Jazzin' Around Europe
Play Petrucciani: A Special Tribute for a Special Musician
by Phillip Woolever
Watching a good band at a small club is often one of the most enjoyable ways to experience jazz. Proper ambiance can conjure lasting sounds and images, as the relatively intimate space makes for optimal acoustics and definitive visual close-ups. That's what it was like for those fortunate or discerning enough to attend the first editions of an exceptional “Play Petrucciani" program by Spanish pianist Chano Dominguez and Italian trumpeter Flavio Boltro, with a powerful rhythmic assist from Martin Leiton ...
read moreThe Optimal Evolution of Amersfoort World Jazz
by Phillip Woolever
A multitude of festivals recently returned from the pandemic wasteland as the world of live music played catch-up from over two years of interruptions, but few comebacks in the busy summer of 2022 were as uniformly strong as the full reopening of the Amersfoort World Jazz Festival. During what is likely now a permanent switch from the previous spring time frame to an early August edition, Amersfoort elevated its status as a multi-venue concert program, showcase-type exhibition series, and marketing ...
read moreAkBank Jazz Festival 2019
by Francesco Martinelli
AkBank Jazz Festival Istanbul, Turkey October 18-25 2019 I arrived in Istanbul during the world-wide outrage that followed the United States pull-out from Syria and the consequent military intervention by Turkey. The new humongous airport looked rather empty compared to the crowded spaces of the old one; the trip to city centre was long in kilometres but on a rather free road, and the light traffic made for a transfer that was not longer ...
read moreThe alpine Saalfelden 2019 experience
by Henning Bolte
Saalfelden? For those who don't already know, it is a small Austrian town in a magnificent alpine landscape in the Pinzgau, 70 km west of Salzburg, famous for its jazz festival in August and January and popular as a vacation and sport area. Character The festival has a great 40-years history having built a charisma that is so much larger than the physically small town itself. It has always been carried by an open communal attitude and broad ...
read moreRecollections of an Oslo experience
by Henning Bolte
Oslo has its week-long Jazz Festival taking place in mid-August at Sentralen and various locations from bar to church to opera house and university auditorium in the Norwegian capital. This already indicates something of the variety of the presented music. This year's edition has been the last one under the thirteen-year aegis of bassist and festival director Edvard Askeland. He will be succeeded by Øyvind Skjerven Larsen, not a stranger to the international jazz world through his manifold national and ...
read moreThe Slovenian Experience: Jazz Festival Ljubljana 2017
by Henning Bolte
Ljubljana--capital of the Republic of Slovenia, member of EU, neighbored by Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Italy--hosts the oldest jazz festival in Europe, which held its 58th edition this year (June, 28--July, 2). The event is organized by Cankarjev House/Cankarjev Dom, a prestigious, state-run cultural center in midtown Ljubljana, residing in one half of an impressive twin tower building, the other part being the National Bank of Slovenia. Cankarjev Dom has been created in the 1980s to foster collaboration ...
read moreWDR Jazzfest 2017
by Phillip Woolever
WDR Jazzfest Gutersloh, Germany February 2-4, 2017 The best friend of German jazz and a considerable number of passionate followers is probably a state funded media institution. In a relatively short time span of six years, the WDR Jazzfest has blossomed from infancy to impressive European stature. WDR, a broadcasting conglomerate of radio and TV stations, has continued to expand jazz's public access with the help of government funding and admirable efforts ...
read moreBergamo Jazz 2016
by Francesco Martinelli
For the first time under the artistic direction of trumpeter Dave Douglas, the 38th edition of the Bergamo Jazz Festival--one of Europe's longest running jazz events--invaded the ancient and noble city in the North of Italy with a joyous celebration of the music's diversity. The beautifully restored Teatro Sociale in the Città Alta--Bergamo's ancient city center is atop a steep hill--saw for the opening night the concert of pianist Franco D'Andrea's Traditions Today band, with Daniele D'Agaro on ...
read moreKit Downes and Tom Challenger: Organ Crawling
by Duncan Heining
Pianist-organist Kit Downes is one of the brightest and most articulate talents to emerge from the British and European scenes in recent times. His refusal to be pinned down to any specific career path or musical trajectory is to his credit but even more so is his ability to produce authentic music without compromise across style, genre or approach. Downes has that quality to his work that says, “Never mind the situation, this is me. This is my music."
read moreEnsemble Denada in Pisa
by Francesco Martinelli
Ensemble Denada Pisa, S. Andrea Theatre December 10, 2015 I encountered the music of Helge Sunde several years ago, with his wonderful “Denada" Cd on ACT. I was impressed by the quality of the writing and by the seamless fusion of composition and improvisation, so I was especially happy to have the chance to hear the Ensemble a few meters from home, in the wonderful location of the S. Andrea Theatre—an 12th ...
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