LET’S MEET JAZZ: The art of improvisation
Auditorium di Piazza della LibertàConcert-lessons aimed at secondary school students (grades 6-13) THE ART OF IMPROVISATION The concert-lessons aimed at secondary school students intend to introduce students to improvisation through various interactive examples that trace the evolution of jazz from its African-American origins to the present day. It's a journey in constant change, capable of capturing and developing in real-time the creative qualities of its protagonists (from Louis Armstrong to Coltrane and beyond), based on the different cultures that jazz comes into contact with. Improvisation, that is, the ability to autograph any musical material in real-time according to each musician's personality, is certainly one of the typical elements of jazz. It is what differentiates it most from music of European tradition, in which two distinct figures have crystallized: that of the composer and that of the performer. In jazz, on the contrary, both coexist in the same individual who invents, interprets, and dialogues with other musicians in real-time, making the music unique and unrepeatable. However, improvisation is not improvised but is a rigorous discipline based on very precise rules to be followed, which are at the same time reinvented. The concert lesson designed by CDpM for Bergamo Jazz aims to highlight these through the direct experience of the students. In collaboration with CDpM EUROPE Playbill Giulio Visibelli flute and soprano sax Claudio Angeleri piano Paola Milzani voice Gabriele Comeglio alto sax and clarinet Marco Esposito bass Matteo Milesi drums Maurizio Franco musicologist
LET’S MEET JAZZ: The art of improvisation
Auditorium di Piazza della LibertàConcert-lessons aimed at secondary school students (grades 6-13) THE ART OF IMPROVISATION The concert-lessons aimed at secondary school students intend to introduce students to improvisation through various interactive examples that trace the evolution of jazz from its African-American origins to the present day. It's a journey in constant change, capable of capturing and developing in real-time the creative qualities of its protagonists (from Louis Armstrong to Coltrane and beyond), based on the different cultures that jazz comes into contact with. Improvisation, that is, the ability to autograph any musical material in real-time according to each musician's personality, is certainly one of the typical elements of jazz. It is what differentiates it most from music of European tradition, in which two distinct figures have crystallized: that of the composer and that of the performer. In jazz, on the contrary, both coexist in the same individual who invents, interprets, and dialogues with other musicians in real-time, making the music unique and unrepeatable. However, improvisation is not improvised but is a rigorous discipline based on very precise rules to be followed, which are at the same time reinvented. The concert lesson designed by CDpM for Bergamo Jazz aims to highlight these through the direct experience of the students. In collaboration with CDpM EUROPE Playbill Giulio Visibelli flute and soprano sax Claudio Angeleri piano Paola Milzani voice Gabriele Comeglio alto sax and clarinet Marco Esposito bass Matteo Milesi drums Maurizio Franco musicologist
ARUAN ORTIZ “Cuba(an)ism”
Teatro Sant'AndreaARUAN ORTIZ "Cub(an)ism" The musical journey of Bergamo Jazz 2025 begins with a pianist of Cuban origin who has been playing an important role in the contemporary jazz scene for years. Born in Santiago de Cuba, Aruán Ortiz later settled in Brooklyn and Spain: among the overseas musicians he has collaborated with are Esperanza Spalding, James Brandon Lewis, Greg Osby, Andrew Cyrille, Cindy Blackman Santana, Terri Lyne Carrington, Oliver Lake, Don Byron, Rufus Reid, Wadada Leo Smith, Wallace Roney and others. He has recorded several albums for the Swiss label Intakt, including Cub(an)ism, recorded solo in 2026 and becoming a reference for his solo piano performances. An album whose tracks, as Florian Keller wrote in the liner notes, were born "from specific ideas and moods, imperceptibly developed along systematic constructions seasoned with unexpected events. Despite a certain formal adherence, the music of Cub(an)ism always remains sensual. Using clear but flexible systems, the music lives on structures and surprises. Crystal structures dissolve abruptly, clear forms blur like a reflection in stormy water, before re-emerging. Ortiz's music breathes this magic, the fascination of dancing structures." Aruán Ortiz's pianism is therefore eclectic, drawing vital energy from the various experiences lived around the world, in contact with different cultures. Playbill ARUAN ORTIZ Cub)an)ismAruan Ortiz piano
GIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio”
