In addition to the concerts on the main stage, this year’s edition takes on a whole new level outside of the centre premises.
Santa Catarina Park will, once again, be hosting the Funchal Jazz Festival on the first weekend of July. With a new team in charge of all organization efforts, this initiative of the City Hall of Funchal suggests a few changes to the event, in addition to 6 concerts taking place on July 3rd, 4th and 5th at 9.30p.m and 11.30p.m. When interviewed by Essential, Paulo Barbosa, artistic director of the event, has not a doubt in mind that this edition of the Funchal Jazz Festival is up to the same standards of some of «the best concerts in the world». The caliber of musicians and bands represent «a fine example of what jazz is today: in constant evolution, faithful to an exquisite tradition yet always ready to absorb, incorporate and modify a vast range of influences from other genres and aesthetics of music»
Paulo Barbosa presents this year’s guests as top quality acts: «four of them are notable examples of the best jazz currently played in New York and two of them – Mário Laginha and Carlos Bica – are big names and noted references on the national scene». Furthermore, he considers that «Jason Moran and Vijay Iyer are, simply, the two most awarded pianists in the last half a dozen years, and the same must be said for trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire. Bassist player Ben Allison is, besides a renowned and important driving force of the new-york jazz scene, a leading advocate of musicians’ rights in general».
Jason Moran, opening act of the festival, will be playing solo on the 3rd, «with his piano and i-pod, possibly alternating between a Harlem stride piano classic of the 20’s and a hip-hop tune of Afrika Bambaataa». On that same night the Ben Allison Group may recollect «one of two Radiohead songs». On the 4th, the night begins with a trio including Mário Laginha who «interprets a fado or a nocturne by Chopin with the same ease with which he interprets one of his own». At 11 p.m the Vijay Iyer trio «may reinterpret a Duke Ellington classic following a reading of Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature”», explains Paulo Barbosa.
The third and last day welcomes the opening act of Carlos Bica & Azul which includes Frank Mobus «the most noted guitarist of German jazz and Jim Black, an American who is also one of the most admired drummers in contemporary jazz». Paulo Barbosa considers that the group «blends the sensitivity of jazz with the energy of rock and finishes it off with a suitable dose of nostalgia which can be described as “portugália”». On that same day, the closing act will be left in the hands of Ambrose Akinmusire, a musician who, according to the artistic director, «is open to all sorts of musical influences that a musician of his generation is exposed to». Joining him on stage will be vocalist Theo Bleckmann who, in the eyes of Paulo Barbosa, is «more than likely to further broaden his musical horizons».
When asked whether this lineup leaned towards a slightly more purist or commercial one, Paulo Barbosa claims that «purity has never been a trait of jazz. Jazz is, by nature, a hybrid musical genre which resulted from the colossal miscegenation of music which, at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, musicians from New Orleans had at their disposal». That evolution is currently still underway «due to the absorption of any sort of new musical elements originating from the most varied musical genres which musicians will come across». With this in mind, he considers that this year’s main concern regarding the festival was to understand that «there are styles and genres for all tastes».
The organization hopes that the public will play an active part in the event, seeing that throughout the last few years the average number of spectators during the three days has totaled at 8 thousand people. Tickets for the three days are priced at €30. The site will be organized in a different way and this year’s festival will also include several dynamics off stage. The Belmond Reid’s Palace is an associated partner of the event and the Jam Sessions will take place at Scat, a jazz bar and restaurant with notable acoustics. Paulo Barbosa highlights the musical talent of supporting act of guitarist André Santos, «a local musician who has been living in Lisbon for several years and three musicians from mainland Portugal: saxophone player Ricardo Toscano, bassist João Hasselberg and drummer João Pereira».
The Funchal Jazz Festival 2014 will be officially presenting the event at Scat on June 28th at 11p.m with guitarist Nuno Ferreira, saxophone player João Mortágua, bassist Ricardo Dias and drummer Caio Oliveira. Between July 1st and 5th, at 6.30p.m, the main promenade along Avenida Arriaga will be setting the stage for the musical performance of five combos of the Jazz Course of the CEPAM, school of arts.
There will also be an exhibition, “Misty”, by photographer Renato Nunes who will also be leading a workshop entitled “Live”. The programme includes live painting associated to the Jam Sessions by Fagundes Vasconcelos as well as the screening of films related to jazz, such as “Bird” by Client Eastwood on the life of Charlie Parker and “Round Midnight” by Bertrand Tavernier with Dextor Gordon playing the lead part and Herbie Hancock as leading director of the film’s soundtrack.
