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Atina lies about 100 kilometers at east from Formia. The small city lies on the top of a hillock, with great views. And, although small, the medieval character gives it a particularly charming character to the place. And also there is an every year a festival. I went there listen to Javier Girotto.
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Mutsaersjamm
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Italy is my favourite country for holidays. Not only because you can find culture on the street, so to say, but mainly because of it’s interesting jazz scène which stole my heart.
The club circuit is limited, but in summer you can find festivals an s open air concerts all over the country, mostly in the most beautiful places one can imagine.
So a special page must be there.
Below pictures I made last summer 2008, travelling around for over 6 weeks.
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Jazz in Italy page 1 |
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Salerno |
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Iseo is a small city situated at Lago d’Iseo, in the North of Italy. Rather touristy but it has an intimate cosy centre. And there you can find an open air stage, close to the harbour, where nice jazz concerts are done in summer. I went down there to meet two of my favourites. Rita Marcotulli and Bebo Ferra.
I invited Bebo before in Arnhem for a performance with double bass player Paolino dalla Porta during the SPRNG festival edition 2005.
And Rita Marcotulli to me is one of the most interesting piano players and composers in Europe.
She also performed in Arnhem with bass player Palle Danielsson, the Italian drummer Roberto Gatto and our own trumpeter Eric Vloeimans.
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San Remo is one of those sophisticated bathing resorts located to the Italian Rivièra. Places such as Monaco and Cannes are close to San Remo. The region has a lot of greenhouses where flowers are grown, so a Dutch guy like me will recognize something.
I went there to meet Rita Marcotulli again, this time with saxophonist Andy Sheppard from the UK. They played in a very nice park and they really were on top that night. A standing ovation and an adjuration of the audience for an encore. |
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After the break there was saxophonist Rick Margitza With some local musicians.
I did hear him before in Holland, but that night he disappointed me.
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Laurino is a small village in the mountains in the centre of South Italy, not that far away from Naples. One could pass by without noticing it, but every summer they do summercalsses where Italian musicians do teach. And in the evening they will do a concert, mostly with one of their own groups. In 2008 singer Maria Pia de Vito joined by Roberto Gatto and Paolino dalla Porta.
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Paolino della Porta |
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Roberto Gatto |
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Maria Pia de Vito started as performer of Napolitano folksongs, but soon already she became a passionate in improvised music. She is notable because of her free manner of improvising and the use of sampler techniques. With that she can build up several layers before starting to improvise over it in addition.
Paolino dalla Porta a bass player belongs to the top of the Italian scene. He was in Arnhem with Bebo Ferra and was found on the North Sea Jazzfestival of 2008 Jean Lucca Petrella.is
Roberto Gatto belongs to the Italian top, leads innumerable own formations and is also a regular musical partner of trumpeter Enrico Rava or pianist Rita Marcotulli . With the latter he did a tour in Holland (2002), with Eric Vloeimans and Palle Danielsson and in 2000 he was in Holland for two concerts (Paradox and BIMhuis) with the quartet of Rita, Javier Girotto and the young bass player Pietro Ciangaglini. 2000, Paradox was special, because they played at my festival celebrating my 55th anniversary.
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Formia is situated About 100 km south of Rome on the west coast of Italy. It is a busy harbour town. I went there to hear the Indigo quartet of Gianluca Petrella. This quartet was also in the North Sea festival 2008.
Petrella is a very adventurous improviser on trombone and Down Beat selected him as the ‘most promising soloist of the year’.
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Formia |
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Atina |
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Javier Girotto |
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Rome
Villa Celimontana
In the hart of Rome, about 500 meters from the Collosseum you can find the the park villa Celimontana. Every year, from June uptill august there is a festival. Daily live music can be heard, with groups from foreign countries, the top of the Italian jazz scene and a lot of local jazz musicians from Rome.
Aires Tango was there.
They played twice in Holland. I organized a short tour. They played in Oss, Arnhem and Tilburg.
The second time they played in the North Sea festival, which then still was situated in The Hague. |
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Aires Tango |
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Rita Marcotulli / Andy Sheppard |
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Rick Margitza |
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Laurino |
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Maria Pia de Vito |
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Vertere String |
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He stepped in as a guest of a local group and performed with his own project with a string quartet: Vertere string. The concert location is particular. A small square with in the back a real cathedral, two tapering ranges of Palazzi and in the point of the square a stage. And the acoustics,are like being in a large concert hall Unique! |
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piano Bass guitar Percussion sax |
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