The second day of Borneo Jazz, held on May 11, marked the end of the two-day jazz music festival. Following the same structure as the previous day, it featured Jump4Joy from Sweden, Hazmat Modine from the United States, Mo’Blow from Germany, and the Asian Jazz All-Stars Power Quartet from Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Thailand. Though equally entertaining as day one, day two had much more to offer: rain fall. Music, along with the strange weather, kept the audience glued to the ground, topping the expectations of many on a whole new level. The flow of the concert was maintained by no other than Malaysia’s Gerard Ratnam of Bernama Radio 24 with DJ UNO entertaining the masses between 15-minute performance breaks. The lively atmosphere comforted wearied souls and relaxed the troubled; witnessing people aged in their mid-twenties and thirties dancing in the rain while enjoying the music was beautiful.

Show time was 7:30 pm for the Asian Jazz All-Stars quartet. Jeremy Monteiro on keyboard, Eugene Pao on guitar, Tots Tolentino on saxophone, and Chanutr Techatana-nan on drums hyped the crowd like no other, being the first to perform. When you put four of Asia’s top musicians on one stage, it is fitting to expect a “one of a kind” performance. The Asian Jazz All-Stars quartet performed traditional jazz beautifully while playing an eclectic selection of old and new standards along with their own original compositions. Coming from four different countries, the jazzmen managed to execute an innovative yet intellectually stimulating performance; Pao’s strong guitar lines, Monteiro’s fusion of bluesy organ licks, Tolentino’s motley sound shapes, and Techatana-nan’s groovy swing warmed the hearts of many. They were definitely a good start to the concert.

Second in line was the renowned Hazmat Modine from New York. The eight piece band played a different kind of blues – New Orleans style, with edgy vocals and pungent brass. Over the years, their music has been inspired by traditional American roots coupled with a lot of worldly influences from Africa, Asia, and Europe, all of which sometimes can be seen within the confines of a single song. The leader of the band, Wade Schuman, communicated with the crowd skillfully, intensifying their excitement after every song. “Medicine man” hit the crowd like a storm. People did not just approve of the piece; they loved it, danced to it, felt the emotion, and demonstrated it. The eight piece band is not to be missed, witnessing them perform on stage was a whole new experience by itself. Hazmat Modine is made up of Schuman, Joseph Daley, Pamela Fleming, Erik Della Penna, Rachelle Garniez, Richard Huntley, Michael Gomez, and Steve Elson.

Third on set and the people’s favorite was Mo’Blow, coming all the way from Germany. Borneo Jazz was their second “GIMME THE BOOTS” release concert. Distinguished by their pink shoes, the band dazzled the crowd by their wicked performance made up of the unique sounds of funk, groove, and jazz. The masses could not get enough of them. Mo’Blow was able to demonstrate an appreciation to detail and love of authenticity through their performance. They put jazz into motion like never before. Felix F. Falk, the band leader, impressed the crowd by his newly learnt Malaysian phrases; he was fun and full of energy. Mo’Blow was a favorite not just to a particular age group, but to the entire audience. The quartet features Falk on saxophone, Matti Klein on electric piano, Tobias Fleischer on bass, and André Seidel on drums. For a detailed review, click here.

Last but not least was the Scandinavian band Jump4Joy. Their music was rare yet highly energetic with a strong New Orleans flavor. They performed feel-good, toe-tapping, and lively songs that literally left the audience jumping for joy in the rain. Drenched, the crowd danced all the way through the very end. To hype things up on a new scale, they collaborated with Papo Rodriguez and Jeremy Monteiro and received an encouraging response from the crowd. Previously, Jump4Joy has been described by the press as “An extraordinary band with international appeal” and “One of the best live acts to see.” The memorable performance by Jump4Joy was a fitting conclusion to the two-day festival. The band consists of Ulf Sandström (piano, lead vocals, composition), Bo Gustafsson (sax, tenor alto, percussion, backing vocals, composition), Surjo Benigh (bass, backing vocals), and Kenneth Björnlund (drums, backing vocals).

The Borneo Jazz festival was held in Miri, the ecotourism seaside town located north-east of Sarawak, about two hours and fifteen minutes flight time from Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Borneo Jazz is a yearly music festival that occurs in May. This event is a reflection of the growing unique position of Sarawak among jazz music aficionados. Each year, it brings world class performers to provide a rich experience to all music lovers. For regular updates, please refer to the official website at jazzborneo.com.

