A City Dreaming

At the fringes of Valletta, where anything seems possible, jazzy notes drift over a shimmering evening sea. Boats bob gently on the water’s surface, creating gentle waves. Across, standing silent and enduring, the Grand Harbour’s bastions endow the scene with a rich sense of age and quiet grandeur. This is a place to dream, at the edges of the capital, where echoes and shadows from the city’s secrets meet the sea, and where the air is rich with music and possibility.

It is here, in the magical settings of Ta’ Liesse, that this year’s Malta Jazz Festival will be held, a backdrop which had prompted Chick Corea to exclaim that he had never “performed in a postcard before.” The festival, organised under the auspices of the Malta Council for Culture and Arts, this year returns after a three-year hiatus with a “back-to-the-roots” approach and a clean straight-ahead jazz line-up, under the artistic direction of Paris-based Maltese jazz guitarist/composer Sandro Zerafa.

First held at Ta’ Liesse in 1990, the Festival has over the years hosted a line-up of international top jazz legends such as the late Michel Petrucciani, Joe Zawinul, Charlie Haden, Al di Meola, Scott Henderson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Diana Krall, Wayne Shorter, Yellowjackets, Randy Brecker and Bill Evans and many others.

Owing its origins to Malta’s best-known jazz guru, mentor and respected drummer/percussionist/composer/educator Charles ‘City’ Gatt, it has consistently offered world-class music to the community.

“This year’s edition aims to restore the festival to its original prestige with a line-up featuring the best in contemporary jazz,” says artistic director Sandro Zerafa. “The festival aims at introducing Maltese audiences to the great musicians who constitute today’s dynamic jazz scene. The jazz element is common to all groups participating.”

This year’s line-up in fact features Brad Mehldau Trio and Maraca on 16 July; the Oliver Degabriele Trio, the Kurt Rosenwinkel Band and Eliane Elias on 17 July and the Dominic Galea Trio; the Miguel Zenon Quartet and John Scofield Piety Street Band on 18 July.

“The festival targets a very wide audience – ranging from salsa, bossa nova, gospel, blues to contemporary jazz. There’s something for everyone. The festival’s programme is largely eclectic but does not compromise on artistic integrity.”

Jazz is alive and well, says artistic director Sandro Zerafa and Malta has its fair share of budding musicians, some of whom are also showcased during the festival. “Jazz has changed in recent years with artists such as Brad Mehldau, The Bad Plus, Seamus Blake, musicians whose heritage also includes rock, classical and pop music. These musicians have expanded the frontiers of jazz by drawing from many influences other than the jazz heritage alone, yet retaining the acoustic jazz sound. This new kind of jazz is less elitist and reaches a wider audience.”

This year will also see the introduction of masterclasses featuring some of the musicians in the festival, a step which is intended to grow in future editions with exhibitions, workshops and discussion forums.

For info visit www.maltajazzfestival.org; Tickets from
www.maltaticket.com; Exotique, Bookends, Vodafone, Agenda and Newskiosk.