As part of the European Jazz Conference 2025, the Fringe festival offers an evening programme that opens the Conference up to the city. Through a diverse and high-quality artistic offering, it showcases the vitality and excellence of today’s Italian jazz scene while inviting everyone to take part.
On Thursday 25 September (21.00-00:00) the closing events of the first day of the European Jazz Conference will be more than just a series of concerts- it will be a symbolic celebration of encounter and exchange, a true “festival within the festival.” On this night, Bari will transform into a city-wide stage, buzzing with sound, energy and vision, with street concerts by the students of the Conservatory, music schools and workshops in Bari.
On the evenings of Friday 26 and Saturday 27 September, the Fringe Festival will unfold across three emblematic venues in Bari, each echoing a distinct aspect of the city’s historical and cultural fabric. On Friday 26, concerts will take place at the Auditorium Diocesano Vallisa, set in the heart of the old city, and the Teatro Kursaal Santalucia, a recently restored jewel of the Murat district, now reinvigorated as a central hub for cultural production. On Saturday 27, the festival moves outdoors to Piazza del Ferrarese, one of Bari’s most iconic squares, where tradition meets modernity, and where people naturally gather to share space, time, and music.
The programme has been curated to reflect the broad spectrum of languages and visions shaping the current Italian jazz landscape, with a strong emphasis on artists from the Puglia region and an openness to international collaborations. At its heart is the belief that intercultural dialogue fuels a dynamic and forward-thinking music scene.
With its inclusive spirit, the Fringe festival paints a picture of jazz as diverse, evolving, and deeply connected to the world around us, an artform that belongs equally to local communities and global audiences.
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Friday 26 September, 21:00-21:30
Auditorium Diocesano Vallisa
Zoe Pia & le Sculture Sonanti
- Zoe Pia - sound sculpture (clarinet embedded in ceramic, designed by Luca Zarattini), traditional clarinet, launeddas, Sardinian cowbells, loopstation
Zoe Pia and the Sounding Sculptures is a project where the Sardinian musician plays the sculptural works of artist Luca Zarattini-surprising hybrid musical instruments crafted from glazed ceramics and transformed into true works of art. In her set, Zoe Pia adds traditional clarinet, is launeddas (a traditional Sardinian triple-pipe instrument), Sardinian cowbells, and soundscapes. The creation of soundscapes and artistic fusion shapes a unique experience, offering a 360° panorama of jazz, expansive improvised music, ethnic sounds, and the most stimulating cross-genre contaminations. It is a refreshing immersion into both familiar and unusual sounds, craftsmanship, and art music.
Friday 26 September, 21:40-22:10
Auditorium Diocesano Vallisa
Federica Michisanti Trio
- Federica Michisanti - double bass
- Gianluca Manfredonia - vibraphone
- Alessandro Marzi - drums
The new project by double bassist and composer Federica Michisanti features a trio with vibraphonist Gianluca Manfredonia and drummer Alessandro Marzi. The group primarily performs Michisanti’s original compositions, characterized by a sound that draws from European classical music and jazz avant-garde, while leaving ample room for spontaneous improvisation.
Friday 26 September, 22:20-22:50
Auditorium Diocesano Vallisa
Sliders
- Filippo Vignato - trombone
- Federico Pierantoni - trombone
- Lorenzo Manfredini - trombone
Sliders is a unique trombone trio founded in 2018 by Filippo Vignato, Federico Pierantoni, and Lorenzo Manfredini-three leading voices of Italian and European jazz. Stripping the brass ensemble down to its essence, they reinvent jazz tradition through a minimalist setup that echoes the three notes of a major triad. Their music spans blues, free improvisation, folk, and contemporary sounds, showcasing the trombone’s expressive range. Their debut album, released by HORA Records in November 2024 with support from Nuovo Imaie, features original works and reimagined pieces by Coltrane, Gismonti, Bley, and Ellington.
Friday 26 September, 23:00-23:30
Auditorium Diocesano Vallisa
Alberto Parmegiani ‘Millennium’ feat. Angela Esmeralda
- Alberto Parmegiani - guitar
- Domenico Sanna - piano
- Giulio Sciatico - double bass
- Cesare Mangiocavallo - drums
- Angela Esmeralda - vocals
The project stems from a musical aesthetic conceived by Parmegiani, which began in 2018 with the album Under a Shimmery Grace. In this work, the idea of jazz is strongly influenced by the new generations exposed to jazz, indie music, and electronic sounds. The album transports us into a world where sound guides us into a lucid dream, where the colors of acoustic and electronic instruments create a sonic magma in which the vision takes shape.