Image credit: Yasmin Pascual Khalil

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Borneo Jazz 2013, held on May 10-11 in Park City Everly Hotel, saw two jazz-filled nights that left festival-goers rocking.

The lineup this year was: West Jazz Band (Malaysia), Scott Martin Latin Soul Band (USA), Lisa Young Quartet (Australia), The Nylons (Canada), The Asian Jazz Allstar Power Quartet (Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand), Hazmat Modine (USA), Mo’ Blow (Germany) and Jump 4 Joy (Sweden).

Some bands just blow you away. Mo’ Blow, third set on the second night, were undoubtedly the people’s favorite. Mo’ Blow is made of Felix F. Falk (saxophone), Matti Klein (electric piano), Tobias Fleischer (bass) and André Seidel (drums).

With 13 shows to play in May and having just arrived in Miri from Germany that very morning, a certain amount of anxiety could have been prevalent among the organizers for Mo’ Blow. Traveling to different cities consecutively can take its toll. But within the first piece all concerns would have been swept away. Mo’ Blow were barely introduced by the host when they hit into full gear for the opening piece, “Fried Chocolate.” In an instant, they brought the mood of the festival to another energy level, capturing the crowd’s attention. Falk, a commanding presence on stage, led the band with hooks on his saxophone that drew everyone to their feet. Their second piece, “Mo Tough,” was a personification their youthful energy; like they had so much to say but not enough time to say it all. Klein, hitting the keys on the electric piano with great fervor, was an eye-catcher.

Falk, founder and leader of the group, exuberated cool confidence and stage presence. He threw out a few newly-learnt phrases in Malay language and received a delighted response from the crowd. Between pieces, Falk would switch between instruments. The way he deftly changed instruments while keeping poise was something to be admired. After delivering two high power pieces, he clipped off his saxophone and paused as if to remember which instrument the next tune required.

“Gimme the Boots” was their third piece, the one everyone was waiting for. It featured Falk on the didgeridoo, giving a deep ambience, and then built up to the hook line “Gimme the Boots,” which ushered in Mo’ Blow’s signature sound; you could almost hear the good humor in their music. This was a song for everyone. Falk interacted well with the crowd, getting them to shout ‘Gimme the Boots’ at the interval.

They kicked it up another notch with “Slingshot.” By then, you could feel that Mo’Blow were feeding off each other’s energy. Klein was a star on the piano. He played with a searching frenzy, as if he put the notes somewhere and was looking for them, with the occasional ‘aha!’ as each piece developed. At faster paces he rammed his hands on the Nord with an urgency that the right notes must come out. Fleischer, playing the bass with a big smile, laid down punchy and groovy bass lines, laying the foundation to the band’s overall sound. Seidel, on drums, played in the pocket and had plenty of hard-hitting linear fills.

Midway through the set, they played a piece, “Rocket Swing,” that had a line a little reminiscent of “The Watermelon Man” by Herbie Hancock. Mo’ Blow also gave a preview to some tunes off their latest record, such as “Papa’s Pancakes,” “Call Me Milroy” and “Headbutt.” By the end of their set, the crowd was ecstatic, calling for an encore. They came back on and played “Somewhere in Sharp Mountain” to cap off a brilliant set.

For all the official pictures from Borneo Jazz 2013, visit this website.

Image credit: Nadeen Kamel

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For jazz lovers, jazz musicians and jazz musician lovers, April 30 was declared “The international jazz day.“  

Jazz music has been bringing people together in harmony for more than a century, starting with the “Blue Note” that served as a relief from slavery, pain and grief, sung and played by the workers brought from Africa to work in America and Europe as slaves. What was better than music to release the soul?

A great Classic jazz piece by the Great Saxophonist John Coltrane (1961)

Jazz music still serves its purpose by bringing people together. While most have forgotten its origins and the true meaning of freedom in jazz music, it is still popularly celebrated, played and heard by a large portion of the world’s population.

Ragtime, Bebop, Swing, Blues,  Afro, Funk, Latin and Soul are just some of the names that jazz music has evolved and sub-categorized into over the generations. We come not even one step closer to knowing what jazz music really is, well lets just say that  jazz music is any music that can not be properly categorized, played in odd times and loaded with improvisations, and sounds good.

