The Jaffa Cakes

The Jaffa Cakes

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We are happy to introduce the Swing part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents The Jaffa Cakes.

Can you imagine a cover band who arranges the most famous songs in different styles and genre, still keeping their “sing-along” peculiarity? Miss Phoenix & The Jaffa Cakes  is an original band based in Dublin that twists world famous songs into different unique versions, mostly jazz, swing, blues, combining post-modern flavours creating their own signature sound.

Started as a standard Jazz duet (piano and vocals), they found this new way to perform almost as a joke, but given that the result was unexpectedly remarkable, they decided to leave the standard jazz project and create the Jaffa Cakes. All the performers are Italian.

They met by coincidence in Dublin and after a jam session decided to work together. Paolo Zuddas on the drums, Dario Rodighiero on the piano and vocals, Plinny Phoenix as lead singer.

At the Radio Dublino Festival, The Jaffa Cakes will go back to origins, performing again as duet, piano and voice.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/JaffaCakesMusic/

The Brixia Trio

The Brixia Trio

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We are happy to announce a new addition to our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents the Brixia Trio.

The Brixia Trio named after the wonderful town of Brescia in northern Italy, is a jazz ensemble based in Dublin, composed of Anna Bignami (Brescia, IT), Otso Kasperi Mielonen (FIN) and Enrico Goffi (Brescia, IT). The Trio doesn’t have a leader, it represents a communal effort and musical commitment. Each of the members present their own compositions to be then workshopped by the other musicians to create ONE sound without annihilating the individual’s intent. They have performed in various venues such as The Music Temple (Brescia, IT)

THE MEMBERS

ANNA BIGNAMI
Anna Bignami is a guitarist, composer and arranger based in Dublin Ireland.. Originally from Brescia Italy, she moved to Dublin at the age of 18 to attend the jazz performance degree course at Newpark Music Centre (now DCU).Eever since she moved she has been active in the Dublin jazz scene as well as in her home country playing in multiple projects such as PIUMA and MARE NOSTRUM

OTSO KASPERI MIELONEN
Is a Dublin based Finnish bassist, composer and extremist. Born in the city of Oulu, but grew up in the midst of Copenhagen from an early age. Otso has performed with regularly with the Carlsberg Big Band in Copenhagen and after moving to Dublin to pursue his studies at Newpark Music Centre (now DCU), he has been an active part of the Irish jazz scene.In Ireland Otso leads his own band Sisucunda, as well as performing along with Anna Bignami (ITA) in the duo Piuma.

ENRICO GOFFI
Based in Dublin, Ireland but grew up in a small foggy town in northern Italy, drummer and composer Enrico Goffi has been surrounded by music since a young age, Goffi has shaped his
own unique sound, crafting a sonority that draws inspiration from the landscape of Ireland, impressionistic literature and the improvisational spirit of jazz.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/brixiatrio/

Luisa Annibali

Luisa Annibali

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We are happy to introduce the New Soul, Jazz and Bossanova part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents Luisa Annibali and the “Compartir” project.

Luisa Annibali is an Italian born singer and songwriter living in Dublin. She started to sing when she was just 2 years old and at the age of 7 she started playing piano. Despite this it took her time to fully understand that music wasn’t just her hobby. As a matter of fact, after high school, she studied Law.

During her legal studies, she kept taking vocal classes and attending different Jazz, Blues and Musical Theatre Workshops in Rome and working part-time as a singer in bars and clubs, and at private events. As soon as she graduated, she worked in a law firm. Once she moved to Dublin, she started playing guitar and composed her own original music to definitely realise that her career needed to change.

Two years ago she made an application and successfully entered the Newpark College, now DCU  “Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance” (Berklee Programme). Her main influences are coming from Jazz, Soul, New Soul, Blues, Funky, Bossa Nova and World Music. Artists such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Astrud Gilberto, Etta James, Paolo Conte, Erykah Badu, Otis Redding, keep inspiring her everyday. She deeply believes in the THERAPEUTIC POWER OF MUSIC!

Currently, she is performing at different bars and venues around Dublin and back in Italy. Just last summer she performed at the “Tolfa Jazz Festival”. She is also working on her first album which will be released next year.