Friday 26 September, 21:00-21:40
Kursaal Santalucia
Pierluigi Balducci Ensemble feat. Badrya Razem ‘Kosmos & Chaos’
- Pierluigi Balducci - electric bass
- Badrya Razem - vocals
- Fabrizio Savino - electric guitar
- Vitantonio Gasparro - vibraphone
- Dario Congedo - drums
KOSMOS & CHAOS is the new ensemble led by bassist and composer Pierluigi Balducci, in collaboration with vocalist Badrya Razem. The group presents visionary songs-windows into an "elsewhere" made of sounds and silences-offering “cosmic” music for the soul with a repertoire rich in evocative power. The fluid, creative, and emotional themes stand out for their poetry and inspiration. The compositions, imbued with dance, quickly reveal their nature as dreams told through notes that flow like a motivated and powerful current. Alongside Balducci’s originals, the repertoire includes masterpieces by Jan Garbarek and John Taylor.
Friday 26 September, 21:50-22:30
Kursaal Santalucia
Mike Rubini ‘Extensive Quartet’ feat. Andrea Andreoli
- Mike Rubini - sax
- Marino Cordasco - piano, keys
- Pasquale Gadaleta - double bass
- Gianlivio Liberti - drums
- Andrea Andreoli - guest / trombone
The Mike Rubini Extensive Quartet was born from a desire to organically blend composition and improvisation. Led by saxophonist Mike Rubini, the group brings together some of the most original musicians from the Apulia jazz scene to create a distinctive sound inspired by both the classical repertoire and contemporary music. Drawing on experiences gained on some of Italy’s most important jazz stages, the quartet returns with a new lineup, enriched by the special presence of trombonist Andrea Andreoli, for a set where freedom and structure coexist naturally.
Friday 26 September, 22:40-23:20
Kursaal Santalucia
Lisa Manosperti ‘Uncaged Bird’
- Lisa Manosperti - vocals
- Roberto Ottaviano - sax
- Umberto Petrin - piano
- Silvia Bolognesi - double bass
- Cristiano Calcagnile - drums
This album was born from a deep love for this extraordinary performer, composer, and songwriter. Abbey Lincoln's voice stood apart from all other great jazz singers for the essential quality of her tone, the dramatic intensity, and at times the irony in her interpretations. With this project, I chose to focus on Lincoln as a songwriter and composer-a side of her artistry that, unlike many of her illustrious peers, allowed her to cultivate a uniquely personal style, both artistically and politically. I believe Abbey Lincoln deserves to be recognized among the greatest jazz vocalists of the 20th century, and I’m proud to be one of the few singers to have paid tribute to her with a dedicated album. It’s truly a shame that the general public knows so little about her-and my aim is to give her voice greater resonance.
Friday 26 September, 23:30-00:10
Kursaal Santalucia
Giuseppe Bassi Quartet
- Giuseppe Bassi - double bass
- Javier Girotto - soprano sax
- Daniel Karlsson - piano
- Lorenzo Tucci - drums
Giuseppe Bassi’s new quartet brings together some of the most prominent musicians on the international jazz scene, creating a project with a refined and innovative sound. The repertoire blends original compositions with pieces by German, French, and Japanese composers, weaving together diverse cultures and sensibilities into a deeply evocative musical journey. At the heart of the project is the universal theme of love, explored in its many shades and emotions, serving as both narrative thread and emotional lens. The group’s debut album, produced in Japan by Carlo Lomaglio and recorded live in Sweden, has inspired the works of painter Hiroyuki Kimura and photographer Yoshie Nishikawa, giving rise to a multimedia project in which music and visual arts merge into a truly unique aesthetic experience.
Saturday 27 September, 21:00-21:40
Piazza del Ferrarese - Outdoor stage
Gaetano Partipilo ‘Boom Collective’ feat. Hermon Mehari
- Gaetano Partipilo - alto sax, keys
- Hermon Mehari - trumpet
- Angela Esmeralda - vocals
- Seby Burgio - piano, rhodes
- Vitantonio Gasparro - vibraphone
- Federico Pecoraro - el. bass
- Dario Congedo - drums
Following the success of their first two albums and over sixty performances across Italy, Croatia, Albania, and Brazil, Boom Collective returns powerfully to the Italian music scene with a brand-new repertoire featuring special guest, American trumpeter Hermon Mehari. Since its debut in 2018, the group has been in constant pursuit of a fusion between diverse styles and sounds, staying closely connected to the pulse of the contemporary music world-always through the lens of jazz musicians deeply rooted in their time and place. Their live show promises to be an explosive blend of sound and energy, sure to captivate even the most discerning audiences.
