When Chick Corea passed away at the beginning of 2021, the world lost one of its most imaginative and revered musical brains. Corea was utterly unrestricted on the piano, the instrument he began at age four when his trumpeter father introduced him to jazz and dixieland. His Akoustic Band, with bassist John Patitucci and drummer Dave Weckl, was one of the defining piano trios in jazz of the last three decades. The 2018 Malta Jazz Festival in La Valetta was headlined by the Chick Corea Trio and is one of the last taped concerts of Chick Corea.
John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension in Sofia
Join us on the stage of the A to JazZ Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, and witness the stunning virtuosity of legendary guitarist John McLaughlin and his band The 4th Dimension. This promises
to be an intense and captivating evening of music with poignant tributes to Pharoah Sanders and Paco de Luci a.
British guitarist and composer John McLaughlin has been an emblematic figure of the world jazz stage since the 1970s, known for his frequent excursions in the fields of rock, Indian
music, and flamenco. He notably played on Miles Davis’s first jazz rock albums, In a Silent Way and Bitches Brew. In the early 70s, he also founded groups such as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Shakti with Indian musicians L. Shankar, Zakir Hussein, and Ragahvan.
Other collaborations include Jimi Hendrix, Charlie Haden, Dave Liebman, Carlos Santana, Chick Corea, and Paco de Lucia, to name just a few.
John Scofield’s Long Days Quartet in Rome
After experimenting with different ensembles, John Scofield has configured a new group for the summer of 2025. Naming it Long Days Quartet in honor of the long daylight hours of July, this group is forming now to debut Scofield’s groovy new compositions and revisit some of his classics with fresh perspectives. Twenty-six years after their first collaboration (Scofield’s “A GoGo” album), keyboardist John Medeski and Scofield continue their fantastic collaboration together. For this concert at Casa del Jazz in Rome inside the SUMMERTIME Festival, they will be joined by the brilliant and versatile bassist Vicente Archer and a new team member, Seattle’s Ted Poor on drums.
ECM Exploration: Anouar Brahem in Paris
Inspirational oud master Anouar Brahem is joined by three esteemed colleagues to present music from his new album, “After the Last Sky”, in this concert filmed live at the Philharmonie de Paris. Eight years after his previous project, “After the Last Sky” marks the first time that Brahem features a cello in his group music, with Anja Lechner – a cellist as well versed in classical music as in improvisation and in Brahem’s unique sound world – taking a leading role alongside pianist Django Bates and bassist Dave Holland.
ECM Exploration: Avishai Cohen Quartet in Paris
The Philharmonie de Paris celebrates ECM, the legendary record label founded by Manfred Eicher that explores diverse musical horizons, with elegance as its only compass. In gravitation since the late 1990s, trumpeter Avishai Cohen – not to be confused with his compatriot double bassist of the same name – practices a fervent music striving for purity. Formed with Yonathan Avishai (piano), Barak Mori (double bass) and Ziv Ravitz (drums), his acoustic jazz quartet presents Ashes to Gold, a superb album of evolving chiaroscuro released by ECM in 2024.
ECM Exploration: Arvo Pärt
Contemporary Estonian music beats at the heart of the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir’s repertoire. Arvo Pärt is its figurehead and inspirational soul. With him, Tönu Kaljuste’s ensemble questions the accuracy of its a cappella, the center of gravity of its voices, the dynamics of the choral fresco and the sparkle of the soloists’ bouquet. This selection of vocal pieces composed between 1989 and 2007 bears witness to the Estonian composer’s interest in medieval polyphony from the 1980s onwards, and his sensitivity to Christian spirituality. A benevolent call to introspection, meditation and contemplation.