9th July – 10.00 am
Masterclass by Malta Jazz Festival director and jazz musician Sandro Zerafa
Euro Institute for Music and Arts, 631 St. Joseph High Street, Hamrun
www.euroinstitutemalta.com Tel. 21226555

11th July – 09.00pm
Carlo Muscat trio (saxophone/standards trio)
Coach and Horses Pub, Valley Road, Msida.
coachandhorsesmalta@gmail.com Tel. 99848199

12th July – 08.00pm
Walter Vella ‘Trania’ (world/ethno-jazz)
Juul’s Reggae and Chill-Out Bar
7 Triq San Guzepp, St. Julian’s
Tel: 99898444

13th July – 8.00pm
Francesca Galea (brazilian jazz/bossa nova)
Trabuxu Bistro, South Street Valletta
www.trabuxu.com.mt Tel : 21220357

17th July – 9.00pm
Robin Nicaise trio (saxophone/jazz standards)
Bridge Bar, East Street, Valletta

18th July – 8.00pm
Charles Gatt vibraphone trio (jazz standards)
Taverna Sugu , Triq Papa Alessandru VII, Vittoriosa
Tel : 27881122 / 77881122
www.sugu.com.mt

Ambrose Akinmusire (pronounced ah-kin-moo-sir-ee) is creating plenty of buzz in the jazz world at the moment. His 5tet is definitely one of the most exciting and inventive groups to have emerged in recent years. Ambrose recently released an album on Blue Note records – “When the Heart Emerges Glistening”. We are proud to be hosting him at the Malta Jazz Festival. He will playing on a double-bill with Joao Bosco on Friday 15th July.

Check out this short documentary from a recent performance in Paris.

Click on www.maltaticket.com for tickets

www.ambroseakinmusire.com

Nadine Axisa Band

Date: Thursday 14^th July

Line-up: Nadine Axisa [vocals], Marvin Gaerty [guitar], Harry Eddleston [piano], Matteo Bortone [bass], Joe Micallef [drums], Adrian Galea [percussion]

Nadine Axisa is an established local singer who has been contributing to the local music scene for well over a decade. Her first project in 2003 was with local musicians where she contributed to the very successful concert and CD launch of “The Beatles Works” interpreting in an acclaimed manner, songs by the famous fab four, arranged in a jazzy style.

That same year, Nadine ventured into the American standards and jazz scene. In 2007 Nadine followed a jazz vocal course in Italy hosted by the Global Music Foundation. Amongst the tutors of the course were jazz singers Tina May and Iain Mackenzie, as well as Argentinean singer, guitarist and composer Guillermo Rozenthuler. Nadine enjoys interpreting jazz standards, where Latin jazz numbers remain her all-time favourites. Nadine performs regularly in top local venues and clubs with various musicians. Her performances outside the Maltese Islands include London, Tripoli, Prague, Oslo and Rome.

Argotti Jazz Ensemble
(directed by Dominic Galea)

Date: Friday 15^th July

Line-up: Dominic Galea [piano, musical direction], Mario Borg [alto sax], Carlo Muscat [tenor sax], Adrian ‘ir-Russu’ Brincat [trumpet], Effie Azzopardi [flugelhor], Mario ‘Cocker’ Aquilina [bass], Benedict Galea [drums], Doreen Galea/Claudette Pace [guest vocalists]

The idea of forming the Argotti Jazz Ensemble (musical direction Dominic Galea) in 2010 came naturally after a successful string of jazz workshops organized by jazz pianist/composer Dominic Galea. These meetings proofed to be both interesting and stimulating to many local enthusiastic musicians coming from different musical backgrounds. Dominic Galea, the director of the band is experienced in the genre having performed several times in international jazz festivals in the past and is also a pioneer in promoting original jazz compositions on the island having three jazz albums to his credit. The Malta Jazz Festival 2011 marks the first public appearance of this band. For this
occasion Doreen Galea and Claudette Pace, two of Malta’s leading singers will join the band.

Marc Galea Quintet

Date: Saturday 16^th July

Line-up: Marc Galea [guitar], Robin Nicaise [saxophone], Paul Abela [piano], Alan Portelli [bass], Joe ‘Bibi’ Camilleri [drums]

Guitarist Marc Galea has been studying and playing the electric guitar since he was 11 years old. In 2005 he graduated with an LLCM TD Diploma as a professional guitar tutor in the UK with leading guitar tutor John Mizarolli. In 2009 Marc achieved his FLCM Diploma in performance. He was featured in the 32nd and 42nd issue of Guitar Tutor Magazine. Since meeting Maltese Jazz guitarist Sandro Zerafa and taking lessons with him, Marc started delving into Jazz styles. He attended a Berklee University summer Jazz course in Perugia, Italy in 2005 where he studied with Jim Kelly and Mark White. Through the years Marc had the chance to work and share the stage the with several artists such as, Luigi Tessarollo, Phil Hilborne, Neil Murray, John Wheatcroft, Gordon Giltrap, Claudio Baglioni and Ricardo Cocciante. Currently Marc is busy working with his trio, who recently launched their Debut album “Easy Dialogue” with original composition and other arrangement of jazz standards. Marc Galea was awarded the internationally-acclaimed RGT Guitar Tutor of the Year finalist Award in 2008 and 2009.

Click on www.maltaticket.com for tickets

Monty Alexander, from Jamaica, has managed to fuse reggae and jazz in a very unique manner. In Malta he will be presenting his Harlem-Kingston Express, featuring two rhythm sections, one reggae and one jazz.

Here is a clip from his 2010 performance at Jazz à Vienne, in France.

Some golden section tickets left for his performance at the Malta Jazz Festival on the 14th July by clicking on www.maltaticket.com.

www.montyalexander.com

www.joaobosco.com.br

The discovery of Ambrose Akinmusire has been a slow but definitely a steady process. Born and raised in Oakland, California, it was as a member of the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble that Ambrose Akinmusire caught the attention of saxophonist Steve Coleman, eventually hiring him as a member of his Five Elements band and embarking on an extensive European tour when Akinmusire was just 19. After returning to the West Coast to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Southern California, Akinmusire went on to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, where he was taught by Terence Blanchard, Herbie Hancock, and Wayne Shorter. 2007 was a pivotal year for Akinmusire. He entered and won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition from a panel of judges that included Blanchard, Quincy Jones, Herb Alpert, Hugh Masekela, Clark Terry and Roy Hargrove. That year he also won the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition and released his debut recording Prelude To Cora on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. He moved back to New York City where he began performing with the likes of Vijay Iyer, Aaron Parks, Esperanza Spalding, and Jason Moran. It was also during this time that he first caught the attention of Bruce Lundvall, President of Blue Note Records who eventually signed Akinmusire.

Click on www.maltaticket.com for tickets

www.ambroseakinmusire.com