Saturday 27 September, 21:50-22:30
Piazza del Ferrarese - Outdoor stage
Raffaele Casarano ‘Anì Live’
- Raffaele Casarano - alto & soprano sax, bass, programming, synth pad
- Giovanni Guidi - piano
- Gianluca Aceto - bass
- Marco D’orlando - drums
- Alessandro Monteduro - percussions
A world united by the boundless language of music. Through it, everything becomes magically simple-even between cultures and languages that seem irreconcilable and incomprehensible. Casarano inevitably draws inspiration from his homeland, Salento, a region that saw an entire generation leave in the post-war years to seek fortune and now has become a place of refuge for new migrants. As a land between East and West, it has absorbed for decades all the shades of those who arrived across the sea-the Mediterranean-a border yet also a connection, full of beauty and at the same time a continuous witness to pain. In this way, Casarano transcends the stereotype of the jazz musician, and the clear sound of his saxophone becomes a storytelling voice, weaving its narrative over a tapestry blending acoustic and electronic sounds. Melodies repeat like loops, turning into mantras intended to free the listener’s mind from its inner boundaries.
Saturday 27 September, 22:40-23:20
Piazza del Ferrarese - Outdoor stage
Nicola Conte ‘Umoja’
- Nicola Conte - guitar
- Zara McFarlane - vocals
- Timo Lassy - tenor sax
- Pietro Lussu - piano & keys
- Ameen Saleem - electric & double bass
- Enrico Morello - drums
- Abdissa Assefa - congas & percussions
UMOJA in ancient Swahili west african language means Unity, a spiritual unity among the people and the higher spheres. The live project derives directly from the group who attended the recording session for the album released by UK label FAR OUT and released in the summer of 2023 and again in the summer of 2024 in special revisited version by afro american legendary producer Joaquyin Claussell. Centered on the urge to portray a different idea of society based on equality, freedom and progress, it evokes the tribal ancient dances and rites drawn into a contemporary contest. The music of Umoja draws on the deep-dug 70's independent spiritual & free jazz sounds, private-press soul records, and African & Afro Caribbean rhythms. But equally recognises its debt to many of the decade’s more celebrated musical icons, such as North American cosmic jazz masters Lonnie Liston Smith and Gary Bartz, and Afrobeat originators Fela Kuti & Tony Allen.
Saturday 27 September, 23:40-00:20
Piazza del Ferrarese - Outdoor stage
Artchipel Orchestra & Guests (Roberto Ottaviano, Gianluca Petrella, Luisiana Lorusso)
- Ferdinando Faraò - direction & arrangements
- Marco Fior - trumpet
- Marco Mariani - trumpet
- Matteo Gandini - soprano sax
- Sergio Crucitti - tenor sax
- Andrea Ciceri - alto sax
- Rosarita Crisafi - baritone sax
- Alberto Zappalà - bass clarinet
- Naima Faraò - vocals
- Carlo Nicita - recorder
- Giulia Larghi - violin
- Alberto Bolettieri - trombone
- Luca Gusella - vibraphone
- Luca Pedeferri - piano
- Gianluca Alberti - electric bass
- Stefano Lecchi - drums
- Roberto Ottaviano - guest / soprano sax
- Gianluca Petrella - guest / trombone
- Luisiana Lorusso - guest / violin
ARTCHIPEL & GUESTS will appear at European Jazz Conference in Bari with an exceptional lineup featuring the orchestra alongside three distinguished guests: Roberto Ottaviano (soprano sax), Gianluca Petrella (trombone), and Luisiana Lo Russo (violin). The program includes original orchestral arrangements of works by Hugh Hopper, Frank Zappa, and Ferdinando Faraò. Recognised as one of the most original ensembles in European jazz, the Artchipel Orchestra has earned wide acclaim from audiences and critics alike, winning Best Ensemble of the Year in Musica Jazz magazine’s Top Jazz poll in 2012, 2017, and 2022. From original compositions to reinterpretations of music from the ’70s to ’90s (Mike Westbrook, Fred Frith, Dave Stewart), the orchestra has developed a distinctive sound, highlighted in albums such as Never Odd or Even and Hopper/Soft Machine, praised by critics like Richard Williams and Michael King. Over the years, Artchipel has collaborated with major international artists including Phil Miller, Chris Cutler, Keith & Julie Tippett, Karl Berger and Jonathan Coe, exploring diverse musical languages with creativity and freedom.
