Miguel Ângelo is a Portuguese double bassist, composer and producer with an established presence in the contemporary jazz scene.

He began his musical journey at Tuna Musical de Fiães, where he studied music theory, guitar and later double bass. During his early years he was a member of the rock project Curtes Baldei-me, performing as both guitarist and bassist.

He continued his studies at the Porto Jazz School, where he studied electric bass under the guidance of double bassist Alberto Jorge. Although rock marked his early musical experiences, jazz eventually became his main artistic language. Still under Alberto Jorge’s guidance, he resumed his studies of the double bass and attended ensemble classes led by pianist Paulo Gomes, later deepening his training with double bassists Pedro Barreiros and António Augusto Aguiar.

Alongside his musical path, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Universidade Portucalense. He later returned to higher education to fully dedicate himself to music, graduating in Jazz Double Bass from the School of Music and Performing Arts (ESMAE) in 2008.

At ESMAE he studied with musicians such as António Augusto Aguiar, Damien Cabaud, Carlos Bica, Zé Eduardo, Michael Lauren, Nuno Ferreira, Carlos Azevedo, Pedro Guedes and Telmo Marques, among others. He also attended several workshops with musicians including Carlos Bica, Thomas Morgan and Dan Weiss.

As a bandleader he released the albums BRANCO (2013), A Vida de X (2016) and Dança dos Desastrados (2021), all released by Porta-Jazz. In 2017 he released his first solo double bass album, I Think I’m Going to Eat Dessert (Creative Sources Records).

In 2019, he initiated the project Miguel Ângelo Utopia (MAU), which released the album UTOPIA that same year.

In 2025, he released DISTOPIA, the latest album by his trio, widely praised by national and international critics and distinguished by Jazz.pt magazine and the Verdes Anos radio program (Antena 1) as one of the best Portuguese jazz albums of the year.

Beyond his work as a leader, he was a member of the group MAP, with whom he recorded four albums, including MAP + Chris Cheek, the result of a collaboration with the renowned American saxophonist.

He also performed with Ensemble Super Moderne, whose debut album was considered by critics the Best Portuguese Jazz Album of 2014.

He is also co-leader of the collective MAZAM, alongside João Mortágua, Carlos Azevedo and Mário Costa, responsible for the albums Land, Pilgrimage and Pilgrimage Vol. II, the latter also distinguished by Jazz.pt as one of the best jazz albums of 2025.

Throughout his career he has collaborated with several national and international musicians, including Chris Cheek, Ohad Talmor, Dan Weiss and Frank Vaganée.

He currently performs with several projects in the Portuguese jazz scene, including: Pedro Neves Trio, with five albums released; Carlos Azevedo Quartet (Serpente, 2022); Luís Ribeiro Sextet (A Invenção da Ficção, 2023); Joaquim Rodrigues Septet (PLEXUS, 2022); Rui Fernandes Quartet, dedicated to the Viola Amarantina, with two albums released and Jogo de Damas.

In 2025, he founded the label +Records, expanding his work as a producer and supporting the development of new musical projects.

Throughout his career he has performed extensively in Portugal and abroad, appearing in countries such as Egypt, Cape Verde, France and Spain, with performances at festivals including Kriol Jazz Festival, AngraJazz, Festival Porta-Jazz, Festa do Jazz (Teatro São Luiz), ImaxinaSons (Vigo), Festival Internacional de Cangas and the Cairo International Jazz Festival.

Alongside his artistic activity, he is also engaged in music education, teaching at Colégio Internato dos Carvalhos, where he combines his pedagogical work with his career as a musician and composer.