Most visitors to Italy wouldn't expect a vivid jazz scene in a country that is musically known as the birthplace of opera. Verdi yes, but Coltrane? Traveling through Tuscany in the summer one may not be surprised by the region's classical music festivals - but what about the host of superb jazz festivals: Jazz & Wine in Montalcino, the Gray Cat Festival on the Tuscan coast and the famous Umbria Jazz in beautiful Perugia, just under an hour from the Tuscan border.
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| The music scene in Italy 2012 Orbituaries, Opera and Montalcino's Jazz & Wine |
If you prefer to jam it yourself, study the program of the Siena Jazz Summer Workshop. The January 2012 edition of Downbeat, the world's most renown jazz magazine, dedicated a whole article to Siena's jazz school and its summer workshops. The article includes am interview with school director Franco Caroni and international students who studied in the city of the Palio during the last year's summer workshop: DOWN BEAT - Jazz Camp Italian Style.
SIENA JAZZ SUMMER WORKSHOP - 24th of July to 7th of August 2012.
Check the school's website for details of the workshop program and admission conditions. Tutors include world-class names like trumpet player Avishai Cohen and Italian star drummer Roberto Gatto to name but a few. Student concerts will take place every evening in Siena's various contrade (town districts).