Prague – Four days, seven concerts and some of the leading figures in contemporary Italian jazz, from established musicians to emerging artists. From 9 to 12 October, the Czech capital will host Italia in Jazz, a new festival conceived and organised by the Italian Cultural Institute in Prague to showcase the richness, vitality and diversity of the Italian jazz scene to Czech audiences. Designed as a city-wide festival, Italia in Jazz will bring music to two venues: the historic Baroque Chapel of the Italian Cultural Institute and the Jazz Club U Staré paní, offering audiences a journey through different musical languages, experiences and artistic sensibilities. The programme will also include masterclasses and residencies involving young Italian and Czech musicians, as well as students from Siena Jazz – the National Academy of Jazz – and HAMU, Prague’s Academy of Performing Arts, creating opportunities for exchange, collaboration and making music together. The patron of the festival’s first edition is Ada Montellanico, a singer, composer and teacher who is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Italian jazz. She is also the founder and former two-term president of MIDJ – Italian Jazz Musicians. “Italia in Jazz marks the launch of a new project dedicated to one of the most vibrant and dynamic expressions of contemporary Italian creativity,” said Marialuisa Pappalardo, director of the Italian Cultural Institute. “We believe in the power of jazz and its ability to experiment and foster dialogue between different generations and cultures. Our ambition is to develop the festival over the years and establish it as a regular meeting point for exchange between the Italian and Czech music scenes. I would like to thank Ada Montellanico for agreeing to be the patron of this first edition and for joining us on this new adventure; all the musicians, Siena Jazz and HAMU, who embraced the project with great enthusiasm from the outset, and, of course, the extraordinary team at the Institute.” The opening concert will be performed by drummer and composer Roberto Gatto, one of Italy’s most highly regarded and sought-after jazz musicians on the international scene. At 8pm on 9 October, Gatto will perform at the Institute’s Baroque Chapel with the Imperfect Trio, alongside Marcello Allulli on saxophone and electronics and Luca Pirozzi on bass and electronics. The trio will offer a contemporary, electric take on jazz, combining original compositions with personal reinterpretations of some classics. Saturday 10 October will feature two concerts. The first, at 6pm at the Italian Cultural Institute, will be given by Guglielmo Santimone, a young pianist, composer and arranger regarded as one of the most interesting musicians of his generation. In Prague, he will present Partenope Solo, a personal exploration of Neapolitan music, with a particular focus on the compositions of Roberto Murolo. The project brings tradition and innovation together through new interpretations, improvisation and reworkings that offer a fresh perspective on this repertoire. The second concert of the day will take place at Jazz&Cocktail Club U Staré paní, where Simone Graziano on piano, Francesco Ponticelli on electric bass and Marco Frattini on drums will present EMEM at 8.30pm. The project grew out of the meeting of three musicians united by a search for a distinctive, essential and recognisable sound, in which the minimalism of the musical structure becomes a space for experimentation and an emotional language. The festival’s third day, on 11 October, will open with the unusual duo formation Simoni : Teolis, featuring Lorenzo Simoni on alto saxophone and Iacopo Teolis on trumpet. From 5pm at the Institute’s Chapel, the two musicians will explore the sonic and expressive possibilities of their instruments, using improvisation to create a dialogue between saxophone and trumpet. Sunday’s programme will also conclude at Jazz&Cocktail Club U Staré paní, with a performance by Antonello Salis on piano and accordion and Simone Zanchini on accordion and live electronics. The lively and unpredictable duo was formed more than 25 years ago when two “accordion daredevils” and “masters of improvisation”, both leading figures on the international jazz scene, first came together. Their performance will feature a constant exchange of roles, with spontaneous creations and free sonic associations enriched by Salis’s flights of pianistic invention and Zanchini’s sophisticated use of electronics. At 6pm on 12 October, Daniela Spalletta on vocals and Stefania Tallini on piano, two of the most interesting musicians on the Italian and European jazz scenes, will take to the stage at the Italian Cultural Institute. They will present an artistic project driven by stylistic curiosity and technical and expressive exploration. The two musicians meet at the crossroads of several shared passions: jazz, early and chamber music, contemporary and traditional music, and original compositions, all explored and reworked through extensive use of improvisation. The grand finale of Italia in Jazz will feature one of the leading figures in international jazz, Paolo Fresu, at the helm of the legendary Devil Quartet. Joined by Bebo Ferra on guitar, Paolino Dalla Porta on double bass and Stefano Bagnoli on drums, Fresu will present a new project bringing together the experience accumulated over decades of intensive collaboration and the fundamental sense of freedom offered by improvisation. The concert, scheduled for 8.30pm in the Institute’s Baroque Chapel, will see the Devil Quartet combine experience, expressive freedom and energy in an open and unpredictable musical dialogue. (9colonne)