Inizjamed Blue White@0.5x
Festival Mediterranju tal-Letteratura ta Malta / Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival
Inizjamed

Mużika

2016

Effie Azzopardi and friends

Effie Azzopardi (trumpet), Samwel Grima (double bass), David Grech (guitar), and Rafel Grima (drums)

_DSC1168  _DSC1162

 


Francesca Galea and Kris Spiteri

DSC_2538

Francesca Galea is a Maltese singer whose main influences are jazz and Brazilian music such as samba, MPB, maracatu and choro.  She is the co-founder of Malta-based percussion group “Perkuss’hawn Maracatu” playing Brazilian percussion.  She attended jazz improvisation classes at the Johann Strauss School of Music under the tuition of Joe Debono, and vocal technique lessons with Ivan Degabriele.  In 2010/2011, she studied vocal jazz in Portugal at JB jazz school with Claudia Franco and Sitio de sons, Coimbra with Susana China.  In Paris, she followed vocal jazz and Brazilian rhythm classes with Michele Hendricks and Myriam Sidi respectively and was part of samba and maracatu percussion groups in 2012 and 2013. In Paris she also formed a Brazilian music duo called Os Dois with guitarist Roberto Stimoli.  Francesca performed at the Malta Jazz Festival in 2010 and 2014 and was the winner of the first edition of the Malta Jazz Contest in 2013.

Kris Spiteri is one of the few full time musicians in Malta. He graduated in music studies and in music education from the University of Malta and pursued his jazz studies with Dave Frank and Dan Haerle. Spiteri loves experimenting with different genres of music and his collaborations are a proof of that.
He co-wrote Porn the musical which won the award for Best New Musical at the Off West End Theatre Awards and listed as critic’s choice in Time Out London and was also Musical Director of the Fm Productions adaptations of Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof and of numerous pantomimes. In 2012 and 2015 Spiteri directed and wrote the band arrangements for the national concerts of Animae gospel choir.
Spiteri is also part of the jazz trio Noir with whom he recorded the album Till you switch off the lights and played at the Malta Jazz Festival.
In 2015 thanks to the Malta Arts fund Kris Spiteri wrote words and music for an album with Daniel Cauchi called Lukanda Propaganda. The duo’s name eventually became Kafena and the album was recorded in collaboration with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.
Other collaborations include Nadine Axisa on her album Velvet, Red Electrick on the album Inside you, and jazz concerts both in Malta and in Berlin with Andrea Marcelli and Roberto Badoglio.
Spiteri  is a director of Tunin’ Entertainment, an agency that provides entertainment for all types of events such as weddings, concerts and corporate functions. He also performs with a working band called The Residents.

2015

Brodu (Thursday/Il-Ħamis)

brodu
Brodu

Il-Brodu bdew fl-2011 fuq xewqa ta’ Mark Abela li jirrekordja xi mużika tiegħu u ta’ Darren Gatt (1984-2009). Daħlu għal dal-proġett Andrew Micallef, Frederick Abdilla u Samuel Attard. Ir-recordings saru fit-Temple Studios taħt id-direzzjoni ta’ David Vella, li ħadem ma’ artisti bħal Rammstein, Beangrowers, u Brikkuni.

L-album li rrekordjaw jismu ħabullabullojb u fih erbatax-il kanzunetta. L-aħħar tlieta huma bl-Ingliż u nkitbu minn Darren Gatt. Fl-album ħadu sehem diversi artisti oħra: Justin Galea, Toni Spiteri “tal-ġebel”, Nadine Axisa, For Strings Inn, Każinska, Denis Abela, u Manuel Ciappara.