Il Circolino di Città AltaGIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio” Three musicians with strong personalities united in a trio with an unusual configuration, intimate and at the same time energetic. Active in numerous projects across the European scene, the saxophonist Gianluca Zanello and his two partners explore the extremes of their respective sounds, offering a varied and evocative repertoire, focused on original compositions interspersed with moments of improvisation. The saxophonist is part of several groups, including Tino Tracanna's Panorchestra, Federico Calcagno's Dolphians, and Giovanni Falzone's quintet. The guitarist Filippo Rinaldo is a founding member of the Milanese collective “Conserere”, dedicated to research in extemporaneous music, while the double bassist Stefano Zambon alternates his sideman activity with that of a composer and leader of the sextet MutatuM. Playbill GIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio” Gianluca Zanello alto sax Filippo Rinaldo guitar Stefano Zambon double bass
GIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio”
Il Circolino di Città AltaGIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio” Three musicians with strong personalities united in a trio with an unusual configuration, intimate and at the same time energetic. Active in numerous projects across the European scene, the saxophonist Gianluca Zanello and his two partners explore the extremes of their respective sounds, offering a varied and evocative repertoire, focused on original compositions interspersed with moments of improvisation. The saxophonist is part of several groups, including Tino Tracanna's Panorchestra, Federico Calcagno's Dolphians, and Giovanni Falzone's quintet. The guitarist Filippo Rinaldo is a founding member of the Milanese collective “Conserere”, dedicated to research in extemporaneous music, while the double bassist Stefano Zambon alternates his sideman activity with that of a composer and leader of the sextet MutatuM. Playbill GIANLUCA ZANELLO “Kayros Trio” Gianluca Zanello alto sax Filippo Rinaldo guitar Stefano Zambon double bass
ANTONIO FARAÒ Trio “Tributes” (1st set) / LIZZ WRIGHT (2nd set)
Teatro SocialeANTONIOFARAÒ Trio "Tributes" featuring AMEEN SALEEM & JEFF BALLARD For the first time as a guest of Bergamo Jazz, Antonio Faraò presents his latest project, Tributes, a heartfelt tribute to some illustrious instrument colleagues, from McCoy Tyner to Chick Corea, who have played an important role in shaping the Italian pianist's musical personality. But in Tributes there is also more: "In this new project I wanted to pay homage to some great musicians who over the years have given me strong artistic and human emotions, as well as to some places, such as Calvì, where I got to know formidable musicians of the French jazz scene, including the great Didier Lockwood and Michel Petrucciani, to whom the song "Memories of Calvì" is dedicated," comments Antonio Faraò himself, alongside whom there will be on the stage of the Teatro Sociale the double bass player Ameen Saleem, a well-rounded artist originally from Washington, D.C., and drummer Jeff Ballard, former partner of Chick Corea and Brad Melhdau and well known to Bergamo Jazz audiences. Born in Rome in 1965, but a Lombard by adoption, Antonio Faraò is a very accomplished pianist, highly regarded internationally: among his admirers is Herbie Hancock, who several times invited him to participate in the International Jazz Day Global Concert. Impressive is the list of musicians with high-sounding names with whom he has had the opportunity to collaborate: Jack DeJohnette, Chris Potter, Daniel Humair, Gary Bartz, Lee Konitz, Steve Grossman, Billy Cobham, Bireli Lagrène, Dennis Chambers, Claudio Fasoli, André Ceccarelli, Ivan Lins; Jeff "Tain" Watts, Benny Golson, Von Freeman, Chico Freeman, Miroslav Vitous, John Abercrombie Didier Lockwood, Billy Hart, Lenny White, Eddie Gomez, Bob Berg, Joe Lovano, Dave Liebman; Wayne Shorter, Johnny Griffin, Richard Galliano, Al Jarreau, Marcus Miller, Charles Tolliver, Toots Thielemans, Christian McBride, George Garzone and others. Since 2023, he has been involved in the McCoy Tyner Legends project, a quintet in which Antonio Faraò, the only non-U.S. member of the group, stands alongside Chico Freeman, Steve Turre, Avery Sharpe and Ronnie Burrage. In 2024 the album Tributes was released by Criss Cross in which Faraò is joined by John Patitucci and Jeff Ballard. _______________________________________ LIZZ WRIGHT The New York Times described her voice as "a soft, dark alto, endowed with qualities one might associate with barrel-aged bourbon or butter-soft leather." Lizz Wright is among the black voices of recent decades whose interpretive strengths best reflect the African-American cultural fabric, drawing inspiration from her upbringing in South Georgia, where she debuted as music director of a small church whose father was the pastor. "My influences are very clear: you only have to listen to my music," Lizz Wright says today, "My family was a very spiritual family and strongly tied to the land, having had a farming tradition for generations. What you hear in my music is not only my African-American heritage, but also that of someone who lives connected to the land. So I try to break away from stereotypes and sing my personality as