Matteo Prefumo Quintet in Chiavari in Jazz stronger than the rain … Video, Photos

Matteo Prefumo is a young Ligurian guitarist from 1991, with authoritative studies and collaborations behind him (George Garzone, Flavio Boltro, Peter Bernstein, Aaron Goldberg, Antonio Sanche, among others), leader of a quartet composed of Dario Deidda on bass, Francesco Ciniglio on drums and Tony Tixier on piano.

Seamus Blake is a well-known Anglo-Canadian tenor saxophonist with solid roots in the USA, where he has long been a member of the Mingus Big band, owner of his own quintet with David Kikosky and Bill Steward and, most recently, participated in Roger Waters’ live band .

Together, the five had the task of inaugurating on Friday 2 August the tenth edition of Chiavari in jazz, the traditional event organized with the patronage of the municipal administration of the coastal town with the artistic direction of Rosario Moreno, jazz manager and president of the Italian jazz association club.

The concert began with a song by Blake, “F ear of roaming”, in which the different personalities of the musicians were outlined: Prefumo guitarist solidly placed in the eco-cultural line that connects Wes Montgomery to Pat Metheny, via Alessio Menconi who he was a teacher, Blake, full-bodied sound and impeccable pronunciation, saxophonist capable of impressing the entire tone of the sound narration with just a few phrases, Deidda supplier of solid harmonic structure and Ciniglio and Trixier authors of contributions inside and outside the lines of a jazz grammar contemporary and full of creativity, second song in homage to Keith Jarret “Allentown boy” written by Prefumo at 17 years old and developed on long improvised lines.

And then… the rain, which chose exactly the beginning of the third song of the concert to make itself known after a couple of weeks of tropical heat and total drought. The public and the organization were in an uproar trying to find shelter for the heads and equipment and, after a few minutes of observing the sky, the decision to try again.

This time without lights, sensitive to raindrops, and with the musicians unable to keep the scores on stage to consult. Not bad, we start again with a setlist turned around and oriented towards standards that do not require reading: “Empyrean isles” by Herbie Hancock and “Stablemates” by Benny Golson confirm the talents of the quintet, more determined than ever to leave a good memory in the tenacious audience who challenges the sporadic drops still hovering over the heads, and capable of weaving a dialogue that expands with moderate doses of electricity with Tixier’s fender piano, entrusting Prefumo and Blake the center of the narrative with the large and articulated improvised sections.

The musicians would like to continue, but a few flashes of lightning in the sky and the fear of the technicians for the equipment lead them to close with a successful “Blue in green” which seals an overall successful evening and for which a triple applause must be given: to the organizers, capable to manage a difficult situation, to the generous musicians and the audience, who showed real affection and participation in what was happening on stage.

Next Friday 9 August it will be repeated with the Latin Mood by Bosso/Girotto and the hope of a clear sky.