Stern test for Malta Jazz festival
Mike Stern
Mike Stern will be performing at this year’s Malta Jazz Festival, the concert’s organisers announced today.
The virtuoso guitarist will headline the opening night of the festival on July 15, and will be accompanied by drumming luminary Dave Weckl, Chris Minh Doky and special guest Randy Brecker. It will be the third time Stern performs in Malta.
This will be the 20th edition of the festival, which has seen performers such as Chick Corea, John Scofield and Michel Petrucciani grace the Ta’ Liesse stage.
July 16 will see and hear Esperanza Spalding, a young vocalist and bassist who was chosen by US president Barack Obama to perform after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Artistic director Sandro Zerafa said this year’s lineup was a very strong one, and represented a wide spectrum of what was happening in the international jazz scene.
“The event features not only purist Jazz, but also a variety of styles which incorporate the jazz ethos of cultures mixing together,” Mr Zerafa said.
The event will also include jazz interpretations of bands such as Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath as well as straightfoward jazz from New York City.
“It was the Jazz festival which made me want to become a musician,” Mr Zerafa said, adding that the event would also enrich local musicians.
The event will also see Charles ‘City’ Gatt perform, who 20 years ago dreamt of having a Jazz festival of an international calibre in Malta.
The line-up is as follows:
July 15: Francesca Galea accompanied by Leonardo Montana, “Nu-Jazz” trio The Bad Plus and Mike Stern.
July 16: Esperanza Spalding and the Joshua Redman Double Trio, featuring sax player Joshua Redman accompanied by a double portion of bassists and drummers.
July 17: Charles Gatt Quartet, Ari Hoenig Punk Bop Trio and bass virtuoso Richard Bona.
Single day tickets cost 15 euros, reserved seating tickets 20 euros. A three-day pass can be bought for 30 euros. Students and the elderly pay 10 euros per night or 20 euros for a three-day pass. Tickets will be on sale from www.maltaticket.com as from tomorrow.
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Anton Miceli
Apr 17th 2010, 07:05
To have such a festival, which such artist's line up, will never be commercial viable. Past festival have already proofed this point. Between 2006 and 2008 the then organizers shifted their priorities from and included crowd appealing artists instead of the current top jazz musicians. Even the festival's title was changed to Malta Jazz and Rock Festival. Even the festival's site was changed. Last year's edition will be ever remarked as the come back of the Malta Jazz Festival into its original format. Organizers will have to fork out funds and strive to get financial sponsors to hold such festival. But this festival must be regarded as an economical investment. It is re gaining an optimum reputation around the jazz world and, furthermore this festival may help to enhance the tourist sector attracting a number of specified jazz lovers who will have the opportunity to attend to this festival which is held in a unique location and were the entrance tickets are almost negligable. I wish that everyone tries his best to make this festival known around the world. Furthermore I invite your readers will attend and experience the magical atmosphere which the Malta Jazz Festival has to offer.
M.Farrugia
Apr 16th 2010, 18:24
Hopefully it will break even this year after losing money all these years. From what I have read these concerts have never broken even. The question is why should we subsidize jazz lovers when other forms of music are left to rot ?
Andrew Vinci
Apr 16th 2010, 19:13
like spending a big chunk of money allocated to culture every year and subsidising the eurovision contest entry, sending a bunch of select entourage of local celebrities on a holiday and ending up next to last every time? or what other forms of "music" are you referring to? investing in the jazz festival goes beyond the actual event and puts malta on the map for all the right reasons whilst the former definitely doesn't!
Joseph Micallef
Apr 16th 2010, 16:36
It's such a great honour to be able to witness giants such as Mike Stern and Dave Weckl here in Malta - and for such an inexpensive ticket! Great job and a big thank you for those who realised that the jazz festival had to return to its original format and content!
Jesmond Micallef
Apr 16th 2010, 15:13
The Malta Jazz Festival is really becoming a significant event in the Jazz music scene, indeed. Cool......very well done !!!
Incidentally, I bought a new re-issue CD album yesterday about the milestone of Jazz-Rock fusion by Weather Report called "Heavy Weather", recorded wayback in 1977.
Brilliant. !!!