WATER ITINERARY
Bergamo AltaWith the participation of Massimiliano Milesi Massimiliano Milesi (tenor sax) and Daniele Richiedei (violin and viola) Who better than Uniacque, the fully public-owned company that has been managing the integrated water service in Bergamo and its province since 2006, can tell the underground story of water - thanks to the valuable and indispensable collaboration of the speleological groups Le Nottole and the Sebynica Association - in a prestigious site like the setting of the Upper City? The “Water Itinerary” develops along a stretch of streets and alleys of about 3 km, entirely within the spectacular 17th-century Venetian Walls: an itinerary - Aquae Ductus Bergomensis - that will take the “visitor by the hand, guiding them through different historical epochs, where the” artistic, architectural, and engineering evolution of the aqueduct complex manifests itself in all its foresight. There are 15 identifying stops on our tour “inside the Walls. The meeting point for the visit and its first stop will be at Colle Aperto. We then move to the upper room of the Porta di Sant”'Alessandro, where you can admire the passage of the Vasi aqueduct. We continue to Piazza Mascheroni, under which one of the large water reserve tanks is hidden, then descend to the Vagine spring and climb back up to Via Arena, along the route of the “Magistral Aqueduct. We then reach the Antescolis fountain, the Visconti fountain, and Piazza Vecchia, to admire the Contarini fountain. From the square, we move to the washhouse in Piazza Angelini, then along Via Gombito to the San Pancrazio fountain, and finally reaching Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, where it's possible to admire another” cistern. The visit could end at the Sant'Eufemia fountain. But this year there will be a novelty! Some of the stops on the Water Itinerary “will be accompanied by musical moments featuring, solo or in duo, saxophonist Massimiliano Milesi and violinist and violist Daniele Richiedei. The proposed music will follow an improvisational itinerary ranging from folkloric echoes to jazz and contemporary music. Massimiliano Milesi and Daniele Richiedei share the” experience of the “experimental ensemble Take Off, directed by composer Mauro Montalbetti. A project that mixes contemporary music with” collective improvisation. The two musicians, drawing on the ideas developed in this laboratory, will interweave their respective sensibilities to give body to a rich and multifaceted dialogue. The roles of their respective instruments will constantly change in search of unusual timbres and mysterious rhythmic-melodic fluctuations. The average travel time - calculated, as is appropriate, at a more “touristic” pace, for those who duly linger on the historical/artistic and architectural beauties - is about 2 and a half hours. In collaboration with UniAcque
JORDINA MILLÀ – BARRY GUY Duo
Teatro Sant'AndreaJORDINA MILLÀ – BARRY GUY Duo For the first time, Bergamo Jazz hosts one of the most imaginative minds in advanced European jazz and beyond, a central figure in improvised music since the late 1960s: the Englishman Barry Guy. Summarizing his frenetic activity in a few lines is at least limiting. However, it's worth mentioning his collaborations with fellow countrymen Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Paul Rutherford, Tony Oxley and Paul Lytton, and with Americans Cecil Taylor, Roscoe Mitchell and Marilyn Crispell. The London Jazz Composer's Orchestra deserves a chapter of its own, being one of the most brilliant experiences in integrating composition and improvisation, which along its path has crossed paths with Anthony Braxton's reeds and Irene Schweizer's piano. With a technical-expressive background that allows him unparalleled mastery of his instrument, Barry Guy has also played with classical orchestras (The Orchestra of St. John's Smith Square, City of London Sinfonia, Monteverdi Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, Kent Opera, The London Classical Players) and with violinist Maya Homburger, his life partner, he also explores the world of early music. The partnership with Jordina Millà is quite recent: it began in 2017, when the English double bassist involved the Catalan pianist, a student of her compatriot Agustì Fernandez, in an ensemble of improvisers gathered for the Barcelona's Mixtur Festival. Subsequently, the two musicians recorded String Fables, released in 2021 by the Polish label Fundacja Słuchaj. In February 2022, they recorded the album Live In Munich, released last year by ECM. Listening to this latest album reveals a perfect harmony of intentions that underlies an absolutely equal dialogue with palpable expressive tension, combining free improvisation with elements of classical-contemporary language Playbill JORDINA MILLÀ – BARRY GUY Duo Jordina Millà piano Barry Guy double bass
TANIA GIANNOULI NIK BÄRTSCH Piano Duo
Sala PiattiTANIA GIANNOULI NIK BÄRTSCH Piano Duo Already protagonists of Bergamo Jazz in 2022 and 2023 respectively, with their solo performances, the Greek Tania Giannouli and the Swiss Nik Bärtsch, two of the most interesting and highly regarded exponents of European pianism in recent decades, return to the Festival to present the Italian premiere of a duo that has already made a name for itself in several other festivals across the Old Continent. What binds the two pianists is a shared vision that has already led them to be defined as "ideal musical partners," each bringing something different while remaining true to themselves and at the same time serving the dialogue with their instrument colleague. The duo moves between hypnotic and dynamic atmospheres, where a touch of sensuality also peeks through. Nik Bärtsch has released seven albums with ECM since his debut with the German label in 2006. His music is richly conceptual and strongly influenced by minimalism and contemporary classical composition. Tania Giannouli, whose popularity is steadily growing, including in Italy, has a more lyrical style that subtly alludes to the folk melodies of her country of origin. The duo pushes the boundaries of what is meant by "playing the piano." Bärtsch can be particularly rhythmic and possesses a total mastery of the keyboard, also enhancing its percussive peculiarities, while Giannouli expresses herself mainly through a natural melodic vein, also exploiting the most hidden resources of her instrument. Together, the two pianists promise music open to the invention of the moment, where unpredictability and communicative physicality interpenetrate. In collaboration with FONDAZIONE MIA Playbill TANIA GIANNOULI & NIK BÄRTSCH Piano Duo Tania Giannouli piano Nik Bärtsch piano