“Compartir” project was born with two musicians and friends met during the DCU Jazz Course: Juan Pablo Mejia (spanish guitar player) and Jonathan Santos (brazilian guitar and bass player) but it also involve previous works with other musicians and friends that crossed her path in the last years.

She is also involved in other music projects, like her recently formed trio “Triplets of Belvedere” playing a repertoire that focuses mainly on Gypsy Jazz.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/pg/luisa.annibali.music/

See her performance in Radio Dublino: https://www.radiodublino.com/2018/12/04/lulu-kumama-dal-vivo-a-radio-dublino/

The Jones Way

The Jones Way

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We are happy to introduce the Bluesy-Swing part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents The Jones Way .

The Jones Way is a project born in Rome in May 2012, from Silvia Segatori and Annalisa Bruschini. After hundreds of gigs around Rome, they decided, in 2015, to move to Ireland; through the years based here they had the chance to play in important venues in Ireland and in Germany. With their abilities and thanks to in-depth music studies, they re-arrange released songs in English and Italian in a unique style. They can ranging from the most classical Standard Jazz to the legendary Pop-Rock and latest releases in the Bluesy-Swing way and, eventually a glance at the modern and Fusion Jazz with their personal touch just guitar and voice.

The artistic development of The Jones Way, make them bring on stage a performance with a “Bluesy Swing” taste. The Listener can relive a typical essence of ’30/’40 jazz, blues and swing – thanks to Silvia’s characteristic voice powerful and coloratura able to swing quickly through her vocal range -, with a particular ensemble of the typical soul and pop sound – thanks to the essential acoustic arrangements with delicate and accurate Annalisa’s touch on acoustic guitar.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/thejoneswayacoustic/

See they performance in Radio Dublino: https://www.radiodublino.com/2019/05/09/the-jones-way-dal-vivo-a-radio-dublino/

Andrea Facco Eliana Valentini

The Ballroom Sessions in 4 Photos and 2 Videos

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This year at the Italian Fusion Festival we proposed language, music and dance workshops and two acoustic sessions with two of the best musicians in Dublin.

3:30 PM Workshop Irish Trad DanceIrish Dance

4:30 PM Workshop The secret of Italian gestures

italian body language

5:30 PM Workshop Uilleann Pipe

6:30 PM Workshop Traditional Dance from the South of Italy

7:30 PM Andrea Facco

8:30 PM Sean Whelan

Francesco Turrisi Trio

The Loft Lineup 2018 in 6 Videos

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Francesco Turrisi Trio

Francesco Turrisi Trio

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Francesco Turrisi

We are happy to introduce the jazz part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents Francesco Turrisi Trio.

The Francesco Turrisi Trio is Francesco Turrisi (Accordion), Julien Colarossi (Guitar) and Barry Donohue (Bass).

If a musician is defined by the company he keeps then it is little wonder that Italian pianist Francesco Turrisi skirts facile categorization. The Turin-born, Dublin-based pianist and multi-instrumentalist has played with former Miles Davis reedsman Dave Liebman, flamenco icon Pepe El Habichuela, kaval player Theodosii Spassov and singer extraordinaire Maria Pia de Vito. He is equally at home playing with jazz veteran Gianluigi Trovesi as he is with Irish sean-nós singer Roisin El Safty and with tarantella specialist Lucilla Galeazzi. Turrisi has toured with Bobby McFerrin, interpreted the music of Steve Reich with Bang on a Can All Stars and, since 2004, has been a core member of celebrated early music ensemble L’ Arpeggiata. And at heart, he is a jazz improviser.

Turrisi, it’s safe to say, is a musical polyglot par excellence and it’s natural that he feels at home in multiple musical settings for his vocabulary is a colorful weave of early music, pan-Mediterranean modal melodies and European flavored jazz. In spite of his numerous collaborations it’s as a leader that Turrisi has earned his spurs. His four beautifully crafted solo albums and two co-led releases have garnered widespread critical acclaim.

