Another opportunity to showcase great international jazz, this time tinged with the warm sounds of Latin tradition: Cagliari's Bflat continues its autumn season with the exceptional Andy James and his All Star Band, an ensemble comprised of some of the genre's most experienced craftsmen. See you on Sunday evening at the venue on Via Pozzetto, starting at 7:00 PM.
Andy James's artistic roots lie in flamenco, from which she has evolved over the years to become a celebrated voice on the international jazz scene, working with renowned jazz musicians such as Chris Potter, John Patitucci, and even Terence Blanchard, the composer of numerous soundtracks, including Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" (2018). But it was James's meeting with pianist and co-founder of the Brian Blade Fellowship, Jon Cowherd, that sparked what would later become the All Star Ensemble, complemented by other prestigious names from two different musical scenes, united in a single sound.
The range extends from the tenor saxophone of Rick Margitza (post-bop icon and longtime Miles Davis collaborator) to the flamenco guitar virtuosity of Juan Antonio Suárez "Canito," not to mention the harmonic bass of Dominique Di Piazza and the percussion of the legendary Alex Acuña. A legendary drummer not only for the jazz fusion of Weather Report, but also alongside the "king" Elvis Presley, Acuña has lived music history firsthand, crossing paths with Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Paul McCartney, and Wayne Shorter.
In the music of the All Star Band, the voice and the instruments remain in constant dialogue with each other, blending the collective artistic baggage of the members into a fully jazz sound, between improvisations and ballads, but revisited down to the most subtle veins of flamenco and Andalusian rhythms.