Entertainment News | Union of Sounds at Jazz Concerts Bring out Indo-Italian Engagement

New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) A superb trio of acclaimed pianist Rita Marcotulli, trumpeter Paolo Fresu and percussionist Trilok Gurtu left the audience in the national capital awestruck with vivid colours of contemporary music in their first of the three-city Jazz concerts in India.

The Jazz musicians from India and Italy are teaming up for the "India, Jazz Up!" concerts with an aim to further strengthen the cultural bonds between the two countries.

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The trio created an incredible range of sounds in the first concert in Delhi's India Habitat Centre on Thursday evening that was attended by hundreds of music-lovers including significant numbers of foreign diplomats.

The performance combined formal elegance with both traditional and modern elements originated in the Mediterranean and India, said a Jazz enthusiast.

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The concerts are being organised by the embassy of Italy in collaboration with the Italy Cultural Centre.

The 'India, Jazz Up' featuring Fresu and Marcotulli (both from Italy) and Trilok Gurtu (India) is a one of its kind jazz concert bringing together the three world-acclaimed musicians.

The synergy the seasoned artists re-created on stage embodied the core mission of the initiative: to strengthen cultural bridges between Italy and India while fostering bilateral partnerships in a variety of sectors, said an organiser.

Cultural cooperation is a powerful tool to strengthen and enhance Indo-Italian friendship, the Italian embassy said in a brief comment.

The maestros with illustrious careers, undisputed virtuosos, aimed at going beyond boundaries and at exploring new trends, the Jazz enthusiast said.

Marcotulli is a famous Italian pianist and composer. Respected for her distinctive style of sound and ability to improvise. Her source of creativity includes influences from Brazilian, African and Indian music.

Fresu is a celebrated Italian jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player, as well as a composer. Gurtu is a master drummer and world music pioneer. He is known for attempting to create a confluence of Indian classical music, Jazz and African music.

The multi-instrumental and multi-cultural approach has been part of his modus operandi for five decades, said the organiser.

The trio will next perform in Mumbai on March 2 while the concluding concert will take place in Bengaluru on March 3.

"Italy and India, being heirs of ancient civilizations and young democracies, share the same need to preserve their immense cultural heritage and traditions while looking at innovation," said Italian ambassador to India Vincenzo de Luca.

"India, Jazz Up! is a live depiction of a brilliantly well balanced collaboration between our musical worlds: the Mediterranean notes travel a long way landing in India where they perfectly blend with folk beats," he said.

"This union of sounds symbolizes the Indo-Italian mutual engagement, a trademark in bilateral relations where culture and creativity represent soft power crucial dimensions," he said.

The envoy said it primarily stems from a millennial tradition of exchanges, as well as the common recognition of the value of true friendship and solidarity which recently gained "outstanding momentum" with an upgrade of the ties to the level of strategic partnership.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)