by Luca Testoni

Here are another twenty or so artists, bands, and projects to make the lineup of the eleventh edition of Milan‘s mega jazz festival—scheduled from October 19th to November 8th, even richer and more diverse, if that’s even possible.

Among the new additions to the lineup are two consecutive concerts by Erykah Badu on October 19th and 20th. The queen of American neo-soul will perform at the Teatro Nazionale, bringing her new project, “Imeho, an intimate experience with Erykah Badu.”

In strict chronological order, the newly added live shows also feature world-jazz revelation L’Antidote on October 22nd at Santeria Toscana, and on the same day, trumpeter Fabrizio Bosso will play a double set at the Blue Note.

On October 27th at Alcatraz, Mali’s Rokia Traoré, having put behind her the legal custody battle over her daughter, will return to delight the audience with her signature songwriting.

October 28th will mark an Italian debut at the Auditorium San Fedele for a supergroup delivering a sonic blend of Nordic folk, minimalism, ambient, and jazz. Conceived by Belgian guitarist and sound artist Bert Cools, the lineup includes Icelandic musicians Gyða Valtýsdóttir (formerly of Múm) and Kjartan Sveinsson (founder of Sigur Rós), alongside Lithuanian singer Indrė Jurgelevičiūtė (Merope).

October 29th offers an incredibly exciting double bill: at the Teatro Lirico, Paolo Fresu and his quintet will perform live the famous improvisations Miles Davis composed for the soundtrack of Louis Malle‘s “Elevator to the Gallows”. Meanwhile, at Biko, the spotlight will be on Idris Ackamoor, the multi-instrumentalist who founded The Pyramids in the early 1970s at an Ohio college, and who has always been a champion of the Afro-futurist sound.

On October 31st at the Teatro della Triennale, Enrico Intra will take on the compositions of Gerry Mulligan, followed by the trio of pianist Gaetano Liguori. On the same date, Biko will host a DJ set by S!rene, blending jazz, afrobeat, and African funk.

Also at the Triennale, highlights include Dimitri Grechi Espinoza‘s trio on November 1st with their meditations on John Coltrane‘s masterpiece “A Love Supreme”. On November 3rd, saxophonist David Binney, drummer Louis Cole, and bassist Pera Krstajic will explore the cutting edge of modern jazz.

Furthermore, the legendary Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform a two-night residency at the Blue Note on November 4th and 5th. Also on November 5th at the Triennale, “A New Sketches of Spain” will celebrate the centenary of Miles Davis‘s birth. The stage will feature Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer Israel Galván Reyes alongside a chamber orchestra led by former Steely Dan trumpeter Michael Leonhart. That same evening, Dario Jacque will pair up with Filippo Bubbico at Biko.

On November 6th, the rising British soul voice MT Jones will perform at Santeria Toscana 31. The following day at the Triennale, Enzo Favata will revive “Atlantico”, one of the most iconic projects of his career, an album that marked a turning point for Italian world music in 1999 by weaving together jazz, South American sounds, poetry, and sonic storytelling. On the same night, Biko will host Momoko Gill, one of the emerging names in the British jazz-electronic scene.

Bringing the festival to a close on November 8th at the Teatro della Triennale, Calibro 35 will perform live “Ellroy vs L.A.”, their new album based on the soundtrack of the documentary of the same name by Francesco Zippel.

Info & Tickets https://jazzmi.it/

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