Jazz on the Fringe

Free concerts and workshops for all

As the Malta International Arts Festival ends today, Arts Council Malta (ACM) is gearing up for the Malta Jazz Festival 2016, which kicks off this coming Thursday on 21 July. However, leading up to the Festival is the Jazz on the Fringe, a setup providing the Valletta Midday Concerts and the fourth edition of the Malta Summer Jazz Camp.

The Valletta Midday Concerts are free for the public and are running from 19 to 23 July and will feature local and international talent. This initiative will particularly highlight Malta’s young and dynamic jazz scene. The concerts start at 12.30pm and will be held in Republic Street in the shade of the Parliament Building. There will also be a performance by Rino Cirinnà/Warren Galea Quartet feat. Dean Montanaro and Manuel Pulis, happening at Talbot and Bons, Sky Parks Business Centre, Luqa on Tuesday 19 July at 8.30pm, also for free.

The Malta Summer Jazz Camp will provide four masterclasses and workshops by important educators in the international current jazz scene, which vary from American grooves, to singing and improvisations to learning about the jazz language. There will also be a workshop for saxophone players. ACM is very pleased with the number of participants. Applications are closed and the workshops will be held at the Johann Strauss School of Music.

Arts Council Malta strives towards audience development in the arts and for this reason the Malta Jazz Festival is exploring different outreach possibilities. In fact one initiative sees the Thursday concerts, which will be held at City Gate Entrance and opposite the Law Courts at 8pm, performed for free. The artist line-up will include top world performers such as the Cuban artist Harold LópezNussa.

Artistic Director Sandro Zerafa said, “As in previous years I am proud to present an eclectic programme which embraces both jazz tradition and the genre-defying styles of contemporary jazz.”

The programme includes top world important jazz artists such as Snarky Puppy, Bill Evans, Omer Avital and Marcus Roberts. The Festival is not only attracting some of the best names from the international jazz genre to Malta, but it is also providing further opportunities to local artists as more new jazz bands are performing around the island.

The Malta Jazz Festival 2016, organised by Arts Council Malta, is supported by Cyberpass, Malta Tourism Authority, MSV Life and TVM. MIA, together with Valletta 2018 Foundation, is supporting The Jazz on the Fringe.