Jazz taking new shapes through Miles Davis

Though jazz music can not be properly identified, playing it has its rules, and listening to it has its feels, in a jazz music sheet the most significant bar is the empty bar where nothing is written, but a lot is played by the musician, and that introduces the most famous  element in jazz which is  improvisation. Jazz music has only become famous after slaves rose above slavery and slavery was no longer in the western culture and only then the African Americans freed who gained their freedom has started to have the right to have their own jobs.where a big portion went working in pubs and casinos in the entertaining business, and every night after everyone is gone and the chairs were empty those entertainers and musicians would come together with no prior preparation and lay down what may some would think “the best music they have heard”. And that was the beginning of Jazz music as an official genre, all based on the ability to improvise, carrying the meaning to present freedom through music and the ability to improvise by the feeling.

(Herbie Hancock with ” Watermelon Man,” Observe Improvisation live on stage)

Since around the 1860s, the Jazz music scene was built by musicians who are now immortalized due to their massive contribution in laying a practical, theoretical and a historical foundation to jazz music. Musicians who have conquered the world, and they are not only remembered on international jazz day, but every day where jazz music is being played.

Below is a list of a very few of many that forever influenced jazz music:

- Edward Kennedy (1899–1974) a.k.a Duke Ellington, a.k.a The Duke, who composed more than 1000 jazz pieces, also famous for being America’s greatest composer (Pianist).

- Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) a.k.a. Satchel-mouth, one of the most influential trumpeters and vocalists of all jazz’s life time.

- Benny Goodman (1909–1986) a.k.a the King of swing music.

- Charlie Parker (1920-1955) a.k.a The Yardbird, the Saxophonist that all saxophonists look up to.

- Miles Davis (1926-1991), The trumpeter and the nominated creator of Contemporary Jazz.

- Buddy Rich (1917 -1987), once known as “The World’s Greatest Drummer,” famous for his speed, power and playing with big bands.

- Herbie Hanock (1940-Present), A.K.A The Ambassador, Master of the Head Hunters and one of the best jazz pianists, composers and band leader alive today.

The list goes on and on, as every name is a piece of the puzzle that is jazz music.And so, Jazz of the past and the present shall be internationally celebrated annually on April 30 by some and every single day by others. For Jazz music is a story with infinite chapters and an unpredictable journey, translated into all languages.

The International Jazz Day Full Concert Presented By The Genius Herbie Hancock on April 30th 2013  in Istanbul,Turkey:

Image credit: Jazzday.com

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Troy Andrews, famous by the name of “Trombone Shorty,” is one of New Orleans’ current youngest and finest musicians. A professional musician, a trombonist and a band leader only by the age of six earned him his nick name Trombone Shorty. Troy was born on January 2, 1986 in the same city where jazz music was born, the great city New Orleans.

Troy Andrews as a child played in brass bands and through lots of music exposure since very young he has gained more than enough experience. By the time he reached age 24, his own and most successful album “Backatown” was nominated for a Grammy award for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2011.”

Trombone Shorty Playing with Wynton Marsalis at the Age of 13

Backatown was a great success for Trombone Shorty and his band Orleans Avenue. It was produced by Ben Ellman, Galactic’s own saxophonist. Galactic is known to be one of the top funk and fusion bands world wide; where also Trombone Shorty has played, recorded and performed live with them for several times, which is also a great achievement of his. Andrew’s music in general features a very powerful contemporary style jazz, that is full of energy and surprises along the way, he himself said” “We never sat down and really thought about concepts and what we wanted our music to sound like,” Andrew continued “It’s just that, over the years, we allowed each one of the band members to bring their influences and taste in music into our music. Anything we hear or are influenced by, it naturally comes out in what we’re trying to do. It’s just our sound, and it happened naturally.” In this special kind of  jazz music the perfect combination for it being jazz music full of improvisation and at the same time representing different personalities and genres into one musical piece, is what makes it sound different and unique than for example standard jazz, in the world of contemporary jazz one can just never know what to expect, and Trombone Shorty and the Orleans Avenue are a good demonstrates of such music.

Trombone Shorty Playing one of his tracks from “Backatown” 2011 (Observe Breathing Circulation Technique On The Trumpet)

Troy is always on the move with Orleans Avenue, touring the world with their energetic music. Troy on stage tends to have an outstanding stage presence and performance, that has a very passionate expression, filled with energetic love of music, and regularly he always urges to push it to the limit every single show, Trombone Shorty could one day be the new Miles Davis with his passion but on the trombone, though Troy is also a master of the trumpet and often uses it in a fair number of his songs. 

Troy so far has recorded 8 studio albums, the latest being “For True” that was released in 2011 and the first entitled “Trombone Shorty’s Swingin’ Gate” released in 2002, but his album “Backatown” still remains his most successful record.

