Jazz minus
One of our premier jazz musicians, Vinny Vella, tells us why he's less than enamoured with the current format of the Malta Jazz (and Rock) Festival.
Now that the programme and line-ups to this year's Malta Jazz Festival have been announced, I have begun to search frantically to see where all the jazz is. It has become ever so painful for local jazz lovers and foreigners who attended the previous festivals, and when one looks at this year's line-up one can clearly see why. There is absolutely no jazz in The Malta Jazz Festival.
Those who attended the previous jazz festivals were on every occasion entertained by world-class musicians in the jazz field. I will name a few who graced our shores:
Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Al Di Meola, Mike Stern, Herbie Hancock, Yellow Jackets, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wayne Shorter, the list is endless. It is also important to note that some of the musicians and singers who performed at the festival gave free master classes the following day at the Johan Strauss School of Music in Valletta. This enabled established and budding artists to enhance their knowledge and techniques.
It is very ironic, and to a certain extent, sad, that the ministry of culture can promote and partly finance our Eurovision ordeals, yet is not able to find funds for The Malta Jazz Festival. It has been rumoured that the festival was losing money, well, has our participation in the Eurovision made a profit?
I still fail to understand how the jazz festival was losing money. The festival attracted big sponsors through which all performers' fees were paid. The leasing of food stalls and bars I'm sure, provided more income, and moreover, the audience was getting bigger every year thus providing even more funds.
One niggling curiosity still haunts me. Can another festival be held now which will be a real jazz festival and be called The Malta Jazz Festival or is this a trademark name? I don't blame the present organisers. Their aim is to make money, but the ministry of culture has an obligation to educate and promote the arts. A real leader faces the music, even if he doesn't like the tune.
Looking once again at this year's line-up leads me to quote the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie: "It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play."
Those who attended the previous jazz festivals were on every occasion entertained by world-class musicians in the jazz field. I will name a few who graced our shores:
Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Al Di Meola, Mike Stern, Herbie Hancock, Yellow Jackets, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Wayne Shorter, the list is endless. It is also important to note that some of the musicians and singers who performed at the festival gave free master classes the following day at the Johan Strauss School of Music in Valletta. This enabled established and budding artists to enhance their knowledge and techniques.
It is very ironic, and to a certain extent, sad, that the ministry of culture can promote and partly finance our Eurovision ordeals, yet is not able to find funds for The Malta Jazz Festival. It has been rumoured that the festival was losing money, well, has our participation in the Eurovision made a profit?
I still fail to understand how the jazz festival was losing money. The festival attracted big sponsors through which all performers' fees were paid. The leasing of food stalls and bars I'm sure, provided more income, and moreover, the audience was getting bigger every year thus providing even more funds.
One niggling curiosity still haunts me. Can another festival be held now which will be a real jazz festival and be called The Malta Jazz Festival or is this a trademark name? I don't blame the present organisers. Their aim is to make money, but the ministry of culture has an obligation to educate and promote the arts. A real leader faces the music, even if he doesn't like the tune.
Looking once again at this year's line-up leads me to quote the great trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie: "It's taken me all my life to learn what not to play."