Portuguese drummer and composer João Lencastre began his Communion project in 2005, after his first visit to New York in 2002 set the scene for developing relationships with New York musicians. There he first heard and met David Binney and in 2003 Lencastre joined Binney on stage for some Portuguese dates and in 2004 he met Jacob Sacks and Thomas Morgan, who would later join Communion, when Binney’s Quartet toured. In 2005 Communion took its first real shape with a tour featuring Phil Grenadier.
Since then, Communion has had a dynamic line-up, working with João’s compositions, of Quintet, Septet, and Trio. Six albums have been released with the participation of David Binney, Thomas Morgan, Bill Carrothers, Phil Grenadier, Leo Genovese, Benny Lackner, Jacob Sacks,Eivind Opsvik, and others. (see Discography below)
With Jacob Sacks and Eivind Opsvik he has created a “redux” version of the project, adapting his ideas to the piano trio format. After the Communion 3 debut album Movements in Freedom, released in late 2017 on Clean Feed, here is a second opus in Song(s) of Hope:

“Cecil Taylor meets Morton Feldman meets “popish” epic themes, meets analogue synth frequency explorations.” as Lencastre himself describes.

Lencastre has found consummate partners in the translation to sound of his scores, both Sacks and Opsvik sharing his own personal characteristics in terms of elegance, subtlety and a vivid sense of drive.

With only these three, less is indeed more, proving that there’s beauty in economy on Song(s) of Hope.

Recorded at Timbuktu Studio by Luís Delgado on the 3rd of March 2019 | Mixed and mastered by André Fernandes
Produced by João Lencastre | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Band photo by Teresa Q. | Design by Travassos