Enrico Rava “The Fearless Five”
with Matteo Paggi, Francesco Diodati, Francesco Ponticelli, Evita Polidoro
Enrico Rava is among the most present musicians in the summer and winter editions of Umbria Jazz: it makes sense considering how much Rava influenced the development of Italian and European jazz. The free jazz period in the early years of his career with Steve Lacy and Gato Barbieri, his New York experience with Cecil Taylor, Carla Bley, and the JCO (Bley’s monumental work, “Escalator Over The Hill”), the hybridizations with the European avant-garde, the discovery of the opera in a jazz key, the collaborations with some of the most influential artists of the contemporary scene: these are chapters of the history of European jazz, rather than a single biography. Umbria Jazz Winter hosts him this year with a quintet that looks at new generations, such as phenomenal trombonist Matteo Paggi (academic studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory) and drummer Evita Polidoro from Nerovivo, the finalist band of the 2019 Conad Jazz Contest, and who performed live with Dee Dee Bridgewater and Miguel Zenón. Guitarist Francesco Diodati and bassist Francesco Ponticelli have been part of Rava’s most recent bands. The three of them play together in the trio Floors.
The “fearless” quintet combines young and creative energies with Enrico Rava’s massive experience as a band leader and an extraordinary soloist of the finest jazz music.
