Astor Piazzolla's heir for Malta Jazz Festival

An accordionist renowned as the direct heir to the legendary Astor Piazzolla, and an artist known worldwide for his unconventional sounds, will be among the top names of the 15th edition of the Malta Jazz Festival.

Swing, tango, folk and African music will be among the tunes to clash with jazz in this year's edition, being held between July 15 and 17 at Ta' Liesse, in Valletta.

During a press briefing at Le Meridien Phoenicia, artistic director Charles Gatt unveiled this year's artists, saying he believed he had the right blend of musicians to suit everybody's tastes.

He said that more people were becoming interested in jazz as the three-day extravaganza by the sea grows in popularity.

"Exploring different rhythms, emotions and continents has 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," he said.

The festival will kick off on July 15 with the Joe Debono Trio with Joe Debono on piano, Charles Gatt on drums and Oliver De Gabriele on bass.

New Yorker John Zorn - Acoustic Masada - is the founding member and saxophonist of the group Naked City. For six months each year, Mr Zorn lives in Tokyo, absorbing a culture he admires for its ability to borrow and mirror other cultures.

His music over the last decade has incorporated other instruments, unconventional sounds and musical information from over the world.

Mr Gatt underlined the hard work that went into trying to secure Mr Zorn's presence in the festival, because of his world-wide popularity.

Richard Galliano New York Trio will close the evening performance with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Clarence Penn.

Direct heir to Astor Piazzolla, Mr Galliano interprets, composes and orchestrates music which seems to casually mix reminiscences of swing, marked echoes of tango, French bistro waltzes, Bill Evans ballads, Keith Jarrett improvisations and the afro-American lessons of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane.

All is performed with a pleasing chromatic taste which goes back to best French tradition from Couperin to Ravel.

The second night kicks off with the Brazilian instrumental group Cama de Gato, followed by Saxo Four featuring the Portuguese vocalist Maria João.

Ms João made her breakthrough on the Portuguese music scene at in the International Jazz Festival of Cascais in 1984, when audience and critics alike praised her outstanding performance.

Drummer Brian Blade, who is returning to the festival after three years, will headline the Saturday night show. Accompanied by a sextet of exceptional musicians, Mr Blade will present well-constructed, highly conceptual compositions.

On the last night, the festival opens with the participation of the Greg Osby Group. From the pulse of the streets and the language of a generation, he has sketched numerous musical essays set to a contemporary score using the improvisational nature of jazz as the connecting thread.

The group will be followed by Dino Saluzzi, whose music is warm and outgoing and is firmly rooted in the soil from which his inspiration springs.

The Brazilian Bossa Nova singer and guitarist Rosa Passos will round off this year's festival.

This year's edition, in addition to the three nights of music, will feature for the first time a music workshop for Maltese jazz musicians to be led by one of the acts taking part.

The festival is organised by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and is sponsored by Cisk Export, Vodafone and Le Meridien Phoenicia.

Tickets will be available from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts on 2124 5168 or from St James Cavalier on 2122 3291.