One of
Italy’s most prestigious and famous festivals has opened its arms to jazz
lovers for the 40th time in its history and is currently celebrating four
decades of music in the Umbrian city of Perugia.
The
festival was initiated back in 1973 by Carlo Pagnotta, a local Jazz enthusiast who
remains the artistic director to this day. Pagnotta, along with the Italian musician
Renzo Arbore who is the president, continue to head the event that has become one
of the most important jazz venues in the world.
Back in
1973 nobody would have imagined the importance this festival would have on the music
scene, and not only in Italy; today it is a well known and world esteemed event.
The thought of hundreds of jean clad ‘hippies’ descending en masse onto the
streets of 70’s provincial Perugia is an interesting one and they must have
caused a flurry of concern amongst the local inhabitants who were probably unused
to guitar toting, denim clad individuals sleeping in ancient doorways.
With a brief
break in the late 70’s early 80’s Umbria Jazz has attracted a whole host of starry
names too numerous to mention. In recent years the festival has changed and no
longer concentrates on Jazz alone, hence names such as Chet Baker, Ornette
Coleman, Miles Davis, Sarah Vaughn and Dizzy Gillespie have been supplanted by
Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, Elton John, Sting and the artist formally known as Prince.
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| Miles Davis |
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