Renzo Spiteri in dynamic percussion project

The only time Renzo Spiteri took part in the Malta Jazz Festival was in the very first edition. Sixteen years later he knows he has the confidence, the experience and, above all, the musical palms to provide more than just a mere supporting act.

Teaming up with a percussion ensemble from the China Conservatory of Music, Mr Spiteri is concocting a unique fusion of African, Indian and Chinese music.

The cross-cultural musical project will play at the Valletta Waterfront on Sunday prior to performances by Ian Ritchie's Soho Project and Alan Parsons.

The project came into fruition last May when Mr Spiteri was invited for a four-week residency period at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing in an initiative supported by the Culture Ministry and the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Chinese Culture Ministry.

During his stay at the conservatory, he delivered master classes in percussion, and worked on a collaborative project with Chinese musicians. The project was then presented in various concerts in Beijing.

The Chinese musicians - Wang Yidong, Jiao Shanlin and Wang Jun - are professors of music and have left a major impact wherever they have played in Asia.

"We simply sat down and chipped in our different ideas and I must say the music is quite original," Mr Spiteri explains.

The innovative sound has come about thanks to the different instruments which are found exclusively in China and which are being brought over specifically for this weekend's festival. Does he feel at home playing at a jazz festival?

"I would say there is more World Music than jazz in our set - but more importantly this is not a sound for a selected audience but it's dynamic music which has an immediate impact," Mr Spiteri says.