Dolomiti Ski Jazz

Jazz on a mountain top? Turns out it’s a thing, especially when you come all the way to the heights of Northen Italy’s Dolomite mountains for the 29th edition of their annual Dolomiti Ski Jazz Festival.

With a busy 10-day programme of gigs in and around the Val di Fassa, Fiemme Valley and Cembra regions’ theatres, streets and pubs as well as outdoor terraces and mountain huts, artistic director Enrico Tommasini’s careful curation ensures there’s something for both serious jazz listeners and jazz-curious tourists alike.

With performances earlier in the week from sensually powerful singer Camille Bertault, to a soulful sax and keys set from James Thompson, and both (vocalist) Carla and (pianist) Rita Marcotulli, it was a programme packed with contrasts.

Grammy-winning American pianist Kevin Hays is an experienced collaborator with the likes of Chris Potter, Joshua Redman and even a piano duo with Brad Mehldau. It’s the latter’s trio that sprung to mind here, as Hays, young bassist Alexander Claffy and endlessly versatile drummer Eric Harland found a sweet post-Mehldau sound. They really clicked from the off and took advantage of the friendly atmosphere at the Predazzo Theatre (and cinema) on the festival’s Thursday night.

Opening with a series of originals and choice covers, the peak of the gig came when Hays, slightly unexpectedly, moved to the microphone mid-tune and began wordlessly singing in a resonant falsetto to match the melodic lines on the keys. Keeping the top vocal line simple, his fingers explored elongated chordal contrasts beneath, with powerful support from the excellent bassist Claffy and Harland purring away on the drums. Claffy was a revelation throughout, frequently finding interesting harmonic corners around which to pluck vertiginously. Harland’s drums floated in a dreamy quasi hip-hop swung-funk groove that really shaped the music. A melancholy solo vocal/piano reworking of ‘My Only Sunshine’ for the encore seemed to sum up the trio’s bittersweet sound.

Saturday night’s double bill began with a stunning concert from Barcelona-born Alba Armengou, who proved to be the surprise package of this series of intimate gigs. And with her beguiling mix of boleros, Catalan cançó, bossa nova, Latin, and jazz, all sung in Catalan, Spanish, English, and Portuguese, this 23 year old vocalist and trumpeter is already an artist with much to say. With Armengou’s supple voice leading the trio, their alchemy shone thanks to an easy synchronicity between the players. Tramal Levalle’s dextrous nylon string guitar spider-webbed through contrapuntal chord melodies and solos creating a near-weightless groove that was utterly hypnotic.

Singer/percussionist Vincente López was the ace in the pack, his mellifluous tenor voice blending beautifully with Alba’s, as he patted rhythms from his cajon, brushing snare and cymbals to create a wave of rhythmic nuances. His use of a chiming kalimba thumb piano set up the watery chord sequence of ‘Ya vendrá’ – a melodious highlight from the trio’s most recent album Blancos y Grafitos – found the kalimba and guitar shadowing each other exquisitely, with Armengou’s keening trumpet on top.

Alba also added some subtle synth bass lines from a table-top Korg Minilogue synth, which added yet another facet to this wonderful trio’s effortlessly hip twist on traditional sounds.

Olivia Trummer and her trio of bassist Makar Novikov and drummer Jesse Simpson took over directly from Alba’s trio for the second half of this concert. Combining her soulfully articulate vocals with impressive piano playing, her ability to recast keyboard harmonies to her vocal lines on the fly was impressive. These bursts of spontaneous invention provided creative sparks with Novikov, who was the deft melodic bridge between piano and drums. Yet it was a minor-key shaded take on Burt Bacharach’s ‘What the World Needs Now is Love’, which offered a meditative reflection on our dark and divided times.

Dolomiti Ski Jazz has clearly hit its stride with quality concerts attended by a loyal audience and when the sun is shining, an unrivalled mountain top skyline. It all bodes well for the 30th edition next year. Jazz in the mountains… it’s all part of la dolce vita in the Dolomites.