Jazz breaking news: Avishai Cohen Brings Malta Jazz Festival To A Stunning Climax

The explosive nature of the set was equally the match of the blaze of fireworks set off across the Grand Harbour to celebrate the feast of St Joseph. Cohen seemed to derive energy from the audience and the lively setting, as he played three encores to a crowd that surged forward excitedly as the concert stretched well past midnight. Cohen's elaborately baroque version of ‘Besame Mucho’ was almost a match to the glories of Maltese architecture spanning out all around the stage across the harbour to the Three Cities which clearly impressed the Israeli (“all these old buildings”, he mused) but the band really came alive earlier with the cunning 7/4 ‘Seven Seas’ based on a clave taught to Cohen by Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts. A few roughnesses here and there notwithstanding owing to some dodgy sound balance, Cohen was nonetheless clearly the stand out success of the three days.

The Malta Jazz Festival, celebrating its 21st anniversary, is unique in that it is the only series of concerts permitted to be staged at Ta’Liesse, a long waterfront stretch by the Grand Habour beneath the bastions surrounding the wonders of Valletta. In terms of jazz heritage the setting is a fitting nod to the first great jazz fest of the modern age held at Newport in the 1950s commemorated in the memorable documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day. With yachts, just as at Newport, flapping in the harbour but also the wash of great ferries coming in from Italy interrupting the calm of the harbour, music and the vastness of the sea come together in remarkable union in the heat of the night.

Over the three days temperatures during the day were in the high-thirties but by late evening had cooled to a gloriously warm but comfortable feel. You could argue that the mellow setting and Mediterranean taste inevitably lends itself towards the more populist crossover latin and world styles, and sure enough Monty Alexander and his Harlem Kingston Express backs this theory up, winning the audience over with the jazz band within a reggae band concept bristling with two bass players and a pair of drummers capable of playing in both styles. Fine Benson-like guitar playing from Yotam Silberstein, drums and percussion from Robert Thomas Jr. and reggae bass from Leon Duncan with Alexander as immaculate as ever as the shamen of feelgood, went down well on the opening night.

Brazilian legend João Bosco, celebrating his 65th birthday (the organisers laid on a cake at the end of the show) had sufficient grit and boho foksiness next night to divert what could have been just easy listening. His expert band of laidback electric guitarist Ricardo Silveira, handy João Baptista on electric bass and perky drummer Kiko Freitas backed him superbly. Their version of ‘Estate’ was immaculate.

Maltese bands opened each of the evenings but clearly the local scene needs an injection of ideas as apart from Marc Galea's tasty 1970s jazz-rock inclined band last night, the bossa and standards of Nadine Axisa while likeable on opening night and the pedestrian bop tunes served up by the Argotti Jazz Ensemble showed a certain lack of imagination. Maybe Maltese folk rhythms could be introduced to develop a more individual style of jazz which could throw up new ideas to blend with contemporary jazz styles. Just playing hoary old standards can go only so far.

One musician who in the past was often stereotyped as a generic hardbopper showed what could be done with his new band and a clear desire to chart new territory. That was Seamus Blake whose rigid Breckerian sound and hard bop background has perhaps in the past kept his artistry from moving to the next level. His electro-bop band with bassist Tim Lefebvre on fine form, Scott Kinsey on spacey keys and vocals, and former Brad Mehldau drummer Jorge Rossy in surprisingly limber drum ’n’ bass mode might not be the ultimate vehicle but it is definitely a step in the right direction only occasionally detoured by the over processed synth sounds as the set developed. Lefebvre was superb baking up some great grooves that spurred on Blake for some high wire improvising at warp speed delivered with real feeling.

Lionel Loueke, might not be as typecast as Blake used to be, but his set built on the style he has become known for, merging the local traditions of his home country Benin with state of the art jazz improvising, notable on the tune that he has become known for, ‘Seventeens’. I would have liked to have heard his other fine composition ‘Benny’s Tune’ but this was the most mature Loueke performance I have seen to date. Bassist Massimo Biolcati and drummer Ferenc Nemeth are ideal partners, with Nemeth in particular blending African and jazz stylings with aplomb.

Festival director Sandro Zerafa did well this year to bring in the new hotshot Blue Note trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire who delivered a fairly serious set which drew heavily on the keen understanding the trumpeter has with the classy tenorist Walter Smith III. Work in progress still, maybe the material needs tightening, but nonetheless the Maltese audience had a chance to experience a fine talent who is fast approaching a big breakthrough.

Report: Stephen Graham