Dr. Luiz Moretto is a Brazilian-born British fiddler, double bassist and composer based in London. His compositions incorporate ethnic elements of rhythm and timbre into the open/closed structures of jazz and Brazilian music reflecting the spontaneity of free experimentation. He has been inspired by the music traditions of bowed string instruments from Africa and Brazil, which are part of his current research.
Growing up in a musical family, Luiz received a bachelor degree in classical music from UDESC, the University of Santa Catarina in 1998. Luiz has recently been awarded Doctor of Philosophy in ethnomusicology at King’s College London having Professor David Treece and Dr. Frederick Moehn as joint supervisors.
His latest album "Vampyroteuthis Infernalis" - Luiz Moretto Quintet was recorded in Rome in 2014. The CD was released in January 2015 by the UK’s label SLAM, blending Afro-Brazilian musical expressions to the Italian free jazz aesthetics. The album has been critically acclaimed by Jazz Journal, Cadence Magazine, Jazz Views, Jazz Weekly (top ten albums lists of 2015), Jazz Colours, Jazz.pt, Le Son Du Grisli, Bird is the Worm, Music Zoon, Free Form Free jazz, Breakaplate and Downtown Music Gallery.
Always keeping improvisation as the main focus of interest in the collision between jazz, free jazz, african, brazilian and improvised music, Luiz has collaborated, performed and recorded in Europe with creative artists in music, dance and film including London Improvisers Orchestra, Wadada Leo Smith, Alípio C Neto, Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, Clarence Becton, Mark Sanders, John Edwards, Francesco Lo Cascio, Marco Ariano, Gianfranco Tedeschi, Simon Gall, Mike Rae, Fraser Peterkin, Marcio Mattos, Marilza Gouvea, Ashley Walles, Charlotte Hug, Greg Burk, Alison Blunt, Benedict Taylor, Paloma Carrasco, David Leahy, Hardedge, Paulo Duarte, Christopher Williams, Danny Keane, Seth Bennett, Ildefons Alonso, Ruda Santos, Victor Gama, Antonio Tavares, VGO Variable Geometry Orchestra, Ernesto Rodrigues, Stolen Project, Orlando Legname, Embaúba Ensemble, King's Brazil Ensemble, Xangai, Refilon, José de Castro, Genitho Rasta, Ngoma Mozambique, Marcelo Fortuna, Dinoel Gandini, Johannes Krieger, Mick Trovoada among others.