MaltaMedia.com

The Malta Jazz Festival is featuring Charles Gatt Quartet, Ari Hoenig Trio featuring Gilad Hekselman and Orlando Lefleming and Richard Bona on Sunday 17th July at 20:00 CEST.

Charles Gatt Quartet features a collaboration between local and foreign musicians. Ari Hoenig is one of the most exciting drummers in New York’s jazz scene today.

Charles ‘City’ Gatt, percussionist, composer and creator of the Malta Jazz Festival, studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. He furthered his studies under Joe Hunt, Mike Metheny and Andy Jaffe. International tours included Italy with the Jazz Fantasy Trio from Bergamo in 2002, played at Jazzmandu, the Kathmandu Jazz Festival in Nepal.

He gave several masterclasses, workshops and performances, the more recent at the Tollwood Festival in Munich in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and in Ascoli Piceno in 2004. He has accompanied international artists such as Albert Mangelsdorff, Bobby Shew and the National Youth Jazz Orchestra from UK in formal concerts. He was the Principal of the Johann Strauss School of Music between 1995 and 2005.

For this edition of the festival he will be leading his own quartet featuring Maltese pianist Joe Debono, British saxophonist Amy Gamlen , and Italian bassplayer Matteo Bortone .

Ari Hoenig (born in 1973), is a jazz drummer, composer and educator known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members.

Ari is widely noted particularly for his drumming not being relegated to just keeping tempo, or being a side issue to the music he plays in, but rather for elevating drumming as an indispensable part of the performance.

Hoenig is also known for his unique ability to modify the pitch of a drum by using drum sticks, mallets, and even parts of his body (such as his hands and elbows). Using this technique, he can play any note in the chromatic scale, virtually any melody, and even improvise on a chord structure in the same way as any other instrumentalist would. Ari has recorded 6 cds as a leader including 2 solo drums cd’s and is currently a Dreyfus Records performing artist.

Richard Bona, a native of Cameroon and a collaborator of Pat Metheny, Bobby McFerrin and Joe Zawinul one of the best electric bassplayers around. His music blends, world, jazz, brazilian, funk elements. Venue: Ta’ Liesse, Grand Harbour, Valletta.

He was born in 1967. Richard was playing the balafon by the time he was four, and then he taught himself to play the guitar and bass. In 1989 he went to Europe, living in Germany for a while before moving to France to complete his bass education. In 1995 Richard went to New York. Scenes From My Life was released in 1999. It was followed by Reverence (2001), Munia: The Tale (2003), Tiki (2006, with John Legend and Djavan) and the live album Bona Makes You Sweat in 2008.

In 2004, Richard Bona joined his talents with those of Lokua Kanza from the Congo and Gerald Toto from Martinique, and together they released TotoBonaLokua. Bona has a tour with Sylvain Luc and Steve Gadd, plus dates with Bill Evans and his group Soulgrass, a summer of festivals alongside Richard Galliano (with Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Clarence Penn).

For further information visit www.maltajazzfestival.org. Time: 20.00 hrs. Tickets: Single day ticket €15. Reserved seating ticket €20, three day pass €30. Concessions for students and senior citizens at €10 per night and €20 for a three day pass. Tickets on sale from www.maltaticket.com.

You may also enjoy the Malta Jazz Festival from aboard the jazz boat which includes a 45 minute cruise around the Harbour aboard the M/S Hera, a lavish buffet dinner with wine while the boat is berthed in the Harbour throughout the Malta Jazz Festival. Tickets for the jazz boat experience €50.