Originally from Settefrati, Italy, guitarist and composer Julien Colarossi graduated with a first-class honours degree in jazz performance from Newpark Music Centre in Dublin, Ireland has established himself as one of the most exciting young guitarists to emerge in recent years on the Irish contemporary jazz scene. He is gaining a strong reputation not only as a performer but also as a composer and teacher. Julien is a highly versatile and what is known as a ‘dyed in the wool jazzer’ and brings a lyrical quality to his guitar playing from his roots deep in the mountains of beautiful “Val Di Comino” in Italy.

Barry Donohue is one of the most in-demand bassists on the Dublin scene, equally adept on the acoustic upright and electric guitar versions of his instrument.

Website: http://www.francescoturrisi.com/

Headtrip Acoustic Project

Headtrip Acoustic Project

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Headtrip Acoustic ProjectWe are happy to introduce the acoustic metal part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents the Headtrip Acoustic Project.

Headtrip Acoustic Project is a trio of two acoustic guitars mixing lap tapping and fingerstyle + one cajon and various percussive elements.

Headtrip Acoustic Project is Zar (Vocal and Guitar),  Giovanni Agostini (Vocal and Guitar), Niccolò Matterazzo (Vocal and Percussions).

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/HeadtripAcousticProject/

Andrea Facco

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andrea faccoWe are happy to introduce the Italian folk part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents Andrea Facco.

Andrea Facco is singer-songwriter from Genoa, Italy. At the age of nine, he began to cultivate his passion for music by taking the first guitar lessons with Giorgio Falco. Search artistically grows with the teachings of Katzumi Nagaoka, Armando Corsi and Gianni Martini. Thanks to which thirteen years he began to compose his own songs (music and lyrics). Parallel to the guitar he engages in the self-taught study of ethnic and ancient instruments. Among them: the Oud, the Lute and the Bouzouki, which became his favorite instrument.

Website: http://www.andreafacco.it/

 

Pointbreak

Pointbreak

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We are happy to introduce the surf rock part of our lineup. This year the Italian Fusion Festival presents the Pointbreak!

Pointbreak was conceived somewhere in the strange corridors of Stefano’s brain in Dublin, in the autumn of 2014. A brand new Surf Rock group paddled out into the world and took the drop.

Now, the questions are: Why Surf Rock? And what the hell is this sound?

Surf Rock is basically instrumental Rock’n’Roll – electric guitars drenched in reverb, cranked through valve amps, with a distinctive beat that has gotten people moving since the 50’s. Think Dick Dale, The Ventures and Link Wray. You know it, you just might not know that you know it. The focal instrument really is guitar, and that’s where the inimitable Stefano comes in. Once Gavan came on board on drums, things began moving. Adding Pablo on sax and theremin and Mark on bass, and Pointbreak really started cooking.

After the band was formed, the first gig came a few months later at the Dublin Rock’n‘Roll Festival. People seemed to enjoy that twanging sound, reminiscent of Tarantino and Sergio Leone’s movies. This was only another confirmation that playing surf rock was actually a brilliant idea.

After that, the band was eager to play that music for as much people as possible and they did. Fibber Magees became their second home and they’ve headlined at Whelan’s, Sin É, Gypsy Rose, Sweeney’s. How can you resist THE beat after all?!

It didn’t take long until Pointbreak started writing their own songs and re-arranging some famous tunes as their own. All this material has shaped out as an EP, “Get Wet!”, already available on all major platforms.

What about Pointbreak shows? Their live show is a raucous blend of soaking wet, twangy Fender guitars, screaming sax and a pulsating rhythm on the drums that will have everybody up and dancing. The setlist is a mix of classic surf rock tunes from the ‘60s (Walk don’t run, Surf Rider, Miserlou, Mr Moto, Wipe Out), more contemporary surf tunes (music from Jon & The Nightrider, Satan’s Pilgrim), original tunes and a bit of nonsense (Theme from The Munsters TV Show, Tetris, Superhero meadley and so on). One thing is definite: you’ll never get bored watching these guys playing live!

Pointebreak are Stefano Vita – Guitar,  Gavan Duffy – Drums, Mark Corry – Bass,  Pablo Caderno – Sax & Theremin

Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/pointbreak9
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pointbreakdublin/
Bandcamp: https://pointbreak-ie.bandcamp.com