Yaw Tembe

Yaw Tembe is a trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist, improviser and sculptor born in Eswatini in 1989. Based in Lisbon, he studied sculpture in Porto and jazz at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa, developing an interdisciplinary practice across music, performance and visual art.

His trumpet playing explores preparations, homemade mutes, extended technique and electronics, with timbre and resonance often taking priority over conventional melodic gestures. He has performed in projects including Zarabatana, GUME and Sirius, and collaborated with musicians and artists across jazz, experimental music, dance and installation. Since 2020 he has also worked as a music and sound-art programmer at Teatro do Bairro Alto. His Creative Sources discography includes recordings with the IKB Ensemble and related large-scale improvised projects.