Issa li l-proġett ħabullabullojb tlesta, il-Brodu qed jiktbu materjal ġdid, forsi ftit iktar iffukat minn dak f’ħabullabullojb.
Il-membri ta’ Brodu huma dawn:
Mark Abela – drums u vuċi
Andrew Micallef – kitarra u vuċi
Samuel Attard – pjanu w perkussjoni
Frederick Abdilla – bass guitar
_____
Nadine Axisa (Friday/Il-Ġimgħa)
bis-sehem ta’ Christian Borg u Eric Wadge
nadine-axisa-1
Nadine Axisa
Nadine Axisa is an established Maltese singer who discovered her love for jazz at the age of 15 when she started performing in various clubs and events. In 2003, Nadine ventured into the American standards and jazz scene. Her first project that same year was with local musicians where she contributed to the successful concert and album launch of “The Beatles Works” in a jazzy style. Here she worked with local jazz musicians Vinny Vella Jnr, Walter Vella, Noel Grech and Mario Cocker Aquilina.
Nadine received vocal training in classical music under the tuition of Irene Dillon and later with Beatrice Brogdorff. She also sat for vocal exams with the Royal Schools of Music. 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, and Guillermo Rozenthuler, Argentinean singer, guitarist and composer. It was a very pleasant experience for Nadine, which most of all encouraged her in being more adventurous in interpreting jazz standards, especially latin jazz numbers which remain her favourite. In the summer of 2014, Nadine successfully completed the Berklee Umbria Jazz Clinics with tutors Donna Mc Elroy, Dennis Montgomery III and Anne Peckham.
Nadine performs regularly in top local venues and clubs with various musicians. She has also performed in Bulgaria, London, Tripoli, Prague, Oslo, Rome, Poland and Australia. She is the vocalist of ethnic jazz band ‘Trania’ experimenting with Mediterranean, world music with a jazz influence. Nadine also forms part of the Animae Gospel Choir. 
She participated in the Malta Jazz and Rock Festival in 2008 and in the Malta Jazz Festival in 2011. Nadine’s favourite artists and inspirations include Diana Krall, Al Jarreau, Esperanza Spalding, Astrud Gilberto, Stacey Kent, and Elaine Elias. She mostly enjoys singing latin jazz and swing tunes.
In February 2014 Nadine Axisa launched her debut album Velvet. Tunes from this jazz album have been played live around the islands in various gigs around the island, and at the ‘Italian Jazz Festival’ in Berlin in December 2014. During this festival Nadine interpreted a selection of album tunes with Kris Spiteri (piano), Roberto Badoglio (bass), Andrea Marcelli (drums), and Filippo Cosentino (guitar). In March 2015 Nadine launched a music video of ‘Stormy Night’, one of the album tracks.
_____
Oliver Degabriele feat. Joe Debono & Joseph Camilleri (Is-Sibt/Saturday)
Oliver Degabriele
Oliver Degabriele
Born in Malta, Oliver Degabriele followed a classical piano training before moving on to the double bass at the age of 18.  He followed jazz improvisation classes at the Johann Strauss School of Music in Valletta, Malta (with Joe Debono and Charles ‘City’ Gatt) while playing with most of Malta’s most influential musicians (Nicky Doublet, Sandro Zerafa…).
Oliver moved to Paris in 2005 to further his studies at the 9th District Conservatory and later at the Conservatoire National du Region (CNR) in Paris where he studied with Jacques Vidal, Philippe Beaudion, Emile Spanyi and Jean-Charles Richard.
Over the years he has been a member of over 25 musical projects and formations based in Paris and Malta, including Akalé Wubé, Festen, Word Out, Yuval Amihai Ensemble, Oxyd, Alexandre Herer Trio, Etnika, and Brikkuni.

He has toured extensively and performed at various festivals (including Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Jazz à Vienne (France), Gwangju World Music Festival (S. Korea), South by South West (US), Guangzhou Jazz Festival (China), Malta Jazz Festival…) and clubs (Sunset / Sunside, Duc des Lombards, La Cigale, La Maroquinerie…). Oliver has also participated in over 20 recordings released in France and Malta (including three albums by Akalé Wubé, two albums with Festen, Plasticity by Oxyd, Żifna by Etnika, Mal-Kant tal-Baħar by Charles Camilleri …). He currently lives in between Malta and Paris. www.oliverdegabriele.com


2014

Plato’s Dream Machine (Thursday)

