LA VIA DEL FERRO
Auditorium di Piazza della LibertàLA VIA DEL FERRO The Iron Way, or if you prefer in English 'The Iron Way', is certainly an unusual name for a jazz group, but there's a reason why it was chosen: the quartet consists of four musicians of different nationalities who have identified in the name of the ancient road that connected Tuscany, specifically Follonica, with London, the 'iron way' indeed, as their common geographical identifier. In Tuscany, in fact, has his roots the double bassist Michelangelo Scandroglio, born in 1996, former student of Ares Tavolazzi for jazz and Gabriele Ragghianti for classical double bass. Today he is based in London, as is the Roman keyboardist Maria Chiara Argirò, another prodigious Italian talent in an export format. From New Zealand comes the drummer Myele Manzanza, who after making a name for himself in his homeland, landed in the United Kingdom, gaining notice for his overwhelming rhythmic verve, while native to the British capital is the saxophonist Alex Hitchcock, one of the most prominent names in the new wave of British Jazz. Together, the four create music with a high energy level, which has quickly conquered the hearts and minds of new generations of jazz fans, not only across the Channel. And among their admirers is none other than the famous DJ and producer Gilles Peterson: 'absolutely crazy good' was his reaction after seeing La Via del Ferro in action. Playbill LA VIA DEL FERROAlex Hitchcock tenor saxMaria Chiara Argirò piano, synthMichelangelo Scandroglio electric bassMyele Manzanza drums
SIMONI:TEOLIS
Legami Sushi&More Piazza Vittorio Veneto 15, BergamoSIMONI:TEOLIS The SIMONI:TEOLIS duo is one of the groups selected for 2025 by I-Jazz, the association of festivals of which Bergamo Jazz is a part, within the framework of Nuova Generazione Jazz, a project dedicated to promoting new talents in Italy and abroad. The duo, in its original setup of two wind instruments, was formed in 2022, the year in which Lorenzo Simoni and Iacopo Teolis completed their studies at the Siena Jazz National Academy. By playing together, exchanging ideas, and spending time together both on and off stage, the two young musicians developed a strong friendship that is parallelly manifested in their way of playing together. This led to the album Openings, which brings together a series of original compositions and some completely improvised tracks. The recognizable influences are multiple and diverse: great composers such as Bach, Hindemith, Steve Reich, and Igor Stravinsky, video game music, and contemporary musicians like Ambrose Akinmusire, Perselì, and Ben Wendel. In collaboration with I-JAZZ – NUOVA GENERAZIONE JAZZ 2025 Playbill SIMONI:TEOLISLorenzo Simoni alto saxIacopo Teolis trumpet
LUX QUARTET (1st set) / DANILO PEREZ, JOHN PATITUCCI, BRIAN BLADE “Legacy of Wayne Shorter” Special guest RAVI COLTRANE (2nd set)
Teatro DonizettiPROGRAM CHANGE Myra Melford, Dayna Stephens, Nick Dunston, Allison Miller replace the duo Dave Holland/Lionel Loueke Following the sudden cancellation of Dave Holland/Lionel Loueke's European tour, due to health issues affecting the English bassist, the Bergamo Jazz evening on Friday, March 21st at Teatro Donizetti will be opened by the Lux Quartet, a formation led by pianist Myra Melford and drummer Allison Miller, completed by saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist Nick Dunston, all prominent musicians in the international jazz scene. The project dedicated to Wayne Shorter - with Danilo Pérez, John Patitucci, Brian Blade, and Ravi Coltrane - scheduled for the same evening, and the rest of the Festival program remain confirmed. LUX QUARTET featuring Myra Melford, Dayna Stephens, Nick Dunston, Allison Miller The first of three Bergamo Jazz 2025 evenings at Teatro Donizetti opens with a recently formed group conceived by two prominent figures in contemporary jazz with a female perspective: pianist Myra Melford and drummer Allison Miller. Alongside them are saxophonist Dayna Stephens and bassist Nick Dunston, other leading names in today's music scene. Immediately rising to musical prominence with the release of their album Tomorrowland in “August 2024”, which Down Beat awarded four stars, the Lux Quartet is inspired in name by light in all its manifestations, from the vitality of sunbeams to the bioluminescence of creatures in the deepest oceans, symbolizing all the heights and depths that the group intends to explore musically. Myra Melford has been one of the brightest stars in the jazz piano firmament since the late 1980s. Among her main collaborative experiences are those with Henry Threadgill, Butch Morris, and Dave Douglas. In the late 1990s, she formed the trio Equal Interest with violinist Leroy Jenkins and Art Ensemble of Chicago saxophonist Joseph Jarman. As a leader, she has recorded numerous albums that attest to her compositional depth and the variety of expressive realms she frequents, from solo piano to quintet. For several years, Myra Melford has established a fruitful artistic partnership with drummer Allison Miller, known for her membership in the multi-award-winning all women quintet Artemis, as well as numerous collaborations in the singer-songwriter realm (Ani DiFranco, Natalie Merchant, Brandi Carlile). Dayna Stephens is one of the leading saxophonists to emerge in recent decades. In addition to recording several albums under his own name, he has played with Kenny Barron, Ambrose Akinmusire, Julian Lage, Gerald Clayton, and many others. Bassist Nick Dunston also boasts an impressive resume: Marc Ribot, Vijay Iyer, Mary Halvorson, Tyshawn Sorey, Craig Taborn, and Dave Douglas are just some of the colleagues he has worked with so far. ______________________________________________ DANILO PÉREZ, JOHN PATITUCCI, BRIAN BLADE “Legacy of Wayne Shorter” special guest RAVI COLTRANE Bergamo Jazz 2025 hosts a superquartet in the name of one of the greatest saxophonists and composers that jazz has ever produced in its entire history: Wayne Shorter. A legendary figure who traversed crucial phases of jazz, collaborating with Art Blakey and Miles Davis before
NICHOLAS LECCHI ”Yugen Maki”
NXT Bergamo Piazzale Alpini, BergamoNICHOLAS LECCHI ”Yugen Maki” Born in the summer of 2020 from the meeting between drummer Lorenzo Beltrami and saxophonist Nicholas Lecchi, Yugen Maki brings together some talented young jazz musicians from Bergamo. The original duo works on a repertoire of original music inspired by modern jazz sounds influenced by driving grooves, following in the footsteps of contemporary giants such as Chris Potter and Donny McCaslin. In a short time, Chiara Arnoldi, a very young bassist, and pianist Alex Crocetta joined the idea, introducing new influences and enriching the project's sounds. The music of Yugen-Maki is therefore a melting pot of different styles and listens but with a common and precise vision: the rhythm section weaves incisive grooves, juggling regular and odd meters, while the keyboards generate evocative and engaging harmonies on which Nicholas Lecchi's saxophone stands out, weaving captivating and never banal melodies. The whole ranges from contemporary jazz to new soul and funk, with some touches of progressive music. Playbill NICHOLAS LECCHI ”Yugen Maki” Nicholas Lecchi tenor sax Alex Crocetta keyboards Chiara Arnoldi electric bass Lorenzo Beltrami drums