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José Dias | guitar
Ana Fridman | piano and voice
Joshua Vadiveloo | bass
Johnny Hunter | drums
Sintoma Records
2025
José Dias
Strange Birds
Strange Birds brings together José Dias, Ana Fridman, Joshua Vadiveloo and Johnny Hunter in a musical dialogue shaped by improvisation, memory and collaboration. Moving between composition and spontaneous interaction, the quartet explores contrasting musical backgrounds and approaches, allowing unexpected connections to emerge.
Cadavre Exquis
Gonçalo Prazeres
2023
Robalo Music
Listed as one of the best Portuguese jazz records of 2023 (jazz.pt)
Led by Portuguese saxophonist Gonçalo Prazeres, Cadavre Exquis (2023) brings together five musicians from the Portuguese and British improvised music scenes. Recorded entirely through free improvisation, the album embraces unpredictability and collective invention, with musical ideas emerging, colliding and taking unexpected turns through the interplay of five distinct musical voices.
Gonçalo Prazeres | saxophones
José Dias | guitar
Adam Fairhall | piano
John Pope | bass
Johnny Hunter | drums
AFTER SILENCE vol 2
José Dias
José Dias | guitar, piano & timpani
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2023
Black Dog Records
Recorded live as an improvised accompaniment to Germaine Dulac’s 1923 silent film La Souriante Madame Beudet, After Silence Vol. 2 explores the relationship between music, image and narrative. Moving between guitar, piano and timpani, José Dias creates a spontaneous musical response to this pioneering work of feminist cinema.
"Working with Chris is always an absolute pleasure and such an honour for me. Chris is one of the best British composers of his generation, he's a pioneer of British Systems music, joined the improvisation group AMM in 1969, was the youngest member of the Scratch Orchestra, a founding member of the Promenade Theatre Orchestra, and founder of the Experimental Music Catalogue. Performed with Gavin Bryars, Michael Nyman, Steve Reich, John Tilbury, Christian Wolff, among others." José Dias
CHRISTOPHER HOBBS + José Dias
ALMOST LIKE A SONG
2023
Black Dog Records
Christopher Hobbs | piano, percussion and transistor radio
José Dias | guitar, harmonica
francesca naibo + José Dias
correspondence vol2
2022
Copperfly Records
José Dias | guitar
Francesca Naibo | guitar
The second volume of a musical correspondence between guitarists José Dias and Francesca Naibo, developed over nearly a year (2020–21) between Manchester and Milan. Exchanging solo improvisations in a continuous musical dialogue, each responding to the other's recordings, the two musicians explore distance, mutual discovery and the possibilities of collaboration without ever playing together in the same room.
A musical correspondence between guitarists José Dias and Francesca Naibo, developed over nearly a year (2020–21) between Manchester and Milan. Across two volumes, the musicians exchange solo improvisations, each responding to the other's recordings in an unfolding dialogue. More than a lockdown collaboration, the project documents a process of mutual discovery, trust and creative challenge, without overdubs or shared performances.
José Dias | guitar
Francesca Naibo | guitar
2022
Copperfly Records
francesca naibo + José Dias
correspondence vol1
anton hunter's lume kestrel
lume kestrel
2020
Gemma Bass - violin
Dee Byrne - alto saxophone
Rodrigo Constanzo - percussion and electronics
Ben Cottrell - alto saxophone
José Dias - acoustic guitar
Aaron Diaz - trumpet
Alicia Gardener-Trejo - baritone saxophone
Anton Hunter - electric guitar and composition
John Pope - double bass
Cath Roberts - cymbal and objects
Graham South - trumpet
Rob Thorpe - electric guitar
Tom Ward - flute
Andrew Woodhead - keyboard
Originally composed for London's LUMEkestra, this piece became an experiment in remote music-making during lockdown. Each musician recorded their part in response to what the others had already played, gradually building a collective performance across separate locations. Proceeds from the release were donated to Hundred Years Gallery in London, supporting the venue during a particularly difficult period.
José Dias + awareness
live at smup
Escanifobetico Records
2019
José Dias | guitar
Francisco Andrade | tenor saxophone
Gonçalo Prazeres | alto and baritone saxophones
Rui Pereira | drums
Recorded live at SMUP in Parede, Portugal. Drawing inspiration from literary characters and works by Jane Austen, Thomas Mann, Gabriel García Márquez, Vladimir Nabokov and others, the compositions explore storytelling through improvisation, combining narrative, poetry and disruption in a distinctly unpredictable musical landscape.
Stunning musical landscape. Inventive music of the first order. (All About Jazz, 2019)
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Definitely one of the cases of the year. (Jazz.pt, 2019)
An introspective masterpiece, This music will renew the soul. (All About Jazz, 2019)
Calls for prolonged and careful listening. (NeuGuitars, 2019)
José Dias found his voice. (Bodyspace, 2019)
*After Silence Vol. 1* brings together a series of solo improvisations by José Dias in response to four experimental films by Man Ray: *Le Retour à la Raison* (1923), *Emak-Bakia* (1926), *L’Étoile de Mer* (1928) and *Les Mystères du Château de Dé* (1929). The recording explores the relationship between improvised music and surrealist cinema.
Listed as one of the essential Portuguese jazz records of the 21st century (Improvisando)
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​Listed as one of the best jazz records of 2019 (Percorsi Musicale)​
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Listed as one of the best Portuguese records of 2019 (jazz.pt)
José Dias
after silence vol1
Clean Feed
José Dias | guitar
2019
José Dias
what could have been
2016
Sintoma Records
Jose Dias - guitar
Moises Fernandes - trumpet
Pedro Pinto - bass
Rui Pereira - drums
Recorded in Edinburgh, What Could Have Been takes the seven deadly sins as its starting point, exploring their contradictions and complexities through composition and improvisation. The album offers a musical reflection on human behaviour, desire and moral ambiguity, leaving room for unexpected interpretations.
José Dias
magenta
2013
Sintoma Records
José Dias - guitar
Nuno Oliveira - bass
Alexandre Alves - drums
Magenta emerged from three years of collaboration between the trio and Compota, a contemporary dance collective. Developed through an ongoing dialogue between music and movement, the album reflects a creative process in which improvisation, composition and choreography informed and challenged one another.
José Dias
2013
Sintoma Records
Jose Dias - guitar
Moises Fernandes - trumpet
Pedro Pinto - bass
Rui Pereira - drums
Released in 2013, 360 marked José Dias's recording debut as a bandleader. Featuring Moisés Fernandes on trumpet, Pedro Pinto on double bass and Rui Pereira on drums, the quartet explores a contemporary approach to jazz in which composition and improvisation meet experimentation and dialogue between different musical languages.