A lot has happened in the year since José Luiz Martins Band — featuring the group’s namesake on piano and flutist/vocalist Alex Hamburger — won $15,000 in the 2025 Jazz Prix, as part of the annual DC JazzFest.
“We just came to play,” said Martins about the 2025 Jazz Prix. “Winning was a big surprise.”
With the big win, Martins and Hamburger haven’t slowed down. The two performed at this year’s DC JazzFest (Sept. 2-6) and invested in the album “Catalog of Dreams,” for which they held an album listening session on Sept. 25 at Tonal Park, a recording studio in Takoma Park, Maryland.
“It’s a huge opportunity to just meet and be a part of the community,” Hamburger said. “Having the backing and support of DC JazzFest is great.”
While the new album has been a labor of love for Martins and Hamburger, who have both had solo projects over the years, “Catalog of Dreams” furthers years of collaborative work for the couple, who first met in Basel, Switzerland, in 2018.
Martins was completing his master’s degree in Basel after having left his hometown of São Paulo, Brazil. Hamburger, a D.C. native and then a New York resident, was spending time abroad. After they first played together, the two musicians found kindred spirits and like minds and discovered they shared a strikingly similar set of influences and musical visions.
Through their collaborations, they have blended sounds deeply rooted in Brazilian styles with jazz, Black American music, the Great American Songbook, and folk music.
“We played a week of shows in Europe this past spring, also along the East Coast and the Midwest,” said Hamaburger. “It’s been the catalyst to keep the energy of the group up and with the ability to make more music.
What ‘Catalog of Dreams’ Brings
In “Catalog of Dreams,” produced by Challenge Records, listeners will hear eight stellar performances from Hamburger’s flute and vocals, balanced with Martins’ creative piano interplay.
“The idea is that, with our band being open to different backgrounds, we bring in different perspectives,” Martins said.
“Tombo in 7/4” is a bouncy tune composed by Airto Moreira, the long-time admired Brazilian drummer and percussionist. He was also named a 2026 National Endowment for the Arts “Jazz Master.” “Ladeira da Preguiça,” a Gilberto Gil composition, features Hamburger’s sharp, lively flute with the flutter sounds of a well-versed flutist.
“Catalog,” composed by Martins and Hamburger, is a mellow, reflective song where Hamburger’s vocals try to organize experiences, explore where one’s mind and spirit have been, and where things are going. Hamburger’s flute, along with additional sounds, allows listeners to settle into the process.
“Detour Ahead” is another reflective composition where Martins’ piano beautifully supports the storytelling.
“Dance Cadaverous” by the late Wayne Shorter feels like the journey Martins and Hamburger have built through respect for each other’s talents. Like many American jazz artists, Shorter embraced Brazilian music.
“Shorter’s music has stood as a unified bond for the two musicians since their first meeting, and this track provides an ode both to the masterful use of space and harmony by Shorter and to the duo’s solidarity in their catalog of influences,” according to the “Catalog of Dreams” album notes.
Across the eight songs on “Catalog of Dreams,” Hamburger and Martins showcase their roots, desires, and direction through lyrics, instruments, soundscapes, and rhythms.
“We are excited to finally be able to share this collection of stories about our journey together,” said Hamburger. “We’ve been dreaming this up for the past few years.”
For more information or to purchase the album, go to alexhamburger.com or joseluizmartins.com.