Robert Farrugia (voice, guitar), Mark Abela (drums), Justin Galea (keyboards), Samwel Grima (bass), u Francesco Sultana (clarinet)
Mix-xellug: Robert Farrugia (voice, guitar), Mark Abela (drums), Justin Galea (keyboards), Samwel Grima (bass), u Francesco Sultana (clarinet)

Kantilena (Friday, Saturday)

Ritratt meħud minn Elaine Bugeja
Mix-xellug: Albert Garzia, Drinu Camilleri , James Baldacchino, u Alessandro Lia. Ritratt meħud minn Elaine Bugeja
Kantilena is a band from Malta playing a brand of modern and contemporary folk with traditional roots.
“We have a love of traditional music and of the Maltese language. At the same time we want to create something that is contemporary, and that is how the band came to be”, explains Drinu Camilleri, one of the founding members. The band consists of four core members: James Baldacchino on violin, Albert Garzia on accordion, Alessandro Lia on voice and piano, and Camilleri on voice and guitar. The line-up frequently also includes Manuel Pulis on drums and percussions.
“Our music is fundamentally Maltese. It is written and sung in Maltese, many times using a traditional Maltese music vernacular; the lyrical content often alludes to local elements”, explains Baldacchino. “However we are also inspired by various sources, including music from other countries and cultures. We’ve been told that our music at times reminds people of Jewish, Balkan, or Sicilian music. It’s exciting that and flattering that, in a way, people get to travel in their minds while listening to our music.”
The band was formed in 2009 by Camilleri, Baldacchino and Lia with the aim of creating original music grounded on folk. At the same time, they did not want to remain in the past. “We have no interest in acting as a sarcophagus”, says Camilleri. “Yes, we do love tradition, but we also love living in the 21st century. We would like to create stuff that grabs hold of people’s imagination and drags it the way a book, a painting, or a film does. We want to take people places, physical and otherwise; out to sea on a rickety boat, say, or to the gallows, but also inside their own or someone else’s consciousness. Some places will be familiar; others, not so much. But that’s the beauty of any adventure, no?”
The name Kantilena derives from the first ever recorded writing in Maltese, a poem estimated to have been written by Pietru Caxaro in the 1470s. “We chose the name for various reasons, among them being a heartfelt tribute to a very beautiful and ground-breaking poem”, says Camilleri. “Caxaro wrote his piece in Maltese at a time when, as far as we know, Maltese was looked down on. As a band we also feel that we are part of a growing cultural and social interest in the Maltese language, which can be as powerful and articulate a language as any other.”
Visit Kantilena’s website here.

———–

2013

Jazz duo on Saturday: Joe Debono (piano) and Manuel Pulis (drums)  

joe-debono
Joe Debono

Joe Debono is “one of Malta’s most individual voices on the piano” (The Times, July 15, 2012). He has played with musicians from Malta and beyond at important events like the Malta Jazz Festival. Joe Debono teaches jazz theory and improvization at the Johann Strauss national school of music in Malta.

In September 2012 he played with Carlo Muscat (tenor sax) at an event co-organized by Inizjamed and the Representation of the European Commission in Malta to celebrate the European Day of Languages. The event present Maltese translations by leading contemporary authors of works read by various invited writers at the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival over the years.

Il-pjanista Joe Debono jitqies bħala waħda mill-aktar vuċijiet individwali fuq il-pjanu u daqq ma’ għadd ta’ artisti Maltin u barranin. Huwa jgħallem it-teorija u l-improvizzazzjoni tal-jazz fl-iskola nazzjonali tal-mużika Johann Strauss.

F’Settembru tal-2012 Joe Debono daqq mas-sassofonista Carlo Muscat fil-Biblijoteka Nazzjonali waqt il-lejla “Klijenti Antipatiċi u Kapuċċini Kesħin” organizzata minn Inizjamed u r-Rappreżentanza tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea f’Malta li fiha wħud mill-aqwa kittieba kontemporanji Maltin qraw xogħlijiet letterarji ta’ awturi minn għadd ta’ pajjiżi li oriġinarjament inqraw fil-Festival.

Leave a Reply