Firenze Jazz Festival 2021
From 8 to 12 September, 5 days of music with over 100 musicians involved and 10 different locations
Five days of music, over 100 artists performing in 10 different locations and more than 35 live events, the Firenze Jazz Festival, a highly anticipated project of the Florentine Summer in September, returns from 8 to 12 September.
Firenze Jazz Festival
Wednesday 8 September
Included in the top 10 Italian jazz festivals for the industry magazines, the festival kicks off Wednesday 8 at 19:30 with a tasty preview. In the new park of the splendid Poggio Casciano estate, a food and wine trail to the rhythm of jazz organised by the Locanda Le Tre Rane Ruffino. On stage is the St. John Trio, an ensemble formed by three true excellences of Florentine and Italian jazz, and trumpeter Flavio Boltri. An unprecedented encounter, an intriguing combination of new sounds with which to enjoy the music and lessons of a true jazz divinity (reservations required at 378.3050219 e-mail hospitality@ruffino.it).
At 8.15 p.m. on Wednesday 8 at the VIP's Bar in Piazzale Michelangelo Michele Papadia, one of the most versatile keyboardists on the Italian and international scene, Fabio Morgera, trumpeter and composer who made a name for himself at a very young age with Giorgio Gaslini's octet, and Stefano Tamborrino make up the Out of Gravity Trio, the group that closes the preview evening of the Firenze Jazz Festival.
Firenze Jazz Festival
Thursday 8 September
The ancestral sounds of the origins, in a repertoire of songs drawn from the memories of Rosa Brunello and Camilla Battaglia, who work together in music as in life, are the fundamental ingredient of the first appointment on Thursday 9 September at the Thouar Library (6 pm - admission free, limited places). At the Santarosa Bistrot at 7.15pm and 9.15pm Francesco Cusa Jazz Assassins (free admission). A multifaceted talent, active as a drummer, composer, poet and writer, Cusa was one of the founders, in the 1990s, of the historic Bassesfere collective and then of the Improvvisatore Involontario record label.
Thursday evening continues with Nexus 6t in Sala Vanni (7.30 pm - admission €5/8), a group that has been performing in Europe and the United States for 40 years. At 8 pm the promising quartet Meraz will perform at the Garden Stage of the Limonaia in Villa Strozzi, while at 9.30 pm the Limonaia amphitheatre will host Danilo Gallo with his eagerly awaited project Dark Dry Tears (admission €8/10). At 8.15 p.m., at the Vip's Bar in Piazzale Michelangelo, in a special Aperol Spritz event, the Manouche Trio of guitarist Maurizio Geri, with Tommaso Papini (guitars) and Nicola Vernuccio (double bass) will perform.
Friday 10 September
Six locations will be involved in the evening of Friday 10 September. It starts at 7:30 pm in Sala Vanni, with one of the eagerly awaited spearheads of new American jazz, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis. He will be accompanied by poet and photographer Thomas Sayers Ellis, in a show that fuses militant poetry, jazz, spoken poetry and hip hop.
James Brandon Lewis Almost simultaneously, at the Santa Rosa Bistrot, Zeno De Rossi performs two sets, the first at 19:15, the second at 21:15 (free entry).
The FJF programme at Villa Bardini will be opened at 7 pm by the young guitarist from Veneto, Luca Zennaro, already considered one of the most original proposals in Italian jazz. In his quartet Michelangelo Scandroglio (double bass), Giovanni Iacovella (drums) and Chris Fishman on piano.
At 9.30 p.m. there will be a star of Italian jazz abroad: Franco D'Andrea, who at the Firenze Jazz Festival is leading his new trio, New Things, together with Mirko Cisilino's trumpet and Enrico Terragnoli's guitars (admission €12/15).
At the Garden Stage of the Limonaia Villa Strozzi Leonardo Radicchi & Nazareno Caputo, with their project Logos Duo, while a few metres away, in the amphitheatre of the Limonaia, another spearhead of the Afro-American music scene and Grammy Award winner: David Murray. (starting at 21:30 - tickets 12 / 15 €).
FJF - DAVID MURRAY by Antanas GustysThe long day of music on Friday 10 September ends in style at the amphitheatre of the Limonaia with an open stage jam session in the company of the Ferdinando Romano Trio (11.30 p.m. - free admission).
Saturday 11th September
On Saturday, the Festival returns to the park of the Poggio Casciano Estate where, at 12.30 p.m., the programme offers a tasty Jazz Brunch, starring once again James Brandon Lewis (booking required by calling 378.3050219 e-mail hospitality@ruffino.it).
At 6pm, at the Thouar Library, Step Two. The second appointment of the Firenze Jazz Festival with the music and spirituality of John Coltrane.
At 7 p.m. at Villa Bardini, where Ferdinando Romano takes the stage with his flagship project for this edition of the FJF, Totem. Guest on stage will be American trumpeter Ralph Alessi, Steve Coleman, Ravi Coltrane, Uri Caine, Sam Rivers, Jason Moran, Don Byron and many others (admission €8/10).
Bardini Garden. One Florence’s gems. That flight of steps with the view of the city skyline from the top is a real thrill…
At 9.30 p.m. one of the most eagerly awaited concerts of this edition of the Festival, that of Tri(o) Kala (admission 12/15 €).
Not to be missed is the appointment in Sala Vanni (7.30 pm - admission 5/8 €). Here the group Tell No Lies will be playing incendiary improvisation and evocative melodic combinations.
At the VIP's Bar in Piazzale Michelangelo the trioZone of Dario Cecchini with Fabio Morgera (8pm - free entrance).
At the Limonaia in Villa Strozzi there are three events to note down in your diary. It starts at 8 pm at the Garden Stage with the trio of Michele Tino. It continues with Mack at the Limonaia amphitheatre and concludes with an original production "powered by" Heineken, that is Dance in Villa.
Villa Strozzi Firenze
Sunday 12th September
On the last day of the FJF, at 11 a.m., it's back to Sala Vanni with Simone Graziano's Piano Solo (admission €5/8). At 12:30, the Festival moves to Circolo Rondinella del Torrino for a new special Jazz Brunch with Silvia Bolognesi & Young Shouts (free admission).
At 7 pm, immersed in the natural scenery of the garden in the heart of Florence Serre Torrigiani, the "Environmental Set" of Daniele Mana (free entrance).
Serre Torrigiani bistro ph. ottavia poli
At the Ultravox Florence Amphitheatre in the Parco delle Cascine Anfiteatro Ernesto De Pascale the FJF Final Party will take place: a tribute to the passionate Dj and radio presenter Freddie Villarosa, who died prematurely and suddenly a few months ago.
The evening kicks off, from 6 pm onwards, with a maxi DJ set (free admission) and then continues from 9 pm at the Amphitheatre with a double concert by Savana Funk and Don Karate (admission €3 - proceeds will be donated to the Tumour Association of Tuscany).
On the official website of the Firenze Jazz Festival all the details and the complete programme, which is constantly updated.
