Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/269668
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 THIS WEEK 40 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 THIS WEEK MEHLIANA (featuring Brad Mehldau and Mark Guiliana), rising star vibraphonist Warren Wolf and trumpet player Tom Harrell will be three of the acts performing at this year's Malta Jazz Festival, which will be held at Ta' Liesse between 17 and 19 July. "This year's line-up will show- case the diversity of styles which constitute the contem- porary jazz scene," says artistic director Sandro Zerafa. "In its mission to combine a wide au- dience appeal with quality and artistic integrity, this year the Malta Jazz Festival will feature a variety of cutting edge acts – some blend electronica with jazz elements, others combine Caribbean/Creole influences with modern jazz piano and others are more straight-ahead and mainstream." Mehliana pairs world-re- nowned pianist Brad Mehldau and acclaimed drummer/per- cussionist Mark Guiliana – the resulting music is trance-laden, free and majestic, displaying Brad's penchant for splitting his hands in a way that no other modern pianist of his genera- tion can - sounding like two pi- anists – only now utilizing the varied timbres of synthesizers, accompanied by Mark's fre- netic drum machine-like jungle beat precision and unbreak- able groove. The unmistakable harmony and melodicism of Brad Mehldau played through electric keyboards enveloped by the virtuosic rhythmic ten- dencies of Guiliana – is nothing short of what a lot of music fans have been waiting for; two of the world's most refreshing in- strumentalists humanising live electronic music with improvi- sation and deft ability. Vibraphonist Warren Wolf, a multi-instrumentalist who has also honed his chops on drums and piano since age three, is also following in the footsteps of vibes masters Bobby Hutch- erson and Stefon Harris by be- coming a member of the SFJazz Collective. He has been given high praise from jazz fans and recording executives alike. Praised by Newsweek for his pure melodic genius, Tom Har- rell is widely recognized as one of the most creative and dynamic jazz instrumental- ists and composers of our time. While Harrell is a master of the jazz idiom, he constantly seeks new challenges and in- fluences. Even with a discog- raphy of over 260 recordings and a career that spans more than four decades, Harrell has managed to stay fresh and cur- rent as he continues to actively record and tour around the world. He is a frequent winner in Down Beat and Jazz Times magazines' Critics and Readers Polls and a Grammy nominee. His warm, burnished sound on the trumpet and the flugelhorn, and the unparalleled harmonic and rhythmic sophistication in his playing and writing, have earned Harrell his place as a jazz icon to aspiring musicians and devoted fans alike. His mu- sic is at once intelligent, soulful, fresh and accessible. A graduate of Stanford Uni- versity with a degree in music composition, Harrell is a prolif- ic composer and arranger. Car- los Santana, Cold Blood, Azte- ca, Vince Guaraldi, Hank Jones, Kenny Barron, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Danish Radio Big Band, WDR Big Band, Brus- sels Jazz Orchestra, Metropole Orchestra and Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra are among the many who have recorded or performed his work. Tom Harrell Colors of a Dream, who will perform at the Malta Jazz Festival 2014, features Johnathan Blake, Wayne Es- coffery, Ugonna Okegwo, Jaleel Shaw and Esperanza Spalding. The full line-up of the Malta Jazz Festival will be disclosed in the next few weeks preceding the official press conference at the beginning of April. Visit the Malta Jazz Festival Facebook page for updates TEATRU Salesjan will be present- ing Malta's first official Beatbox Workshops as part of an initia- tive supported by the Malta Arts Fund. This project will pave the way for the discovery and expres- sion of Vocal Percussion on the Maltese Islands. The innovative art form will be explored through two phases of interactive work- shops. The sessions will be led by Malta's international beatbox pioneer, Dana McKeon, who ranked #5 and #2 in the female categories of the 2012 World Beatbox Championships and the 2012/2013 UK Beatbox Champi- onships respectively. The hour-long workshops are open to people from 10 years of age upwards and no musical background is required. They will be held free of charge at Te- atru Salesjan on the March 8, with a follow-up on the April 12. On both dates, the Begin- ners' session will be held at 13:00, while a session for Intermediate and Advanced levels will be held at 15:00. Phase 1 of the Beatbox Work- shops will comprise a thorough overview of beatboxing, while Phase 2 will serve as an advance- ment of the techniques learned during the first phase. The fol- lowing elements will be imple- mented during the sessions: Beatbox demonstration out- • lining the main variations of vocal percussion A brief history of the art of • beatboxing A practical and interactive • segment covering the basic sounds and 'beatbox lan- guage' An overview of rhythm and • time-keeping The creation of beat pat- • terns using the basic beatbox sounds Combining all these ele- • ments to make music The nature of the workshops is very flexible, with due emphasis placed on other core elements such as breathing techniques, mi- crophone control and improvisa- tion. Having over 10 years' expe- rience in the field of youth music workshops, Dana will adjust and progress each session in accord- ance with the group's age range and abilities. With groups of around ten per session, individu- al attention is guaranteed, while allowing for a high degree of in- teraction, through which partici- pants encourage and inspire one another to develop their improvi- sational and creative skills. Ap- plicants are requested to send an email to maltabeatbox@gmail. com for more info and to book a place at the workshops. Early booking is recommended. Mehliana, Warren Wolf and Tom Harrell to perform at Malta Jazz Festival 2014 Malta's first official beatbox workshops with Dana McKeon