One would have not expected less from a young musician born, raised and influenced by the amazing music sounds of New Orleans, the great city that still continues to produce outstanding jazz musicians, and prove to the generations of the present and the future that jazz music did not die after Miles Davis or Louis Armstrong or many others and the jazz music legacy continues on and it will live on to take new shapes into each generation.

Image credit: Laura Carbone via Tromboneshorty.com

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James Carter Organ Trio may sound like a normal, standard jazz band, but it definitely is not. James Carter is a 44-year-old saxophonist and flutist, and the founder of the James Carter Organ Trio.

An organ trio around the jazz scene will usually consist of three musicians, a Hammond organ player, a drummer and a saxophonist, in this case James Carter. The other members are Gerard Gibbs on the organ, and Leonard King on drums.

For some readers, it could be  hard to imagine how only three musicians achieve greatness and creativity in their music, which explains why this trio is special.

It requires great skill and technique to make an organ trio successful, especially since the bass player is also the organ player. Gibbs is the solid foundation that the trio supports itself on. Gibbs plays the bass lines, chords and melodies of most of the songs in a poly rhythmic sense . He uses a Hammond organ, which enables him to play the bass line with his feet, while playing the melodies and chords with his two hands, he wields the ability to control his four limbs independently, which is a huge challenge and a real musical skill. That will could soon extinct, as Gibbs is one of the few remaining masters of the real Hammond organ, with him the trio is a sextet.

James Carter is a powerful musician that  knows his instruments more than well. His instruments on stage are usually the soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bari saxophone and the flute, using all these instruments at one stage gives this trio good variety and always changing music flow on stage. At the trio’s last performance at the Perth International Festival 2013, Carter showed an outstanding, most extraordinary performance, with lots of woodwind solos that were more than just playing up and down the scale.

Leonard King  a not so typical jazz drummer that has a unique style and great skill, which bonds traditional and modern drumming styles into one, which gave it a new taste being put with the rest of the trio to make it complete and different than any other.

The James Carter Organ Trio’s recent performance at this year’s Perth Festival in Westren Australia was more than great. It was filled with instrumental energy, and a creativity with lots of solos like never seen or heard  before on any record. The trio’s performance may not have been attended by a large audience, but those who did attend did themselves a favor.

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Dave Morecroft, keyboarder/compositor and leader of the British band WorldService Project, goes on telling Toonari Post about their music and their upcoming plans and projects.

Toonari Post (TP): In regard to the different genres of music you blend, what artists have influenced you? 

Dave Morecroft (DM): Late jazz, free jazz, Charles Mingus, John Coltrane, all the way of true sounds like contemporary free great from Evan Parker and that school, classical music is very important to me and then I’d say a lot of groove stuff. With groove I mean all the way from Chick Corea, fusion, true tone, Rage Against the Machine, and also some kind of more popish styles and funk.

TP: Why and how did you approach jazz?

DM: Personally, I came to jazz quite late. Before going to the Sixth Form College, so before the age of 16, I literally had heard no jazz ever. I’d just never heard anything. Then, at the age of 16 I heard a lot of stuff very quickly. The first moment for me was when I went to the Alston College and we had a kind of “open day” and as part of it there was also a showcase and the Alston College Jazz Band was practicing and rehearsing for a gig and I sat down and listened to them. I remember they were playing Chick Corea’s ‘Spain.’ That was indescribably ear opening, I hadn’t heard anything like it before, I didn’t know musical sounds like that. It was incredible, a kind of hurricane, extremely affecting. Before I was a classical pianist. It was like an explosion of music for me.

TP: You are running a project called “Match&Fuse,” can you explain what it is about and how it works?

DM: We wanted to meet up with other bands around Europe and help each other also out of the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, which led to the first Match&Fuse exchange with Norwegian SynKoke. We went on applying for more Arts Council funding and they funded four more exchanges with the German band Schulbus, the Irish ReDiviDeR, the Italian Tribaco and the French Alfie Ryner, and we have nearly finished this stage of the project.

We tried to find bands very like-minded that had a kind of similar mash-up, bands that are looking to combine jazz and improvise music with more contemporary and popular styles, sort of dynamic and energetic bands. It’s been an amazing fantastic experience, we’ve learned a lot. Each time you book a gig in your own country and in their country, it’s a double tour.

