With a career spanning over three decades, Mário Laginha is usually associated with jazz. Be that as it may, he has built a much broader musical universe that encompasses Brazilian, indigenous, African, pop and rock elements, in addition to his grounding in classical music.
Although he has one solo album to his credit, Canções e Fugas, he has shared his art with many musicians and creators. First and foremost, among them is Maria João, with whom he has made over a dozen recordings, others are Pedro Burmester and Bernardo Sassetti, working in close collaboration with the latter until his untimely death, along with many other extraordinary musicians, such as Trilok Gurtu, Gilberto Gil, Lenine, Ralph Towner, Manu Katché, Dino Saluzzi, Kai Eckhardt, Julian Argüelles, Howard Johnson, André Mehmari and Django Bates.
The most recent work of Mário Laginha Trio is titled Mongrel, based on original compositions of Chopin, and Iridescente is his latest musical adventure, with Maria João. In late 2013, Mário Laginha and his Novo Trío released Terra Seca, an album that opened up new territory for jazz and Portuguese music.
In late 2015, he resumed his collaboration with pianist Pedro Burmester, one of his musical partners in some of the most important music festivals in Portugal and abroad. In November 2017, he and the musicians Julian Arguelles and Helge Norbakken launched the album SETEMBRO in England.
In 2018, he embarked on a lengthy tour with Camané, performing at dozens of venues and eventually making the recording Aqui está-se sossegado, which has met with critical acclaim and has received several awards. In 2019, he continued performing in a duo with Pedro Burmester, Camané and with his trio, the latter having just released a new recording.