A half of fun and rhythm, anecdotes and melodies, closed with two encores – Javier Girotto and Vince Abbracciante: Video, Photos

A summer characterized by dryness, drought, heat and Covid finds refuge, or rather an oasis, in the Ambria Jazz festival and in the coolness and rain that characterized last Friday in Valtellina.

The appointment was in Ardenno, initially in the square and outdoors, but given the weather conditions we inevitably ended up crowded into the Sala Marvelli.

The protagonist of the evening was the duo of Javier Girotto and Vince Abbracciante, a group that has been active for a few years and with an album under its belt, Santuario, released last year. If Girotto has been the protagonist in the past of some concerts in the valley, Abbracciante is an absolute novelty in our latitudes, so the curiosity, fueled by listening to the album, was great.

The concert amply repaid the expectations, if Girotto’s undoubted qualities were known, not only as an instrumentalist but also as a skilled entertainer, the surprise and confirmation came from Abbracciante: not only a formidable accordionist but also a lively and friendly storyteller, capable of telling the genesis of each song with irony and sagacity.

A concert played on two levels, the musical part, full of references to the inspirational roots, and the dialogic part, always brilliant and on point.

The music played is that included in the album, all original songs by the two plus a single cover, L’ultima chance, written by Luis Bacalov and taken from the 1973 film of the same name. Tango, popular music and jazz, these are the cardinal points of the proposal, then amalgamated by the sensitivity and instrumental depth of the duo.

All the songs struck for their freshness and rhythm, a note for Pango, an irresistible tango whose genesis described by Abbracciante drew laughter and approval, and for the poignant Ninar, a lullaby played on the recorder with a clear and dreamy Andean characterization.

The generosity of the musicians, soaked in sweat in the small auditorium where the freshness had not appeared, lasted for an hour and a half of fun and rhythm, anecdotes and melodies, closed with two encores and a warm and numerous audience.