Jazz
July 2015Umbria Jazz Festival
Held since 1973 and one of Europe's leading jazz events, the Umbria Jazz Festival takes over the Renaissance hill city of Perugia for ten days. It has always attracted big names, including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett, together with an audience of more than 200,000 from around the world.
In recent years line-ups have included Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gilberto Gil , Milton Nascimento, Terence Blanchard, Paolo Conte, Vinicio Capossela, Nicola Arigliano, Miriam Makeba, Renzo Arbore and its Swing Maniacs, Sergio Cammariere, The Coolbone Brass Band of New Orleans, Lyle Henderson & Emmanuel Gospel Singers. Along with the always-impressive line up of jazz musicians, the festival welcomes all musical genres - rock and roll, world music, Cuban salsa and African tribal music have all been featured here.
Many performances take place outdoors, including those at the main venue, the 4,500-seat Giardini del Frontone, and Perugia's picturesque streets and squares host free shows by marching bands and blues, rock and gospel groups.
In previous years, headline artists have included Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, John Scofield, Joe Lovano and Dave Douglas.
