[attach id=266656 size="medium"]Members of the Paul Abela Quartet played for travellers at the airport yesterday. Photo: Jason Borg[/attach]

The smooth sounds of the Paul Abela Quartet greeted holidaymakers at the Malta International Airport yesterday as part of a series of performances ahead of the eagerly anticipated Malta Jazz Festival.

The festival, being held between tomorrow and Saturday at Ta’ Liesse in Valletta, attracts hundreds of jazz aficionados and expectations are high for this year’s instalment.

“The festival boasts a short, but exciting history with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz among the headliners. This year’s is going to be one of the best ever,” festival artistic director Sandro Zerafa said.

Addressing a press conference to the backdrop of the Abela Quartet, Culture Parliamentary Secretary José Herrera said he was holding discussions with the Malta Council for Culture and Arts with the view of making it more of an authority within the local scene, “akin to the Malta Financial Services Authority”.

However, he did not wish to elaborate further.

The first night of the festival will see critically acclaimed keyboardist Robert Glasper hit the stage after a “barrage of beats” from the Charles Gatt Vibraphone Quintet.

Fresh off the Grammy awards list, Mr Glasper is considered to be among the boldest performers in the contemporary jazz scene, having staked out a new musical territory between hip hop, jazz and rhythm and blues.

This year’s is going to be one of the best ever

Also performing on the first day will be two-time Grammy award nominee Gerald Clayton with his trio.

Clayton’s dynamic sound has been praised by the Jazz Times and the Los Angeles Times and was recently voted Rising Star Pianist in Down Beat Magazine’s 2010 critic’s poll.

Current great Gregory Porter will join composer-pianist Vijay Lyer, who was recently awarded an unprecedented quintuple crown in the Down Beat International Critics Poll. The Lyer Trio also won the 2010 Echo Award, the German Grammy equivalent, for best international ensemble among stiff competition.

Other headliners include Israeli-born Gilad Hekselman, who tweeted earlier this week that he was eagerly looking forward to “letting the music flow in the majestic Grand harbour”.

The festival will close to the sounds of Dominican piano sensation Michel Camilo and his trio.

A former star of the Dominican Republic’s National Symphony Camilo is a prominent figure in the international musical scene. His 18 recordings have earned him a Grammy award, Emmy award and two Latin Grammy awards.

This year’s festival will also feature a new Summer Jazz Camp, giving local musicians the chance to take part in free specialised workshops and master classes by some of the most influential musicians in the European jazz scene.

The workshops are being held between today and Saturday at the Euro Institute in Ħamrun.

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