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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 12 JULY 2015 This Week 31 TEODOR RELJIC speaks to Malta Jazz Festival Artistic Director, and jazz musician in his own right, Sandro Zerafa about this year's edition of the long-running festival at Ta' Liesse, Valletta remixed for people to train abroad. It's turned me upside down as an actor and as an artist and just broadened my perspectives while allowing me to work on nothing but my craft 24/7 and seven days a week. It's ex- tremely tough but you become a completely new person with a skillset that allows you to sur- vive in a cut-throat industry as well as how to stand by your own craft and come into your own as an artist. Secondly, promote the need for new writing. It's always quite sad to see that there are always the same couple of names who seem to be writing. Albeit their work being great and always appreciated, more young people need to start finding their voice too in order to give us something more var- ied to work on. Finally – wake up our youth. Don't settle for mediocrity. If you think you can do it – try it! Find your own voice – what- ever artform it may be residing in – and remain active. There are thousands of opportunities that go by every day – and if you really want something you can do it. All you have to do is risk it for a biscuit and dive in! Everyone is always looking for the next generation of talent – and the older generation is always willing to pass on their knowledge. All you have to do is take advantage of it. What's next for you? Who knows? I'm currently in talks to direct a few other things around here – but as soon as Romeo and Juliet is over I'll be going back to the UK to contin- ue my work as an actor as well – I'm signed with an agent and he's itching to get me out there and auditioning. I've only just graduated so the world is full of possibility! MADC's Romeo and Juliet will be performed at San An- ton Gardens, Balzan from July 23 to 31. Doors open at 19:30. For more informa- tion and bookings, log on to http://www.madc.com.mt/ "We need to promote new writing. It's always quite sad to see the same couple of names who seem to be writing. Their work is always appreciated, but more young people need to find their voice" Opening up audiences, safeguarding the niche Could you tell us a bit about your thought process when putting together each edition of the Malta Jazz Festival? What are the things that you tend to tackle most ur- gently, and how does your expe- rience as a practicing musician help or hinder this process? It is primarily a matter of finding a compromise between a personal artistic vision, what resonates with the audience and the budget con- straints. It is important to reach out to the people but one must be careful not to succumb to the kind of cultural philistinism which is being endorsed by many festivals nowadays. Jazz is a niche art and it initially thrived in small venues. Larger venues mean larger audi- ences and sometimes that means sacrificing artistic integrity. It is a delicate balance to achieve. I usu- ally start by booking the headliners, the crowd pullers. They eat huge chunks of the budget. And being a musician obviously helps in better understanding the business. How- ever I am careful not to allow my personal tastes to dominate. The Jazz Festival has been a long-running affair. How do you ensure that it doesn't stagnate? Mainly through audience out- reach and engagement. A case in point are the Jazz on the Fringe events, which have really helped boost the festival in recent years. This programme has a twofold role – to stimulate the local jazz scene through the creation of networks with international musicians, free masterclasses and a jazz contest, and to expose the Maltese audi- ences to jazz beyond the confines of the main stage at Ta' Liesse, through the Jazz on the Fringe se- ries of gigs. How do you see the Jazz Festi- val complementing the other sur- rounding events going on simulta- neously, most notably the Malta Arts Festival? And are there any plans to incorporate the Jazz Fes- tival into the overall vision of Val- letta 2018? If so, how so? July in Malta is saturated with cultural events. This can be both advantageous and detrimental. Ad- vantageous in the sense that there is a dynamic which is created be- tween the different events, incit- ing people to go out. However, for obvious reasons, we should try and avoid having several events coincid- ing and impacting on one another, especially when it comes to niche art forms. Valletta 2018 have been support- ing the Jazz on the Fringe program for a while now and I am immense- ly grateful. With their support this year I managed to create the first edition of The Fringe Youth Jazz orchestra, a collaboration between young Maltese and Italian musi- cians. This year they will perform Duke Ellington's Far East suite at the MJF under the direction of the renowned arranger Gabriele Comeglio. In September they will then be performing at the Notti di Luce festival in Bergamo. Have you seen any shift in the Jazz Festival crowd over the past couple of years? The audience is getting younger and that is very encouraging. The festival is getting considerable vis- ibility abroad too and is attracting a sizable foreign audience. What would you say are the highlights of this particular edi- tion of the festival? Chucho Valdes is a five-time Grammy Award winner and has achieved legendary status in Latin jazz. Kurt Elling is probably the most important male jazz vocalist at the moment and Soweto Kinch's original blend of hip-hop and jazz is particularly enticing. Richard Bona is an incredibly charismatic per- former blending world music and jazz. I recommend each act at the festival. Every act has something different to offer. Other than that I am particularly looking forward to drummers Eric Harland, Brian Blade, sax player David Binney and guitarist Joe Cohn. How would you describe the 'state' of jazz as a contemporary, worldwide musical genre at the moment? Do you think it can re- spond and/or offer a concrete counterpoint to pop culture, or is it mainly a niche thing? Jazz has undergone a 'popifica- tion' in recent years, sometimes alienating it from its roots. I am all for innovation as long as one foot is kept in the past and as long as the innovation is not motivated by bankability. Recently I was reading a Thelonious Monk biography, and one thing which really struck me is that those bebop artists in the 40s and 50s were seriously committed to their artistic vision, and they were quite uncompromising, despite un- favorable reviews, poor record sales, serious financial problems and hav- ing to support families. That is one thing that in my opinion changed today. Maybe jazz should remain a niche thing after all. What's next for you? I am writing new music for a new album. I have upcoming concerts in Paris, Italy, Canada and Malta. I will continue doing what I enjoy doing most. The Malta Jazz Festival will be taking place over July 16-19 at Ta' Liesse, Valletta at 20:00. For more information log on to: www.malta- jazzfestival.org. For more on Sandro Zerafa's music, log on to www.san- drozerafa.com Sandro Zerafa