STICK MEN
Teatro SocialeSTICK MEN featuring TONY LEVIN, MERKUS REUTER & PAT MASTELOTTO Bergamo Jazz 2025 broadens its horizons by proposing a formidable trio that draws its lifeblood from the mixture of improvisation, experimental rock and more, as well as from the extraordinary instrumental mastery of its members. Stick Men, or Stick Men, take their name from the particular instrument invented in the 1970s by Emmett Chapman, a sort of cross between electric bass and guitar, usually equipped with 10 strings played with the tapping technique, which involves the independent use of the hands. Maximum virtuoso of the Stick is considered Tony Levin, a trusted man of Peter Gabriel and many others, as well as a member of various editions of King Crimson from 1981 onward. Also converted to the Stick is German guitarist Markus Reuter. The third member is drummer Pat Mastelotto, whom most know from hearing him in the last editions of King Crimson itself, including one with as many as three drummers. Born in Boston in 1946, Tony Levin began playing when he was 10 years old. In high school he switched to electric bass and met drummer Steve Gadd, also destined for a bright career and with whom Tony Levin was part of flugelhornist Chuck Mangione's group in the early 1970s. From here on, countless doors opened wide. In fact, the list of Tony Levin's collaborations, both in the studio and on stage, is almost endless: in addition to Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, John Lennon, James Taylor, Andy Summers, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, Lou Reed, Gary Burton, Alice Cooper, the Italians Claudio Baglioni and Ivano Fossati, just to name a few among the many possible names. Markus Reuter began as a pianist, later converting to guitar, thanks to studies with Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft, and then to Stick and Touch Guitar. He has made several solo records and plays with various bands, including Centrozoon and Tuner, or a duo with Pat Mastelotto. He has also been a member of the Europa String Choir and has collaborated with Ian Boddy, Robert Rich, Tim Bowness, and others. Pat Mastelotto took up the drums as a self-taught musician and also developed a keen interest in electronics. Major collaborations include Mr. Mister, XTC, David Sylvian, The Rembrandts, and Finland's Kimmo Pohjonen, as well as, of course, King Crimson, in which he was able to cement a partnership with Tony Levin. Playbill STICK MEN featuring TONY LEVIN, MERKUS REUTER & PAT MASTELOTTO Tony Levin chapman stick and electric bass Markus Reuter guitar and chapman stick Pat Mastelotto drums
MARC RIBOT Quartet “Hurry Red Telephone” (1st set) / DIANNE REEVES (2nd set)
Teatro DonizettiMARC RIBOT Quartet "Hurry Red Telephone" Marc Ribot is one of the most innovative and imaginative guitarists on the contemporary music scene, not just jazz. In fact, names such as Tom Waits, John Zorn, Elvis Costello, Caetano Veloso, Vinicio Capossela, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Plant, Marianne Faithfull, Jack McDuff, John Lurie's Lounge Lizards appear in his vast and varied background of collaborative experience. And the list could go on and on. His solo activity is also unabated, punctuated by albums and groups such as Rootless Cosmopolitans, which is also the title of his debut album as leader, Los Cubanos Postitzos, Shrek, Ceramic Dog and Spiritual Unity. The latter featured Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor: that group, formed as a tribute to Albert Ayler, stayed alive until the legendary double bassist retired from the scene in 2018. "The last concerts with Henry were the best music I've ever played in ... or heard ...," recalled Ribot, who has since reunited with Chad Taylor to continue playing along the lines laid out by Spiritual Unity. And here is "Hurry Red Telephone," a name derived from a quote from Richard Siken's poem "Several Tremendous." Ribot himself introduces his two new partners: "When I first heard Sebastian Steinberg's bass, I thought, 'That's who I'm looking for: a gifted improviser, a musician with a deep groove and totally original.' We worked together in my band Shrek and other projects from the early 1990s until Sebastian moved to Los Angeles, and I'm excited to resume our collaboration." And of Ava Mendoza, a guest of Bergamo Jazz in 2022 with a dazzling solo concert at the Accademia Carrara, he says, "She is the perfect person to complete this quartet: great soloist, sensitive partner in ensemble settings, fearless guitarist/improviser who knows how to move things along." These are the assumptions of the new band: now the word is to the music, which will surely be hard to pin down. Somewhat disorienting as Marc Ribot has always been. ________________________________ DIANNE REEVES. Returning to Bergamo Jazz, exactly ten years after her previous appearance, is Dianne Reeves, one of the most intense and engaging female voices in contemporary jazz, already the winner of no fewer than five Grammy Awards for as many albums, the fourth of which she won for the soundtrack to George Clooney's film Good Night and Good Luck. Film that gave Dianne Reeves well-deserved planetary notoriety. Born in Detroit into a family where music was at home - her father, who died when she was only two years old, was a singer, while her mother played the trumpet and her cousin was the famous keyboardist George Duke, Dianne Reeves began singing and playing piano in the early 1970s. During a concert in Chicago she was noticed by trumpeter Clark Terry, who wanted her in his group. Following her move to Los Angeles she began collaborating with Stanley Turrentine and others. She made her debut album under her own name in 1983, but it was with her joining