The pairing of jazz with the world of song – almost inevitable when it comes to the programme of a jazz festival – is once again clearly evident at this year’s UJW Festival, with the Italian singer-songwriter par excellence, Gino Paoli, performing with a superband of home-grown jazz musicians featuring Enrico Rava, Danilo Rea, Rosario Bonaccorso and Roberto Gatto; Paoli playing the part of the jazz crooner, as he performs songs from his own famous repertoire together with other celebrated standards.
The Paduan bluesman Andrea Mingardi and his band, on the other hand, ventures into soul territory, as does another renowned Italian artist, Mario Biondi from Catania, with his Barry White-esque baritone voice in a surprisingly successful performance.
