Manolo Pereira QUINTETO POLAR

Seville-born guitarist and composer Manolo Pereira presents his new project, Quinteto Polar, the natural follow-up to Equilibrio (Blue Asteroid Records, 2019), the trio album with which he took his first steps as a bandleader. Now, expanding the line-up to five musicians, Pereira explores new textures and adds more melodic voices to his music.

The repertoire consists entirely of original compositions, written specifically for this new line-up, alongside a few reworked older pieces. It is a project that operates within the realm of contempo- rary jazz with a highly recognisable identity: lyrical, fluid, unpretentious, and always in pursuit of beauty. On stage, the band blends classic swing numbers, hints of bossa nova, ballads, the sounds of contemporary jazz, funk nuances, nods to the Mediterranean and even passages of free collective improvisation.

The project made its public debut in the autumn of 2025, as part of the 28th University of Seville Jazz Festival, and has since performed across Andalusia and southern Portugal. These perfor- mances gave rise to Estelas (live at Cantaloupe Jazz Café), their first live album, a faithful and natural portrayal of the quintet’s sound on stage.

Alongside Manolo Pereira (guitar), the quintet comprises Adrián Ayala (alto saxophone), Martina Mollo (piano), Antonio del Caño (double bass) and Jose Gómez (drums): five distinctive voices, united by a common purpose.