Celebrating centennials at Moncalieri Jazz Festival

After the two concerts which opened its 20th edition, the Moncalieri Jazz Festival shifted to full throttle with four more great nights of music, each celebrating the centennials of jazz giants born in 1917.

The first evening was dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald. Italian-Algerian vocalist Karima El Maaloumi performed "Voices," a special project commissioned by the festival, accompanied by the tight-knit trio of Fabio Giachino, Davide Liberti and Ruben Bellavia.

The following evening was dedicated to Thelonious Monk with "4 by Monk by 4," and included four masters of the piano: Kenny Barron, Cyrus Chestnut, Danny Grissett and Dado Moroni, who re-interpreted Monk compositions in a solo or duo format.

The third evening focused on the Italian composer Armando Trovajoli and featured the Fulvio Chiara Quartet including Gianluca Tagliacozz, Bob Moses, Greg Burk, Tony Arco, Mauro Battisti, and Alessandro Minetto. They were accompanied by the Turin Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Stefano Fonzi.

The first three concerts were held at the Fonderie Limone Theater of Moncalieri, while the last concert was held at the Lingotto Auditorium in Turin. It was a double concert dedicated to Dizzy Gillespie and featured Italian trumpet masters Flavio Boltro, Fabrizio Bosso, and special guest Enrico Rava. A triumphant closing for the successful celebration of the Festival's 20th edition.