The Catania Jazz Festival is a

jazz festival This is a list of notable jazz festivals around the world. Historic jazz festivals Jazz festivals by country The following is an incomplete list of notable jazz festivals, including both current and defunct festivals of note. Africa Angol ...

in Catania,

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, Italy. An international festival, it has been held since 1983. Sometimes the festival is held at different locations over several months, providing an entire season of jazz performances.

History

The first show of the Catania Jazz Association was staged on 24 November 1983 by the

Sun Ra Arkestra The Sun Ra Arkestra is an American jazz group formed in the mid-1950s and led by keyboardist/composer Sun Ra until his death in 1993. The group is considered a pioneer of afrofuturism. As of 2022, the Arkestra is led by saxophonist Marshall All ...

. Since then the Catania Jazz Association has brought some of the biggest names in international jazz to the slopes of Mount Etna. The festival has featured legendary jazz performers such as

McCoy Tyner Alfred McCoy Tyner (December 11, 1938March 6, 2020) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards. He was an NEA Jazz Master and five-time Gram ...

, Ornette Coleman, Dizzy Gillespie,

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

, Dee Dee Bridgewater and

Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist, composer and producer. He recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader and was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. ...

. The festival has highlighted

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

and eastern music, organized the first

World of Music, Arts and Dance WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance. History WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, ...

(WOMAD) festival in Italy, and organized a show with only female performers. The festival is one of the most important jazz events in Sicily, covering an entire winter concert season.

Recent events

In July 2015 the Catania Jazz Association organized the Catania Jazz Marathon over a five-day period in the courtyard of the Benedictine Monastery. 20 alternating groups played, each for no more than 1/2 hour. A panel of critics and judges selected performers to play in a variety of Italian and European festivals, including the Catania Jazz Festival's 2015–16 winter season. Concerts are held at various locations in Catania. One of the venues has been the

Teatro Metropolitan Teatro may refer to: * Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific p ...

. The XXXIII Season (5 December 2015 – 13 May 2016 staged

Brad Mehldau Bradford Alexander Mehldau (; born August 23, 1970) is an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Mehldau studied music at The New School, and toured and recorded while still a student. He was a member of saxophonist Joshua Redman's Qua ...

Larry Grenadier Larry Grenadier (born February 6, 1966 in San Francisco) is an American jazz double bassist. Early life Grenadier's father, Albert, was a trumpet player, and his two brothers, Phil and Steve, play trumpet and guitar, respectively. Grenadier be ...

and Jeff Ballard at the Ciminiere di Piazzale Asia, and several shows at the Teatro Abc (Via Pietro Mascagni 92). Other shows were held at the MA (Via Vela 6). The 2016–17 festival began on 5 November 2016 and was to continue until 19 April 2017. Different shows were staged at the Teatro ABC and MA Concerti. In 2017 the festival featured

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

and the

Kyle Eastwood Kyle Eastwood (born May 19, 1968) is an American jazz bassist and film composer. He studied film at the University of Southern California for two years before embarking on a music career. After becoming a session player in the early 1990s and lea ...

Band.

References

Sources

* * * * * * {{refend Jazz festivals in Italy Culture of Sicily 1983 establishments in Italy