Orquestra Jazz de Matosinhos, created in 1997, is a non-profit institution that invests continuously in the development of diverse artistic projects, a coherent educational program, as well as in the recording of Portuguese jazz. A pioneer in a largely unexplored field, OJM fulfils the role of National Jazz Orchestra. It performs repertoires from all aesthetic variants and eras of jazz, under the artistic direction of Pedro Guedes, co-directed until 2021 by Carlos Azevedo. It has released albums with Chris Cheek, Lee Konitz and Ohad Talmor, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Maria João, João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Rebecca Martin and Larry Grenadier, Kiko Freitas, Perico Sambeat and Guillermo Klein. OJM has also collaborated with Maria Schneider, Carla Bley, John Hollenbeck, Jim McNeely, Carlos Bica, Mark Turner, Rich Perry, Fred Hersch, Maria Rita, Mayra Andrade, Guinga, Remix Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra Porto Casa da Música, among many others. It performs regularly in the country’s main venues and has toured in Europe and in the USA. It was the first Portuguese jazz band to participate in the JVC Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall in 2007. Since 2018, OJM has a 800 m2 space – CARA, that hosts concerts, rehearsals, recordings and initiatives of its Educational Programme and promotes dialogue between art, science and technology, aimed at researching and developing solutions for the creation, enjoyment and dissemination of creative content.