Every sort of risk that you run when you go on tour in another country it’s partially eliminated, shouldering the risks. The audience of contemporary and modern jazz is tiny and there is much competition in the music industry. In Match&Fuse there is no competition, it’s sense of joining, helping each other, introducing each other to other audiences, media and places, it’s creating social occasions as well. Linking up and sharing audiences to create a network. Two bands combine countless possibilities of learning and doing.

TP: You also announced the upcoming “Match&Fuse Festival,” which will take place next June in London. Can you tell us more about it? 

DM: The Match&Fuse Festival is happening in June and is a kind of celebration of everything we have done so far. We have four of the five bands coming back to play with us and also bands we plan to play with in the future, 13 bands across 8 different countries, 15th and 16th of June taking place at the Vortex Jazz Club and in Gilett Square in Dalston, East London.

It’s all free entry ,there are a lot of things going on, Match&Fuse Big Band – a mash-up of all bands-, workshops, local school kids, an incredible mix of styles, improvisation, drum&bass, jazz, rock, pop, fusion, punk, experimental jazz, electronica, funk, UK headliners like Led Bib and trio VD. It will be a weekend of music to join musicians and audiences.

TP: What are your future plans and what should we expect from you in the next months?

DM: At the moment, it’s very difficult to think about something else outside of the festival and organize everything to make sure it all runs smoothly. In October, we are going to France for the French lane of Match&Fuse with Alfie Ryner. The 20th of June we play at 12 Points Plus Festival Slovenia, an extension of the Irish 12 Points Festival, similar to Match&Fuse.

We are also doing a recording in Cologne, Germany, for WDR and some gigs. So, June is going to be a very hectic month and in July and August we will take a break. Then we are supposed to be mixing and bringing out the second album that we’ve just recorded and between November 2012 and January/February 2013 there will be other three Match&Fuse exchanges with three more bands.

For news and updates about WSP:

Website http://www.worldserviceproject.co.uk

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/WSP/167984746174

Twitter @WSProject

Youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/worldserviceproject

Match&Fuse:

Website http://www.matchandfuse.co.uk            Facebook https://www.facebook.com/matchandfuse

Soundcloud http://soundcloud.com/match-2/sets/match-fuse-festival-2012-1

Twitter @MatchFuse

WSP Funders: Arts Council England, PRS Foundation and the Polish Cultural Institute

A Punkish Jazz Interview with WorldService Project – Part 1

Image Courtesy of  http://worldserviceproject.tumblr.com

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WorldService Project (WSP) is a young British jazz/punk/experimental quintet formed by Dave Morecroft (keyboard/compositions), Tim Ower (saxophones), Raphael Clarkson (trombone), Conor Chaplin (bass), Neil Blandford (drums).

Dave Morecroft, keyboarder/compositor and leader of the band tells to Toonari Post the whole story of WSP and their unconventional music mash-up experiment.

Toonari Post (TP): How long have you been playing together and how did you start?

Dave Morecroft (DM): WSP in its current form has begun approaching three years ago, [but] we have known each other for a lot longer because we all went to the same sixth form college in Alston, Hampshire, where four out of five of us studied at the age of 16 to 18. We were there in different years and times.

Our average age is 23 years and 2 months, I think, because of the actual gap between the oldest – Neil, the drummer, who is 26 – and the youngest – Conor, our bass player, who is 20. The great thing about this college is that there was a very active music department. There were computer LAN night shows where we knew about Neil.

Me, Neil, Conor and Tim, the sax player, were very familiar with each other playing, and we met up and played together. We have been playing since a very young age, especially myself and Conor.

We did our first gig when he was 12 and I was 15. So, we’ve  known each other playing for a long time and I think that it really helps and gives a kind of brother fit to the band. When I left the college, I went to university in York, in the north of England, and I met Raph. [That] was when WSP started. Raph joined in with us just to see how it worked out and then in 2009, we recorded an EP and that was the real start.

TP: In 2010, you got the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award for best emerging jazz band. Can you tell a bit about this experience and how it affected your path?

DM: In 2009/2010 we were working on some material and defining the sound — and rehearse as much as possible. Then, in the winter 2010, we were very fortunate to be awarded with the Peter Whittingham Jazz Award which creates fantastic opportunities to young musicians. If you look in the scene there is no[t] really many other things like it, it’s very unique. The musicians kind of curate the benevolent fund that comes from the Peter Whittingham Award and the Whittingham family. There is nothing else like it, especially for this kind of music.

