The Swinging Sounds of the 2022 Firenze Jazz Festival
Opening September 8: FIRENZE JAZZ FESTIVAL. Sala Vanni, Piazza del Carmine, Villa Strozzi, Villa Bardini. Performances scheduled between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. Free admission.
The Firenze Jazz Festival is back with its sixth edition, involving more than 100 musicians and concerts in nine locations. Starting September 8, a review of national and international jazz music awaits people in and around Florence in historic villas, concert halls, farmhouses, clubs, and Renaissance cloister.
The festival will bring a rich range of renowned musicians all around the world to Florence. Among the first names already confirmed, there are Antonello Salis, Hamid Drake & Pasquale Mirra Duo, Lucy Woodward Quartet, Daddy G, Barbara Casini, Francesco Maccianti / Cocco Cantini 4t, Ghost Horse, Joan Thiele, Mop Mop, Roberto Ottaviano Eternal Love and Rosa Brunello.
Here is this week’s program:
Thursday, September 8: Villa Strozzi Amphitheater, at 9:30 pm. ROBERTO OTTAVİANO ETERNAL LOVE QUİNTET: “In Spirit of Mingus – The Centenary Tribute” (Italy / UK)
The anniversary of Charles Mingus’s birth, one of the greatest protagonists of modern jazz, will be celebrated. And the opening will be with the eternal love quintet by Roberto Ottaviano. Roberto Ottaviano is one of the most well-known saxophonists of Italian jazz, and he will perform with a group with which he has been active for some years and with whom he has already recorded two highly appreciated albums. The group is co-led by the English pianist Alexander Hawkins, along with the clarinetist and saxophonist Romano Marco Colonna. They will be accompanied by the double bass of the veteran Giovanni Maier and the drums of Zeno De Rossi on the drums.
Friday, September 9: Villa Bardini Terrace, at 7 pm and 9:30 pm. FRANCESCO MACCIANTI / STEFANO “COCCO” CANTINI QUARTET / ANTONELLO SALIS PIANO SOLO RECITAL
The Villa Bardini Terrace will host two performances spotlighting Tuscan jazz musicians. At 7 pm, the Italian pianist and composer Antonello Salis will perform a piano solo recital. Salis has made appearances in many national and international festivals and recorded four solo albums. Another concert will take place at 9:30 pm, given by two veterans of jazz music: Francesco Maccianti and Stefano “Cocco” Cantini.
Saturday, September 10, Villa Bardini, at 9:30 pm. LUCY WOODWARD QUARTET
The following day, Villa Bardini will welcome the Lucy Woodward Quartet. Born in London, Woodward attended the renowned Manhattan School of Music at the age of 16. She was given a BMI Music Awards after her first solo album. Her third album is produced by Tony Visconti, David Bowie’s historic right-hand man, which was followed by collaborations with giants such as Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Joe Cocker, and Chaka Khan, and a tour with Pink Martini. She recently recorded an album with guitarist Charlie Hunter, reinterpreting a series of blues, pop, and soul covers, including songs by Blind Willie Johnson, Bessie Smith, and Nina Simone.
