Cocktail of styles at this year's jazz festival

A cocktail of Latin, Afro-Cuban and American jazz from the world's top artists will be tantalising the public at the 13th Malta Jazz Festival being held at the usual venue at Ta' Liesse, in Valletta between July 18 - 20.

The festival, which for the first time this year is being organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, will feature, among others, the 15-piece Cuban orchestra Cubanismo on the first night; legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter on the second; and Brazilian Jorge Ben Jor on the final night.

Addressing a news conference yesterday, Arts Minister Jesmond Mugliett said the festival was an international event attracting the world's top jazz artists. The festival received coverage from leading international publications on the music scene.

He said the government had been committed to raising the profile of the festival since the first edition and in the coming years it would be multiplying efforts to see this and other cultural events in Malta gain a wider recognition internationally.

The first evening will open with Dominic Galea's band Heritage with Sammy Murgo, Walter Vella, Roger Azzopardi, Mario Aquilina, Noel Grech, Alex Debono and Dominic Galea.

It will be followed by Dianne Reeves, one of the most significant and important singers to come into her own during the 1990s. She released several superb Blue Note albums that established her as an artist intent on developing her voice.

Her performance will be followed by Jesús Alemañy's Cubanismo, who are coming to Malta for the second time to immerse the audiences in sweet dance sessions full of swaggering horn charts and wild polyrhythms.

The second evening kicks off with Coco York, who has shared the stage with artists such as Clark Terry, Lionel Ritchie, B.B. King and has performed for the Netherlands' Queen Beatrix.

The second performer will be Cuban Septeto Roberto who will be accompanied by David Krakauer, Marcus Rojas, Mary Wooten, Meg Okura, Ted Reichman and Bernie Minoso.

Wayne Shorter will team up with Brain Blade, John Patitucci and Danilo Perez to round up the second night. The Paris-based Sandro Zerafa quartet, representing a new wave of eclecticism in modern jazz, opens the final night. Zerafa will be accompanied by David Gerogelet, Emmanuel Brunet and Sebastien Llado.

Jorge Ben Jor will then present a mixture of soul-inspired jazz with north American funk incorporating the influence of African and Arabian music, a legacy of his Ethiopian mother. Jorge will be accompanied by Jean Arnoult, Gilson, Tikinho, Lori Costa, JJ Lucrecrio, Malaguti, Nenem da Guica and Eduardo Helborn.

Tania Maria and Viva Brazil conclude the festival with the southern warm rhythms of samba merged with nostalgic jazz and blues.

Artistic director Charles Gatt said that one of the most important aspects of this year's festival was the variety of different bands and styles of jazz.

"Exploring different rhythms, emotions and contents have always been our aim to pull the right crowd - both jazz and music lovers as well as those who will be coming for the first time.

"This year we are celebrating the festival with a selection of diverse music and outstanding jazz artists."

The festival, sponsored by Cisk Export Premium Lager and Vodafone Malta Ltd and supported by Le Meridien Phoenicia and the American Centre, begins at 8 p.m.

Tickets are available from the council at Casa Gaspe, 230, Republic Street, Valletta, tel. 21245168 and from the venue prior to performances. Tickets cost Lm7 per performance or Lm15 for the three evenings.

www.maltajazzfest.com