If you look at the previous winners there are some fantastic British jazz musicians from several generations. I think it really did kickstart on to what we are doing now – the “Match&Fuse” – that is the project proposal we’d submitted for the Peter Whittingham.

TP: Your music is a patchwork of styles, how would you define it and how did you come up with this mash-up?

DM: As you said, the music we play is a patchwork of styles. Defining is always very interesting and difficult. Sometimes we’ve done gigs and people came up at the end saying different things. Some people listen in a very kind of gestural sense, or they see just diversity of colors on [a] structure scales, completely [choosing] the contradictory term. Some people listen in a way like ‘oh you must listen to Frank Zappa’ or ‘there is a bit of Meshuggah’ or ‘you really like Weather Report’ and that’s how we came up with this mash-up and what every individual member of the band brings to WSP.

Neil the drummer is very interested in metal and funk as well as 80’s music. I’ve studied in university all kind of improvisation, contemporary and 20th century classical music like Stravinsky and Meshuggah, so that’s what I brought compositionally. Conor is very much the kind of funk bass player and strains at jazz classics, Raph and Tim the horn players are [into] all ranges [of] stuff, it’s really a mixture.

There [is] a press review we use that says our music is a kind of “a four-way cage match between Stravinsky, Meshuggah, Weather Report, and Frank Zappa” or something like that. It’s the mash-up literally of the composers I’ve listen to, combined also with the mash-up sense of each individual band member’s different sound that go together and form who we are.

A Punk-Jazz Interview with WorldService Project – Part 2

Image Courtesy of  http://worldserviceproject.tumblr.com

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The world-famous jazz trumpet and saxhorn player Paolo Fresu celebrated his 50 birthday with 50 concerts throughout Sardinia, a beautiful Italian island in the heart of Mediterranean Sea, invading it with the light sound and soft words of jazz music in the warm summer atmosphere.

From June 12 to July 31 he played every evening for a self-planned and directed tour, changing places, performances and partners day by day. A full immersion of jazz music in the most uncontaminated and wild areas of the island. An actual collection of fascinating places full of mystery, culture, magic and history.

Arts and culture join nature in the total respect of environment. Indeed, all the energy needed for the stage was provided by an ecological electrical generator, supplied through solar panels exposed to the day light before any concert. The intention was to create a relationship between music and landscape, promoting renewable energy and trying to sensitize public awareness of environmental issues.

The sound of Fresu’s trumpet re-echoed around green mountains, mines, archeological areas, accompanied by several musicians, actors, writers, orchestras from all around the world. Just to mention some of these musicians, Ralph Towner from Washington U.S., Richard Galliano from France, Omar Sosa from Cuba, Enrico Rava from Italy, Dave Douglas from New York U.S., Eivind Aarset from Norway, Glenn Ferris from Los Angeles U.S., Dhafer Youssef from Tunisia, Ludovico Einaudi from Italy, Nguyén Lé from France, and Uri Caine from Philadelphia U.S.

!50 music tour offered to all jazz lovers a special gift made by music, nature and culture. Words and music merged in an explosion of warm sounds and surreal atmospheres. And all for free, in fact there was no ticket to pay , only passion and taste for good jazz music were needed. The concerts performances were also available on live streaming.

The “sleepless trumpeter”, as Fresu is being called for his incessant musical activity – more than 300 recorded albums and 2500 concerts up to present -, never stops surprising his fans and his island with his skill as an artist and his simplicity as a man.

Paolo Fresu was born in Berchidda, a small village in north Sardinia. He started playing trumpet at the age of 11 and after different musical experiences in 1980 he began his jazz career. Nowadays he is one of the most appreciated and popular European jazzman. Since the ‘80s he has won several awards as best jazz musician in different countries, such as the prestigious Django d’Or in France. In 2005 he was one of the nominees for the Latin Grammy Awards of Santa Monica, California.

Over the last 30 years he has performed all over the world with a wide set of international artists such as John Zorn, Dave Holland, Gil Evans, John Abercrombie, Trilok Gurtu, John Taylor, Palle Danielsson, Jon Christensen, Gerry Mulligan, David Liebman, Kenny Wheeler, Richard Beirach, Jim Hall, Helen Merril, Ralph Towner, Richard Galliano, Michel Portal, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Jeanne Lee, Gunther Schüller, Paul McCandless, Toots Thielemans, Andy Sheppard, and many more.

There is not much more to say about this great jazzman, his music can speak better than thousands of words.

!50 Paolo Fresu & Uri Caine video

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