Marcus Miller spices up Orchestra Jazz Siciliana for Jazz Festival headline spot

If the most familiar initials of leading European big bands are WDR, NDR and ONJ then it is worth adding OJS to that prestigious list. Orchestra Jazz Siciliana is the heart and soul of this 5-star 10-day festival that has the combination of astute programming and beautiful settings to draw the kind of numbers that make it clear that the Regione of Tourism that promotes the event is doing something right.

Hearing the 18-piece ensemble with various star soloists in the open air in Palermo, the jewel in Sicily’s crown, at the height of summer, when the intensity of the performance blends with the deliciously warm evening, is a joy. With Marcus Miller at the front of the stage the orchestra appeared to be in its element at Palazzo Steri, a 14th century abode that is anything but humble and, which, like so many buildings in the city, has the kind of gracefully weathered stone façade and sweeping interior that cry out for a film crew. That was probably not lost on the bass guitar virtuoso who has penned music for the big screen, notably Siesta, in his illustrious 50-year career, but more importantly the chemistry he establishes with the orchestra is such that they could have been creating an invisible soundtrack on the spot. The propulsive funk of fan favourites such as ‘Detroit’ is enhanced by an incisive barrage of brass and reeds and a cohesive rhythm section that provides the split-second timing and precision on the downbeat that has been Miller’s trademark from his early days with Lonnie Liston Smith to his epoch-defining work with Miles Davis.

In any case it is fascinating to hear Miller in such a harmonically rich context, and while OJS supply the range of colours that he, inspired by Gil Evans, has often created in his own productions, what really stands out is the intricacy of his playing, above all the slap technique. The variety of tonal nuance he draws from the crash of his thumb on the strings is remarkable as is the rhythmic ingenuity of much of his phrasing, the highpoint of which is a ‘pluck and thump’ dash through the dizzying slalom of Jaco Pastorius’s Teen Town.’ While that grounds Miller in jazz-fusion history he ups the ante soon after with an eruptive improvisation in which he seamlessly quotes firstly ‘Manetca’ and secondly ‘A Love Supreme’, as if Latin and Modal jazz were joined at the hip.

Talking of genres and eras coming into contact saxophonist Bob Mintzer brought another stellar performance out of the OJS with a set that squared the circle between big band swing, R&B and funk on an enjoyable set that has all the sass and punch associated with these particular vocabularies, of which Mintzer has a surefire command. An alumnus of Buddy Rich and Pastorius, and stalwart of evergreen fusioneers Yellowjackets, Mintzer certainly has the credentials to make the mix work. He composes with an engaging lightness of touch and underlying dance sensibility that strikes a chord with the 2,000 strong crowd at the Teatro Di Verdura, where the miles of aisles are bordered by olive and pistachio groves. The night before Diane Schuur played the same venue and struggled with both tuning and timing but Mintzer is on point in his soloing and arranging. Basie meets James Brown is the order of the day and when he reprises The Isley Brothers ‘It’s Your Thing’ he keeps the catchy immediacy of the beat within the additional new slashes and swirls of the horns.

While Mintzer, Miller and Schuur confirm the appeal of big name Americans the pedigree of the homegrown talent is notable. OJS is in fact the oldest big band in Italy and has worked with anybody from Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins to Astor Piazzolla and Carla Bley, and has a large enough talent pool to be able to change line-ups from one gig to another. While Domenico Riina, Vito Giordiano and Ninni Pedone are maestro conductors alto saxophonist Orazio Maugeri also proves to be a quite dynamic scene stealer.    

Then again trumpeter Giacomo Tantillo also impresses when he leads his own quartet in a tribute to the late Roy Hargrove at the Teatro Santa Cecilia, while the union of the Brazilian-born Netherlands-based alto saxophonist Lucas Santana and a local trio in which pianist Federico Termini stands out is also testament to both high performance standards and the role of jazz as a powerful lingua franca. Moving gracefully through jazz and bossa nova Santana is an excellent soloist who plays with as much fiery momentum as he does tender introspection, and the changes of tone, from rugged to delicate, serve the music very well. His original ‘Dear George’, a response to George Floyd’s murder and his daughter’s reaction to it, is a deeply poignant moment given an additional resonance by the daubing of the name of the man synonymous with Black Lives Matter on the walls of the Banco Di Sicilia, which is just a short walk away from the concert. Termini translates into Italian Santana’s personal backstory on the song to hearty applause from a rapt audience. There are churches all over the city that also provide a further opportunity for contemplation.