Jazz Rebounds: Faces from Torino Jazz Festival, part 1

All photos© Sánta István Csaba

Although U.S. jazz fests were cancelled, rescheduled, or went virtual this summer, Italy’s

Torino Jazz Festival 2020 presented 10 in-person evening concerts from August 21 through 30, half the Fest’s programming, the rest coming this fall.

A celebration of Charlie Parker’s 100th birthday with high-power saxophonists Francesco Cafiso, Mattia Cigalini and Jesse Davis, and a rare united performance of esteemed trumpeter Enrico Rava and storied accordionist Gianni Coscia were highlights curated by artistic directors Diego Borotti and Giorgio Li Calzi.

I photographed many of the musicians in soundchecks, for a gallery of portraits (below) adding to my continuing series.

As a result of the nation-wide shutdown in defense against the coronavirus pandemic — which in April was particularly devastating in its region of northwestern Italy, with the most European covid-19-related deaths — the City of Torino initially rescheduled the TJF, moving its dates from April to October.

But soon Borotti and Calzi, described in the City’s press release “convinced that music never stops and longing to move forward,” decided to start sooner, and offer two fest installments.

The fall dates and artists aren’t yet confirmed, but the plan involves some 30 concerts “staged in a dozen jazz clubs and other venues that for many years have kept the jazz scene in Torino thriving.”

This same press release describes the festival’s outdoor site as “the courtyard of the Combo hostel complex (the former site of the Porta Palazzo fire station) on corso Regina Margherita.

Due to bad weather conditions, the last two days of the Festival were held in the Colosseo Theater, a theater with a capacity of 1500 seats, but the organizers adhered to the original regulations, limiting 200 persons per concert.

“All necessary precautions, including social distancing, will be strictly enforced at all performances,” the program advised. And so they were.