Jazz sounds lend a smooth start to September as Firenze Jazz Festival sends music lovers swaying from September 6 to 10 and 14 to 18.
120 top Italian and international musicians are scheduled to perform in 10 locations among the 41 events that (literally!) jazz up historic villas and concert halls, not forgetting Renaissance cloisters, farmhouses and clubs.
Find flair in Forte Belvedere with the free entry opening performance by Subconscious Trio on September 6. Hailing from Taiwan, Bulgaria and Italy, experience new musical horizons with the classic combo of vocals/piano, double bass and drums. From there, take your pick of superlative jazz at venues varying from Villa Strozzi and Villa Bardini to Santarosa Bistrot, Ostello Tasso and Circolo La Rondinella.
Smooth sax, electrifying bass and downbeat drums can all be expected, with entrance fees ranging from free to 15 euro. Big names on Italy’s prolific jazz scene alternate with up-and-coming stars and well-known international players, with audiences awed by all types of jazz, from the cool to the experimental.
In the year of American jazz legend Charles Mingus’ centenary, Firenze Jazz Festival pays tribute with Marco Colonna’s trio playing a concert titled Portrait of Mingus as a Man at Sala Vanni on September 10. The Lucy Woodward Quartet at Villa Bardini on September 10 proves yet another highlight as the England-born musician, who has collaborated with the likes of Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand and Pink Martini, enchants audiences with her irresistible rhythm and energy. Federico Sacchi brings his Miss Show Business listening experience dedicated to Judy Garland to Sala Vanni on September 15 for a journey through the films, records, concerts and television appearances that made her a legend.
Don’t miss Saturday, September 17 as four very different and intriguing artists take to the Ultravox, the amphitheatre in the Cascine park, with back-to-back high octane performances by Mop Mop, Joan Thiele, Meg and Daddy G. Mop Mop’s jazz/funk alternates with Meg’s unforgettable pop/R&B, with Italian-Colombian Joan Thiele and DJ Daddy G (of Massive Attack fame) finishing off the serata in style. Round up the series with Ghost Horse at Ruffino’s Poggio Casciano wine estate on September 18, with the creative American and Italian trio taking Latin and African polyrhythms to a free jazz/hip hop/blues and electronics universe.
