This year we are delighted to present a magnificent journey into a broad spectrum of Italian music, made possible through the outstanding support of the Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, and the Italian Cultural Centre.

Two of the groups featured in the Spotlight, MACK & Dadada, were discovered while visiting the exquisite Fano Jazz by the Sea festival in Italy in July of 2018. The festival in Fano featured a program that was so inspiring that we felt compelled to immediately invite these two groups to perform in Vancouver the following year. We have designated Fano Jazz by the Sea as our sister festival in 2019, and are pleased to welcome visiting Artistic Director Adriano Pedini as an honoured guest.

This program celebrates the diversity of musical approaches and practices based in European song forms, classical composition techniques, folk and popular music—as well as straight ahead jazz.

This year, we welcome saxophonist Emanuele Cisi and his quartet; hip hop band MACK; the experimental dadada Trio, featuring pianist Roberto Negro and percussionist Michele Rabbia with French saxophonist Emile Parisien; and the Italian-Canadian collaboration ITACA, featuring saxophonist Nicola Fazzini and bassist Alessandro Fedrigo.

See artist biographies for more information.

Emanuele Cisi Quartet
June 21 & 22, Frankie’s Jazz Club

MACK
June 22, Georgia Stage – Downtown Jazz Weekend

Dadada Trio
June 25, Performance Works

ITACA
June 29, Roundhouse Exhibition Hall

Montevago (duet Negro/Ceccaldi)
June 30, Roundhouse Performance Centre

Special thanks to Consulate General of Italy in Vancouver, Italian Cultural Centre of Vancouver, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Toronto, Fano by the Sea Festival (Italy), Novara Festival (Italy).