JAZZ FESTIVAL ON THE BOAT – “From the Seine to the East River – The colors of jazz”

The JAZZ FESTIVAL SUR LE BATEAU concludes at Villa Mimbelli, a journey between art and jazz organized by the Rasenna Music Art Association, with the participation of the Municipality of Livorno and the contribution of the Livorno Foundation.

On Saturday, October 7th at 4:00 PM, on the stage of the theater at Villa Mimbelli, the concert “From the Seine to the East River – The Colors of Jazz” will be held, featuring the exceptional Contrabboschi’s ensemble, a quartet of musicians all from the jazz composition school of Maestro Paolo Silvestri, a professor at the Niccolò Paganini Conservatory in Genoa. In addition to being internationally renowned composers and arrangers, they are also instrumentalists and multi-instrumentalists, with academic studies in both classical and jazz music. We will listen to Stefano Bergamaschi on trumpet, Gianluca Salcuni on saxophone, Andrea Grillone on piano, and Giulio Boschi on double bass, performing compositions by Mingus and Boschi, embellished with personal improvisations by the performers. Each composition is dedicated to a painting displayed during the concert.

Giulio Boschi, a Livorno native with strong ties to his city but trained in Genoa, explains his conception: “Modigliani, Mussi, Falchini, and Brizzi are Livorno painters who have always sparked a deep interest and profound feelings in me. The style of their works, their artistic invention expressed with impeccable strokes, draw vital inspiration from the great Livorno master Giovanni Fattori. Each of them paints without intermediaries, in their own personal way, but their brushstrokes imprint on the canvases their freedom of thought, great wisdom, and extensive study of the past. From all this, my emotions are born. The compositions I have written are nothing more than an extension of the original inspiration that arose from, for example, ‘Modì’s Portraits’, ‘Blues in Green’ by Mussi, or ‘Musical Centaurs’ by Falchini. Additionally, I have composed a new piece inspired by a painting by jazz painter Claudio Calvetti. Mingus, the composer and legendary jazz bassist, has always resonated with me, and for this concert, I have chosen two of his pieces dedicated to color and portraiture.‘”

Mingus is considered a representative of the third stream, which brings together classical language and jazz while maintaining the essential role of improvisation. In fact, there is a long list of Euro-classical composers who have drawn from jazz. On this topic, Boschi believes that: “In the face of masterpieces by Mingus, Ellington, Penderecki, and many other musical geniuses, my commentary is unnecessary. The true artist operates in complete freedom, choosing forms and languages that are suitable for expressing their emotions and thoughts.”