25.08.2021, by Luca Testoni

Starting October 21st, JAZZMI will be back with an (as yet under wraps) program filled to the brim with live performances, movies, special events, meet-and-greets and much more.

Every big European city, such as London and Barcelona, has their own. Some have had one for years,for decades even. What are we talking about? A jazz festival worthy of its name, of course. A great event to include and showcase top musicians from the European improv scene (as we used to call it).

In order to satisfy this need, and to fill a glaring cultural gap, 2016 saw the birth of JAZZMI, a jazz festival set in the northern Italian metropolis of Milan, offering a jazz version of the tried-and-tested – not to mention successful – Piano City format. That is to say, to stage live performances across the whole city (suburbs included) featuring a well-thought-out mixture of international and Italian jazz stars, while at the same time spotlighting the newcomers of jazz, a genre that seems endlessly capable of reinventing itself.

After its brave 2020 edition (it did take courage to put together, in the midst of a global pandemic, a program which ended up being halved when Milan was upgraded into a Covid high-risk “red zone”, along with the rest of the Lombardy region, last October), the sixth edition of JAZZMi is now ready for takeoff. The dates of the festival organized by Ponderosa alongside Triennale Milano and Blue Note Milano have already been officially confirmed: this year’s JAZZMI, once again under the artistic direction of Luciano Linzi and Titti Santini, will spread out over eleven days. The first notes will ring out on October 21st, and the curtain will fall on Halloween night. The program is still under wraps, but will include live performances, special events, meet-and-greets, movies and much more.

To whet our appetite for JAZZMI, the third edition of special project Jam The Future will take place on September 23rd and 30th at the Volvo Studio Milano near Porta Nuova. What exactly is Jam The Future? Seven jazz bands whose members are all aged under 30, selected from an online casting call which opened last spring, will perform their original pieces. These original pieces have been especially written with the aim of describing what jazz (and perhaps the world) will look like in the future. On September 23rd, a popular jury composed of both professional musicians and online viewers will choose the three finalist groups, who will then perform for the grand finale a week later. The winning band will be engaged to perform at JAZZMI 2021.

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