Dance Festival in Portugal and performances and classes with belly-dancer Margrethe Glambek.

With composer, arranger and producer Eduardo Paes Mamede won the 2nd EEC Song Festival in 1992 in Salonica, Greece.

Since 1992 I taught rhythm, drums and percussion to over 1000 students, both privately and in several schools and orchestras in Portugal and also in Norway. Co-founded the first and biggest youth percussion orchestra in Portugal, Tocá Rufar, and coached the founders of another relevant one, Tocándar.

Member of the board of the Musicians Union in Portugal in 2004.

Moved to Oslo, Norway, in the end of 2004 and have since worked with the Nordstrand Janitsjarkorps, Antropófagos, Rakija, Grupo Zanza and also taught privately, in schools and in youth orchestras.

Currently I perform and record with the brazilian singer/songwriter Claudio Latini, with Pausefiskene, with the moroccan band Maghreb Funk and with Charlie & The Bluescats.